Caviar

What is caviar?Answer: Caviar is fish roe or eggs, sieved to remove fatty tissues and membrane, and lightly salted with non-iodized salt. This is an old preserving and curing method that is still effective today.

Of course, all female fish lay eggs to reproduce, so they all have roe. However, not all fish roe is suitable for nor considered to be caviar. By most definitions and to a purist, true caviar comes from the sturgeon and the sturgeon alone.

The sturgeon is a saltwater anadromous fish (meaning it moves to freshwater to spawn) which makes its home in the Black and Caspian Seas between Europe and Asia, and also the Pacific Northwest and Southern Atlantic coasts of the United States.

The sturgeon can grow to over 3,000 pounds, but usually averages about 60 pounds. The flesh of the fish, as well as its prized eggs, is quite delicious.

The most prized caviar comes from the beluga, osetra, and sevruga varieties of sturgeon. Nowadays you will also find caviar from other fish varieties, including salmon, lumpfish and tuna, as well as in different forms

The word caviar entered English via Italian [1] or Turkish,[2]; ultimately derives from Persian caviars, from khaya "egg" (from Middle Persian khayak "egg," from Old Iranian *qvyaka-, dim. of *avya-, from PIE *owyo-/*oyyo- "egg") + dar "bearing." [3]

Some also think it derives from the Persian word خاگ آور (Xâg-âvar), meaning "the roe-generator"; others say chav-jar, which means "cake of power", a reference to the ancient Persian practice of eating caviar in stick form as a kind of elixir.[4]

In Persian, the word refers to both the sturgeon and its roe; in Russian, the word икра (ikra), "roe", is used. The Russian word malossol ("little salt") sometimes appears on caviar tins to show that the caviar is minimally salted; typically, caviar is 4% to 8% salt, with the better-brand varieties generally being less salted.

Varieties

Advertising poster for Iranian caviar in Paris, France

The Caspian Sea is considered the source of the finest caviar in the world. Contemporary black caviar is roe from sturgeon fished from the Caspian Sea by Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Kazakhstan. The highest prices paid are for the Beluga, Ossetra, and Sevruga

varieties. (The large-grained Beluga caviar is from the Beluga sturgeon, a fish which is unrelated to the Beluga whale, a mammal.) The golden Sterlet caviar was once a favorite of czars, shahs, and emperors. Currently, the dwindling fishing yields consequent to over fishing and pollution have resulted in the creation of less costly, though popular, caviar-quality roe alternatives from the whitefish and the North Atlantic salmon.

The harvest and sale of black caviar have been banned in Russia since August 1, 2007. The ban extends for 10 years, but scientific research and the artificial breeding of black caviar fish are exempted.

Ecology

Sturgeon

In the early 1900s, Canada and the United States were the major caviar suppliers to Europe; they harvested roe from the lake sturgeon in the North American Midwest, and from the Shortnose sturgeon and the Atlantic sturgeon spawning in the rivers of the Eastern coast of the United States. Today, however, the Shortnose sturgeon is rated Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of endangered species and rated Endangered per the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

In Spain a fish farm called Caviar de Riofrio has begun to produce organic caviar. The company raises sturgeon in such a way that it has earned organic certification by CITES.[5]

Current aquaculture of sturgeon is an economically viable means of sustainable, commercial caviar production, especially in Spain, France, Uruguay, and California.[6] Hackleback caviar is a popular, inexpensive product of this industry. Paddlefish, a sturgeon cousin, is also farmed in increasing numbers.

Recently, the amount of allowed wild fish harvesting has been decreased, consequently increasing caviar prices. In September 2005, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service banned the import of Caspian Sea Beluga caviar, to protect the endangered Beluga sturgeon; a month later, the ban included Beluga caviar from the

entire Black Sea basin. In January 2006, CITES, the convention for trade in endangered species, announced they were "unable to approve the [caviar] export quotas" for 2006 from wild fish stocks.[7] In January 2007, this ban was partly lifted, allowing the sale of 96 tons of caviar, 15% below the official 2005 level.[8]

ProductionCaviar is traditionally served with horn, wood, gold, nacre, or plastic utensils.[9] Commercial caviar production normally involves stunning the fish (usually by clubbing its head) and extracting the ovaries; some commercial fish farmers are experimenting with surgically removing roe from living sturgeon, allowing the females to continue producing more roe during their lives]

Alternatives and imitation

Typical Swedish sandwich with hard-boiled eggs and cod roe caviar from a tube

In Scandinavia, a significantly cheaper version of caviar, made from mashed and smoked cod roe, is sold in tubes as a sandwich filling. When sold outside Scandinavia, in stores such as Ikea's Swedish food market, the product is referred to as creamed smoked roe.

