Caviar Tales (or Sturgeon Tails?)
Years ago, on a Viking River cruise in Russia my husband Ed and I stopped at the town of Uglich along the Volga River. We toured their famous, green-roofed cathedral with its historic icons then visited an indoor farmers’ market. After a lecture on local farming, we sampled regional cheese and sausages. In comparison to other international farmers markets we had seen, such as in Barcelona, Florence and Paris, this one was underwhelming. Little of interest in the way of fresh fruits and vegetables. No attractive food displays. Just a gloomy, poorly lit cement building with bored farmers selling their produce.
As I was expressing these observations to Ed (I thought quietly!), our middle-aged, local city guide over-heard me and swooped in like a hungry vulture looking for prey. ”So, you’re not impressed,” he sniggered. Admittedly, I had been rude. I meekly apologized as he yanked me out of our group. “Permit me to show you something, Madame, I bet you don’t have in America.” At which point he walked me over to a vending machine. “Come on,” I thought to myself. “Does this Russian seriously think we don’t have vending machines in America?”
A caviar-dispensing vending machine
With a sardonic grin on his ruddy face, the guide demanded “Tell me you have vending machines that sells caviar like we do in Russia.” He crossed his arms in front of his big stomach, lightly patting his foot to show his irritation and waited for my answer. “Well, no, this is the first one I’ve ever seen. How does it work?” I questioned in earnest hoping I had sufficient rubles to try it out.
Thrilled with my response, the guide counted out the coins and bills in my open hand and together we purchased a two-ounce jar of Russian Osetra caviar. “Do you like vodka?” he asked continuing to show his national pride. “Who doesn’t?” I replied enthusiastically but admitted I’d need his help to select a good Russian brand. “Leave it to me. I’ll deliver a bottle to your cabin tonight.” Money was exchanged and by the time we got back to the boat, there was a bottle of Russian Standard waiting for us in our cabin. That evening before dinner we treated ourselves to the best caviar we had ever had and were convinced we had tasted paradise.
Finding any excuse to eat caviar
Since that time, I take every occasion and excuse to have caviar. (The vodka is less of a requirement.) And now with Covid-19 as a perfect foil, I allow myself frequent opportunities for continuing my education on the food of kings and the king of foods. Or should I say “queen” of foods given caviar is produced from female fish roe?
Many people have stories about discovering what makes caviar so deliciously habit forming. Wine writer Marguerite Thomas recounts how she was almost introduced to the real stuff, authentic Russian caviar, that is.
A missed opportunity
“I was invited out to dinner with the Actress Deanna Durbin and her husband Charles David many many decades ago. (Deanna was a friend of my father). I was in my early 20s at the time, the youngest person there by a lot. We all lived in Paris at the time, and we were about ten guests, at a “white" Russian restaurant meaning not Communist. Charles David was Russian born but had been living in Paris many years.at the time. To my surprise everyone ordered caviar for their main course—everyone but me, that is. I was smart—the one time I’d eaten caviar (which came from Safeway or some such place) it tasted salty and nasty and turned my teeth blue, as very cheap caviar will do, I suppose. So, while everyone else gobbled up big bowls of Russian caviar FOR THEIR MAIN COURSE I smugly ate my Beef Stroganoff. I’ll admit I was curious as I noted these very sophisticated people lapping up their caviar, purring, and rolling their eyes in pleasure, but it wasn’t until a few years later when I tasted real caviar that I fully realized what I had missed...
“My favorite way now to serve caviar is with a spoon. I don’t need an accompaniment, but if I get to have one it must be blini.”
A caviar primer
Let’s unpack that tin of caviar together and discover what’s behind this most luxurious of foods. What is it and why do we crave these rich pearls of flavor? What is the recommended way to taste and serve it? And how can you tell if our caviar is real or fake?
Starting with the basics, what is caviar? Authentic caviar comes exclusively from species belonging to the sturgeon family. The eggs, or roe, harvested from the female sturgeon before fertilization, are cured with salt and allowed to mature. This helps to enhance the flavor and at the same time increases the shelf-life of the finished product. Female sturgeon start producing eggs at the age of 15-18 and spawn every three to four years. They can carry 100 pounds of eggs at a time. The most important species of wild sturgeon are the Beluga, the Ostrea, the Sevruga and perhaps less so, the Sterlet.
