Main Varieties
Caviar is a preparation based on salted fish roe, usually of sturgeon. On the market there are different varieties and each type takes the name of the fish from which they are extracted.
The Sevruga (Acipenser stellatus) is a caviar with a strong flavor with a delicate aroma; the eggs are small (about 1 mm in diameter) and gray. It is generally marketed in a red package. Sevruga sturgeon is small compared to other varieties and reproduces faster; for this reason it is marketed at a lower price and is easier to find.
The caviar Asetra or Osetra (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii colchicus), coming from Russia and Iran, it has gray eggs and a taste vaguely reminiscent of walnuts. It is generally sold in a yellow package.
Karaburum caviar is a typically Iranian variety, similar to Asetra in color and flavor.
Caviar quality
Generally the quality of the caviar is the higher the clearer the eggs. On the basis of this criterion, it is classified on a prestige scale that includes three levels. The first, called 0, is generally attributed to darker colored eggs, while the initials 00 and 000 are assigned, respectively, to medium and light colored caviar.
In addition to color, it is important to evaluate other characteristics such as uniformity in egg size and consistency, perfume, percentage in salt, etc.
The best quality goes to the so-called "royal caviar", a variety of Osetra which boasts particularly appreciated organoleptic characteristics.
A good caviar must not have a fishy smell or spicy taste, at the same time the eggs must be well defined, uniform in size and not pressed. At the time of purchase it is advisable to choose products marketed in jars, in order to directly check the quality of the caviar. It is also important to make sure that the cap and the packaging are free of swellings.
Before being marketed, Russian caviar is subjected to a pasteurization process that slightly alters its nutritional and organoleptic characteristics. On the other hand, Iranian caviar does not need this treatment and, thanks to its particular manufacturing process, it keeps its crunchiness intact.
Persia and Russia are among the main producers of Caviar in the world and owe this primacy to the Caspian Sea, whose waters are populated by numerous sturgeons. This fish normally lives in coastal marine waters but in spring it goes up rivers to reproduce, giving rise, in the evening, to spectacular leaps out of the water. Once the sturgeon was also common in the Adriatic and in the river Po, today its presence in the wild it is occasional.
In our country there are farms where sturgeons are raised in captivity. Currently the caviar Calvisius, produced in Calvisano (BR) with the eggs of these fish, it is enjoying good international success.
Use in the kitchen
Due to its delicacy and rarity, caviar is one of the most expensive and valuable foods. In the kitchen it is mainly used to embellish appetizers (such as buttered canapes) and often enters the preparation of haute cuisine. Ideal is the combination with cold foods such as fish carpaccio, all accompanied with a rigorously fresh Franciacorta brut.
Caviar should be kept in the refrigerator at not too low temperatures, so it can be placed on the top shelf. At the time of opening the package must be well sealed and the caviar contained in it must be consumed within a couple of days.
At Spherification School - Strawberry Caviar
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Nutritional Properties
From a nutritional point of view, caviar is a nutritious food, rich in proteins, iron, phosphorus, magnesium and selenium. It is a good source of vitamins (A, E, D, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and B12)
Caviar is also rich in sodium and cholesterol, however, given the limited consumption that is normally made of this food, these values should not cause particular concerns. Caviar is also rich in omega-three fatty acids which compensate for the negative effects associated with excess cholesterol.
POWER
255 Kcal
1067 Kjoule
Waterfall
46.0 g
Carbohydrates
3.3 g
Fat
15.0 g
Proteins
26.9 g
11.80 mg
2200 mg
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