An obvious sturgeon caviar imitation is Danish black colored lump sucker caviar, which is sold throughout Europe in small glass jars. It can also be found red colored. A more expensive sturgeon caviar alternative, sold in Sweden and Finland, is the caviar from the vend ace. In Finland caviars from the burbot and the common whitefish are also sold.

In the vegetarian foodstuffs market, Algae-based imitation caviar is produced and sold as a caviar alternative.

Cultural

Given its high price in the West, caviar is synonymous with luxury and wealth. In Russia and other Eastern European cultures, though still expensive, caviar is commonly served at holiday feasts, weddings, and other festive occasions. Sturgeon-derived caviar is generally not eaten by Jews who keep kosher, because sturgeon lacks scales and thus is not considered kosher; however, this does not apply to every roe-yielding fish species. In Islam all sea or river animals such as fish are lawful and halal which applies to the sturgeon as well as its caviar (depending on which school of practice). In Hong Kong and Japan, caviar may be found on sushi and is often very affordable.

Caviar Varieties

Osetra Caviar

Fresh caviar is rather a misnomer, since it is aged in the brine for one to four weeks or even longer. Roe fresh from the fish has virtually no flavor whatsoever, and must be brined for not only flavor, but preservation.

• Beluga: Sturgeon. The caviar is soft, clear, and glossy, with large, pea-sized eggs. They range in color from light silver-gray to black, and have a creamy, almost buttery taste. The eggs have a prominent dark spot called an "eye" which is the actual egg itself. The surrounding gel is the egg sac. It is considered the highest premium grade available.

• Osetra: Sturgeon. Medium-sized gray to brown eggs with a flavor almost nutty, considered second in quality to beluga.

• Sevruga: Sturgeon. Smaller eggs than osetra, grayish in color, strongest in flavor of the imports. Experts find sevruga to have a saltier flavor, because the eggs are smaller. Although they are exposed to the same percentage salty brine as beluga, one gets more eggs in a bite of sevruga than beluga simply due to the size difference of the eggs, hence more of a salty flavor.

• Sterlet: Sturgeon. Small golden eggs which were once considered the finest caviar available and reserved for the highest royalty in the lands. This variety is virtually extinct, so don't expect to find any on the market, even if you can afford it.

• Lumpfish caviar: Lumpfish. Popular and much less expensive, this roe has tiny eggs, usually dyed black or red.

• American caviar: Paddlefish. Also known as American caviar from the roe of a Mississippi paddlefish, a distant cousin of sturgeon. In 1998, the U.S. government ruled that the paddlefish is a sturgeon for food purposes. The roe is small to medium in size, varying shades of gray in color, and have an earthy flavor that some refer to as slightly "muddy."

• Whitefish caviar: Whitefish. The whitefish is found in the Great Lakes region as well as other northern countries. Also known as Golden Whitefish caviar, the roe has small, golden yellow eggs and a less complex flavor making them culinary versatile.

• Salmon or Red caviar: Salmon. The eggs are of medium size, light orange to deep red in color. Salmon caviar is the most often recommended substitute for the more expensive sturgeon varieties.

• Tarama: Carp. Roe from the carp, orange in color. It's often sold smoked.

• Trout caviar: Rainbow trout. The roe is orange and smaller than salmon roe. The flavor is less salty than sturgeon and mild in flavor. Farming makes it one of the least expensive options yet yields great flavor value.

Caviar Terms

• Malossol: The term malossol on the label is not a type of caviar, but a Russian term (literal translation "little salt"), meaning

the fish roe was good enough to be processed using a minimal amount of salt, typically five percent of salt per weight. Most

experts agree, the less salt, the better the caviar, but less salt makes it highly perishable and thus more expensive.

