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Caviar: An Introduction
Not so long ago, caviar was served only to royalty and the upper classes. Even today, it is considered a great delicacy and is highly prized. So, what exactly is caviar?
This elegant appetizer is simply salted fish eggs! Fish roe or eggs are first sieved so that all the fatty tissues and membrane can be removed. They are then lightly salted with special non-iodized salt. This method of preservation is an old tradition and fish roe are preserved and cured in this way to produce caviar.
You would however be wrong to think that all fish roe can be cured and preserved in the manner above to get caviar. True caviar is produced only from the roe of the sturgeon. A sturgeon is a saltwater fish typically found in the Black and Caspian Seas between Asia and Europe as well as along the Southern Atlantic coast and Pacific Northwest coast of the United States. While sturgeons are known to grow so big that they may weigh a hefty 3000 pounds, on an average they weigh about 60 pounds. Their flesh is supposed to be delicious and their eggs even more valuable.
Depending on the kind of sturgeon one gets the eggs to make the caviar from, there are three main types of caviar. The beluga caviar is made from the roe of the beluga sturgeon. This sturgeon is found in the Caspian Sea that is between Iran and Russia, where caviar production is a major industry. The beluga caviar is soft and has very large eggs. Its very distinctive flavor and the fact that the beluga sturgeon is rare, make this caviar the best among all but also the most expensive. The osetra and sevruga caviar are next in quality to the beluga caviar.
The only concern with caviar is that it is highly perishable and has to be constantly refrigerated from the time it is taken from the fish till it is actually consumed. Caviar is also believed to provide sufficient vitamin B12 though it also contains high levels of cholesterol and plenty of salt.
Serving caviar is an art in itself – it has to be served cold and preferably into a bowl that has also been kept in a container full of ice to maintain the temperature. The best way to serve caviar is in a simple way with just some lemon wedges or toast points. If you desire you could garnish it with some sour cream and minced onion along with hard-cooked eggs.
Caviar: The Basics
Black Caviar
One of the most loved appetizers the world over, caviar simply refers to the eggs or roe as they are called of the particular fish species, sturgeon. It is believed to have its origin in the Persian word ‘Khaviar’, which roughly translated means ‘bearing eggs’.
It is also interesting to note that caviar is the term exclusively used for that made from the eggs of the sturgeon. Eggs from other species like salmon, whitefish, and paddlefish may be used to make caviar but then the name of the fish has to be included in the name like salmon caviar, whitefish caviar and so on.
Caviar made from sturgeon roe is just caviar! There are three main types of caviar, depending on the kind of sturgeon species the eggs were taken from. These types are beluga, sevruga and osetra. Let us quickly look at the special features of each caviar.
1. Beluga caviar has the largest eggs. The beluga sturgeon on an average weighs between 80 and 400 pounds, fifteen percent of which is believed to be eggs! This particular caviar has a very distinctive rich, creamy flavour with a delicate texture. What makes the beluga caviar the most valuable amongst all the other caviars is its rarity.
2. Sevruga caviar usually weighs less than 50 pounds. This caviar too has a very creamy texture but a much stronger flavour.
3. Osetra caviar is also called Imperial caviar because the golden osetra caviar is very rare and hence highly prized. So much so that it used to be served only to kings and emperors. Though the golden osetra caviar is rare, the slightly brown caviar is more commonly available and has a nutty flavour.
Since the amount of salt contained in caviar was a cause of concern for many, malossol caviar is made with very little salt. In fact, modern preservation techniques and sophisticated refrigeration have made it possible to preserve caviar for longer without adding too much salt.
Since the rarest and most expensive of caviar is the beluga caviar, and the beluga sturgeon is found mainly in the Caspian Sea, not surprisingly most caviar production takes place in Russia and Iran.
These countries are the main producers of caviar along with countries like Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. The United States imports about 20% of the caviar from the Caspian Sea along with Japan, Switzerland and many other countries from the European Union.
This is great information if you are looking to buy caviar online.
