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Caviar - A Treat for the Holidays
The holidays are rich in so many traditions, each contributing to the whole experience. One of my favorite traditions is fresh Russian beluga caviar on Christmas eve. (New Years eve too.) As ostentatious as this may sound it is my reward for surviving another holiday season in the retail business. In light of this, I thought it appropriate to mention a bit about caviar in an effort to demystify it. Caviar, which is mainly produced in Iran and Russia, comes from the salted roe of the sturgeon; the finest of all from the sterlet. The latter, in the days of the Tsars, was reserved for the royal tables. Strictly speaking, only sturgeon eggs should be called caviar. The so-called ‘red’ caviar, although delicious in its own way, is prepared from the eggs of salmon, and scorned by true caviar devotees as a feeble substitute for the genuine article. However, this type of ‘caviar’ does have an excellent and completely distinctive flavor and, oddly, when used as a flavoring in bland fish dishes, it surpasses the black. The name ‘fresh caviar’ applies to the choice, firm, but not too ripe eggs of the three main sturgeon species yielding roes of three sizes. One learns with experience that all which glistens black and oily is not true caviar. The eggs of the cod, catfish, whiting, shad and mullet are also pressed, processed and dyed to give the dark color, which should, but does not always, denote true caviar. The three main sturgeon types and thus main caviar types are as follows: Beluga Caviar - This is a large-grained caviar coming from the Beluga sturgeon, a fish weighing up to 1,800 pounds and reaching 20 feet in length. The female takes from 18 to 20 years to mature before producing eggs. The largest grain and most delicate sturgeon eggs, Beluga caviar has a smooth, light taste. Its color varies from light to dark gray. Osetra Caviar - This caviar comes from the smaller Osetra sturgeon. It is also a large grain caviar and has a more “fruity” or “nutty” flavor than Beluga. Osetra varies in color from golden yellow to brown. Osetra sturgeon are smaller than Beluga, weighing between 80 and 200 pounds; they mature between 12 and 14 years.
Sevruga Caviar
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This species of sturgeon yields the smallest
grained caviar, which is much appreciated by caviar fanciers. The Sevruga
matures in seven years and its caviar has a strong yet delicate flavor and
ranges in color from light to dark gray. |
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