•Pasteurized: The roe is partially cooked as a preservative measure, so it has a longer life. The pasteurization

causes a slight change in texture, a bit more firm. Some pasteurized and/or jarred caviar may or may not need refrigeration. Check the

label to be sure.

•Pressed: Also known as payusnaya and pajusnaya. You can bet that not all eggs that pass through the sieving process

squeeze through intact, and they are certainly not tossed out. The result of broken, weak, or damaged eggs is pressed caviar, which is

specially treated, salted, and pressed. It is often a combination of several types of roe and has a jam-like consistency. Although it cannot compare to the real thing, it is still a viable solution for recipes, having a richer, more intense caviar flavor. It is often

preferred by home chefs looking for that caviar touch

The Osetra caviar has the most variety in terms of size, color and flavor. It is surmised that the taste varies so much because the Osetra is a bottom feeder and thus its eggs take on the flavor of what it eats. If you were to open ten 1.8 kg tins of Osetra caviar at the same sitting, each would have a different scent, taste and color, even if the they had been caught at the same general time and processed at one fishing station.

The Osetra can grow to 2 m in, and may weigh up to 200 kg, although on average a mature fish grows to only 1.5 m, and will weigh 20-80 kg. It has bony scales along the length of its body, and varies in color from dark grey to brown, with a lighter-colored stomach.

Osetra has a 60 to 80 year life span, and some have been known to have reached the age of 120. Their age of maturity is 12 to 15 years. However, if bred in warmer aquaculture conditions the age of maturity can be reached by 8 to 10 years. The colors of the eggs vary significantly and range from dark grey to dark brown and gold.

Sevruga Caviar

The Sevruga, the smallest commercially caught sturgeon, can grow to 1.5 m and hardly ever exceeds 25 kg. Like the Osetra, the Sevruga is an omnivore and feeds on algae and small crustaceans. Its distinctive, bony scales those appears along its length, and resemble stars, and for which it is nicknamed the star sturgeon.

The female Sevruga matures to egg producing age at about 7 to 10 years old, somewhat earlier than other sturgeon. Once the female Sevruga reaches egg bearing age, 10-12 per cent of its body weight

consists of eggs. The fish is at its prime between 18 and 22 years of age. This is when the eggs are at their absolute best.

The eggs are grey-black and are finely grained, small, and have the strongest flavor of all sturgeon eggs. They are the most highly appreciated among connoisseurs, for their taste. Sevruga caviar is the least expensive, mainly due to the Sevruga sturgeon's relative abundance.

Caspian Sea Osetra

Caspian Sea Sevruga

Imperial Osetra

   

 Caspian Sea Imperial Osetra Malossol 

   

 Caspian Sea Osetra Malossol 

   

 Caspian Sea Pressed Caviar 

   

 Caspian Sea Sevruga Malossol 

 

 Mother of Pearl Caviar Dish 

 

 Plain Mother of Pearl Caviar Spoon 

   

 AmeriHacklcan eback 

   

 American Paddlefish 

   

 American Salmon Roe 

   

 American Whitefish Roe 

How do you know you're getting Russian caviar or domestic these days ?

As with many foods, there are now US Food and Drug Administration laws governing the labeling of caviar, no doubt due largely in part to

the mislabeling shenanigans in earlier American history .

Only sturgeon roe may be labeled simply caviar with no further specifications. Roe from other fish must include the name of the fish

as well as the caviar term .

Along with salmon, lumpfish, and whitefish caviar, you may also come across "American sturgeon caviar," which is the roe of the Mississippi paddlefish (a fish similar to the sturgeon), and Chou

piqué, which comes from a local Louisiana fish, the bowfin .

Of course, you must be somewhat familiar with the variety you are buying before you know if you've been hoodwinked .

There are many different varieties as well as forms of caviar, depending on the type of fish and how it was processed .

Take a look at this informational page on Caviar

Varieties and Terminology to educate yourself on the different types. Know what you need and want before you go

shopping .

The term caviar elicits such thoughts of wealth and grandeur that you will also see recipes for mock caviar such as Poor Man's

Caviar also known as Eggplant Caviar and Texas Caviar. These do not contain any actual caviar but attempt to copy the rich, salty flavor of the real thing or at least try to play off the elegance of the

term.

Caviar Etiquette and Utensils

Fine caviar should be served solo, very cold, and preferably in a non-metallic bowl nested inside a larger bowl filled with ice. Silver and metal bowls and utensils should be avoided due to oxidation,

which may impart a metallic taste to the caviar. Choose servers and utensils made of glass, bone, tortoise shell, wood, plastic, or to be

truly traditional, mother-of-pearl or gold .

Fine caviar is best served simply, with toast points or bland, unsalted crackers. Although purists will disagree, believing nothing

should interfere with the flavor of fine caviar, common accompaniments include lemon wedges, sour cream, crème

frâiche, hard-cooked egg (yolks and whites chopped separately), and minced onion. Lesser quality caviar products may well benefit

from these garnishes .

Purists will also disagree with the commonly preferred libation of champagne, and demand only a straight shot of the finest frozen

vodka .

Don't be a piggy guest when served caviar as an hors d'oeuvre, no matter how much you might be tempted by its luscious flavor. It's

considered gauche to eat more than an ample serving of about two ounces, or about two spoonfuls .

The finest caviar should taste neither fishy nor overly salty. Connoisseurs look for shiny, fine-grained egg globules

.

Caviar Selection and Storage

Fresh caviar should be stored at temperatures between 26 and 34 degrees F. and can last between one to four weeks, depending on the freshness factor when you buy it. The high oil content keeps it

from freezing at these temperatures .

Request the rubber-banded jar be opened to get a whiff - it should smell briny, but not fishy. To transport it home from the market,

bring along a container of ice to keep it cold .

Freezing fresh caviar is often recommended by sellers. However, should you choose to freeze it, keep in mind that you risk the eggs

bursting and might end up with a mush more akin to pressed caviar than the good stuff you paid for? once opened, use fresh caviar

within a day or two .

As a home cook, you are probably going to only find and use canned, pasteurized caviar (in lacquered tins or glass jars), which

will most likely still require refrigeration. Be sure to read the labels carefully for storage instructions. It will still need to be kept in a cool

place up to two months. Once opened, store refrigerated in the tin or bottle, covered tightly with plastic wrap, being sure the eggs are

not exposed to air. Consume pasteurized leftovers within a week .

With both fresh and pasteurized caviar, be sure to check the label for specific storage instructions and expiration dates. You will most

likely have to consult your fishmonger or grocer in advance to order fresh caviar. Pasteurized caviar is likely to be hidden away by the market and available only upon request due to its relatively high

cost, much like saffron.

oring & Serving Caviar Tips

Caviar should be placed in the coldest section of your refrigerator, do

not freeze Unopened fresh caviar will last 2-3 weeks, but once opened should be

eaten right away Once opened, most caviar should be consumed within 2-3 days. Air and

temperature are the greatest threat to storing caviar correctly If some caviar is left in the tin, caviar should be covered with plastic wrap

directly on surface of the roe, put lid back on and stored in refrigerator

To serve, remove caviar from cooler and let stand unopened for about 15 minutes

Caviar tin or jar can be served directly on crushed ice or placed in a chilled caviar server

Caviar should be served with a non-metallic spoon usually mother of pearl, bone or horn

Our favorite ways of serving Caviar

Opinions vary of course, but for many people, serving fine fresh caviar is one of the easiest of culinary tasks. There’s very little preparation necessary. Simply place the tin of caviar on a bed of ice, use a mother of pearl spoon and serve the roe on plain toast points. Most purists prefer their caviar natural and don’t even use sweet butter on their toast since there is enough oil in the caviar itself.

Caviar is traditionally served with plain white (Pepperidge Farm thinly sliced) bread; toasted, crusts removed, small amount of unsalted butter, or petit toast or blinis

Typical garnishes are: lemon, chopped egg, crème fraiche or blinis. Please note caviar should not be served with anything too strong in flavor to overwhelm its delicate flavor

Frozen Vodka or Champagne are the two most popular beverages.

This is, after all, only

Hould only be served with a suitable utensil of gold, wood or horn. Silver utensils should never be used, as they will alter the taste of the caviar. To fully appreciate caviar, taste small quantities, allowing the bursts of delicate flavor to reward your palette. Refraining from using any condiments such as pepper, lemon, onion and herbs is urged. If, however, you find the taste of caviar overly strong simply spread a small amount on a blini or sliced bread. But the true connoisseur will always prefer the virgin taste of caviar.

Russian tradition dictates that white vodka is the perfect mate, but caviar is also enjoyed with dry champagne. Recently, chefs have created innovative variations of recipes that incorporate caviar into rather complex dishes.

Now that you have learned a bit about tasting caviar, you should move onto learning about serving caviar.

Caviar Nutrition Facts

- Per 100 grams

Calories: 270 Protein: 25.3 grams Fat: 17 grams Cholesterol: 440 mg Sugar: 4 gr Sodium: 1,700 mg Potassium: 164 mg Phosphorus: 330 mg Calcium: 51 mg Vitamins: D, A, C, B2, B44,

B12 and PP

- Recommended Portion: 30 to 50 gr of caviar per person

.

Sturgeon

Atlantic sturgeon(Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus)

used for some 26 species of fish in the family Acipenseridae, including the genera Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus. The term includes over 20 species commonly referred to as sturgeon and several closely related species that have distinct common names, notably sterlet, Kaluga and beluga. Collectively, the family is also known as the True Sturgeons. Sturgeon is sometimes used more exclusively to refer to the species in the two best-known genera; Acipenser and Huso.

One of the oldest families of bony fish in existence, they are native to subtropical, temperate and sub-arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and North America. They are distinctive for their elongated bodies, lack of scales, and occasional great size: Sturgeons ranging from 7–12 feet (2-3½ m) in length are common, and some species grow up to 18 feet (5.5 m). Most sturgeons are anadromous bottom-feeders, spawning upstream and feeding in river deltas and estuaries. While some are entirely freshwater, very few venture into the open ocean beyond near coastal areas.

Several species of sturgeons are harvested for their roe, which is made into caviar - a luxury good which makes some sturgeons pound for pound the most valuable of all harvested fish. Because they are slow-growing and mature very late in life, they are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and to other threats, including pollution and habitat fragmentation. Most species of sturgeons are currently considered either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

EvolutionSturgeon and related paddlefish first appear in the fossil record approximately 200 million years ago, making them among the most ancient of teleost fish. In that time they have undergone remarkably little morphological change, indicating that their evolution has been exceptionally slow and earning them informal status as living fossils.[1][2] This is explained in part by the long inter-generation time, tolerance for wide ranges of temperature and salinity, lack of predators due to size, and the abundance of prey items in the benthic environment.

Despite the existence of a fossil record, it has been difficult to fully classify the sturgeon species or unambiguously determine their phylogeny. This is in part due to the high individual and ontogenic variation, including geographical clines in certain features, such as rostrum shape, number of scutes and body length. A further confounding factor is the peculiar ability of sturgeons to produce reproductively viable hybrids, even between species assigned to different genera. The wide range of the Acipenserids and their endangered status have made collection of systematic materials difficult. These factors have led researchers in the past to identify over 40 additional species that were rejected by later workers.[3] It is still unclear whether the species in the Asipenser and Huso genera are monophyletic (descended from one ancestor) or paraphyletic (descended from many ancestors)- though it is clear that the morphologically motivated division between these two genera is not supported by the genetic evidence. There is an ongoing effort to resolve the taxonomic confusion using a continuing synthesis of systematic data and molecular techniques.[2][4]

Physical characteristics

Along with other members of the Chondrostei and the Acipenseriformes order, sturgeon are primarily cartiligenous, lack a vertebral centrum, and are covered with bony plates called scutes rather than scales. They also have four barbels - unique tactile organs that precede their toothless mouth and are dragged along often murky river bottoms. Sturgeon is distinctly and immediately recognizable for their elongated bodies, flattened rostra, distinctive scutes and barbels, and elongated upper tail lobes.

They are primarily benthic feeders. With their projecting wedgeshaped snout they stir up the soft bottom, and use the barbels to detect shells, crustaceans and small fish, on which they feed. Having no teeth, they are unable to seize prey, though larger specimens can swallow very large prey items, including whole salmon and even baby seals.[5]

Sturgeons have been referred to as both the Leviathans and Methuselahs of freshwater fish. They are among the largest fish: some beluga (Huso huso) in the Caspian Sea reportedly attain over 5.5 m and 2000 kg[6] while for kaluga (H. dauricus) in the Amur River similar lengths and over 1000 kg weights have been reported.[7] They are also probably the longest-lived of the fishes, some living well over 100 years and attaining sexual maturity at 20 years or more.[8] The combination of slow growth and reproductive rates and the extremely high value placed on mature egg-bearing females make sturgeon particularly vulnerable to over fishing.

Sturgeons are polyploid; some species have 4, 8, or 16 sets of chromosomes.[9]

Sturgeon range from subtropical to subarctic waters in North America and Eurasia. In North America, they range along the Atlantic coast from the Gulf of Mexico to Newfoundland, including the Great Lakes and the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, as well as along the West coast in major rivers from California to British Columbia. They occur along the European Atlantic coast, including the Mediterranean basin, in the rivers that flow into the Black, Azov and Caspian seas (Danube, Dnepr, Volga and Don), the north-flowing rivers of Russia that feed the Arctic Ocean (Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Kolyma), in the rivers of Central Asia (Amu Darya and Syr Darya) and Lake Baikal. In the Pacific Ocean, they are found in the Amur River along the Russian-Chinese border, on Sakhalin island, and in the Yangtze and other rivers in northeast China.[8][10]

Throughout this extensive range, almost all species are highly threatened or vulnerable to extinction due to a combination of habitat destruction, over fishing and pollution.[10]

No species are known to naturally occur south of the equator, though attempts at sturgeon aquaculture are being made in Uruguay, South Africa and other places.[11]

Most species are at least partially anadromous, spawning in fresh water and feeding in nutrient rich brackish waters of estuaries or undergoing significant migrations along coastlines. However, some species have evolved purely freshwater existences, such as the lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) and the Baikal sturgeon (A. baerii baicalensis), or have been forced into them by anthropogenic or natural impoundment of their native rivers, as in the case of some subpopulations of white sturgeon (A. transmontanus) in the Columbia River [12] and Siberian sturgeon (A. baerii) in the Ob basin.[13]

Uses

The underside and mouth of a sturgeon

In Russia, sturgeon fisheries are of immense value. Early in summer the fish migrate into the rivers or towards the shores of freshwater lakes in large shoals for breeding purposes. The ova are very small, and so numerous that one female has been calculated to produce about three million in one season. The ova of some species have been observed to hatch within very few days after exclusion. In sturgeons that have attained maturity their growth appears to be much slower, although continuing for many years. Frederick the Great placed a number of them in the Garder See Lake in Pomerania about 1780; some of these were found to be still alive in 1866.[citation

needed] Professor von Baer also states, as the result of direct observations made in Russia, that the Hausen (Acipenser huso) attains an age of 100 years, but can live over 210 years.[citation needed]

In countries like England, where few sturgeons are caught, sturgeon is included as a royal fish in an act of King Edward II, although it probably only rarely graces the royal table of the present period, or even that of the lord mayor of London, who can claim all sturgeons caught in the Thames above London Bridge. Where sturgeons are caught in large quantities, as on the rivers of southern Russia and on the great lakes of North America, their flesh is dried, smoked or salted. The ovaries, which are of large size, are prepared for caviar, for this purpose they are beaten with switches, and then pressed through sieves, leaving the membranous and fibrous tissues in the sieve, whilst the eggs are collected in a tub. The quantity of salt added to them before they are finally packed varies with the season, scarcely any being used at the beginning of winter. Finally, one of the best sorts of isinglass is manufactured from the airbladder. After it has been carefully removed from the body, it is washed in hot water, and cut open in its whole length, to separate the inner membrane, which has a soft consistency, and contains 70% of glutin.

Sturgeon (and, therefore also the caviar trade) are under severe threat from over fishing, poaching and water pollution.[14]

Sameera silva,Ceylon hotel school .Colombo.