Its all about the sturgeon
Sturgeon is a prehistoric fish native to the cold and temperate waters of the northern hemisphere primarily in the Caspian and Black seas. There are 26 different species in this fish family. Due to overfishing many of the original supply of fish is now almost extinct. Luckily, an industry of aqua farming has developed on a large scale to help meet consumer demand. Today there are over 90 sturgeon farms across the globe including France, China, Israel, Uruguay, the Middle East, the United States, and Italy, one of the most important producers.
These aqua farm producers claim that it is less a question of geography than of the specific species of sturgeon and a meticulous processing that makes the caviar and its quality unique. Given the complexity of farming the specie, however, many producers have started crossbreeding Beluga, Osetra and Sevruga with other faster producing sturgeon species. Naturally, farmed sturgeon makes the end product more available and thus more affordable.
The history of caviar
The Ancient Greeks were the first to identify the delicacy of sturgeon roe and used it to celebrate important events dating back to the 4th century BC. However, it was the Persians who were responsible for caviar’s modern name: Khag-avar meaning ”roe generator”. Research also recognizes the Persians as the first to cure sturgeon roe with salt. Since the time of Greeks and Persians (now modern-day Iran) nobility in Europe and Russian have splurged on caviar. And, now we can too.
So what are the differences in taste and appearance?
Beluga, is considered the Rolls Royce of all caviars. Beluga (also called “Huso” in Latin) is the largest of the sturgeon family. The wild version comes from the Caspian Sea. However, due to overfishing, pollution and dam construction wild Beluga sturgeon is now in danger of extinction. In just one century their population has been reduced by 70%. There are bans and embargos in place which make it illegal to sell wild caviar in America. But that does not mean you will never have a chance to taste the wild version if you travel abroad.
A wild Beluga can grow up to 24 feet long and weigh 3460 pounds and live over a hundred years. It has high doses of omega-3 fatty acid and boasts the highest nutritional value of all the other sturgeon caviars. Beluga is particularly appreciated for its elegant aroma and is almost devoid of any fishy odor. Its large fish eggs have a slight hazelnut flavor and literally melt in your mouth. The wild version has more complexity in taste due to its eclectic and varied diet versus the controlled diet of farmed sturgeon.
Like all caviars, Beluga is judged by color, flavor, texture and maturity. The color of the eggs—which range from 0 for dark, 00 for medium dark and 000 for a light pearl-gray color—determine the quality. Beluga which belongs to the 000 category is the most expensive and of course, the most sought after by caviar connoisseurs.
Osetra has smaller eggs than Beluga and range in color from golden-brown to greenish to grey with hints of gold. It tastes a bit spicy with a hint of roasted nuts, seaweed and sea salt. Osetra has an elegant, long buttery finish.
Osetra also has an unusual characteristic unique to its species. Due to a genetic variability, Osetra will sometimes produce eggs of a golden color. Yet this is so rare that only one or two out of 100 tins will be of golden eggs.
Most Osetra today is farm-raised. True (meaning wild) Russian Osetra, however, can only come from the Caspian Sea.
Sevruga has the smallest and darkest eggs of all three main sturgeon species. Their color ranges from pearl grey to charcoal grey. Their taste is crisp, and nutty with overtones of sweet ocean flavors.
Sterlet While traditionally from the Caspian Sea, Sterlet is now being raised in farms aqua farms in Germany, among other countries. It is reminiscent of Sevruga in taste and egg size and thus is a frequent substitute for the prized Caspian Sevruga.
Unfortunately, mislabeling is rampant in caviar. Be careful if you see Golden Sevruga or Sterlet, for example, as Golden only occurs with Osetra.
Other salt-cured fish roe
Wild American Hackleback and Paddlefish are caught in the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. Both are excellent alternatives to real caviar. Hackleback and Paddlefish are easily available and affordable, especially in comparison to the rarified Beluga, Sevruga and Osetra. Hackleback, (the more expensive of the two American “caviars”) is more delicate in flavor (sweet ocean flavor and hints of nuts) whereas the Paddlefish is bold and robust with earthy overtones. The latter is frequently what you will be served at large weddings and anniversary celebrations often accompanied with crème fraîche, potatoes, and minced onions. Paddlefish is especially popular with cruise lines. Call them your “everyday caviars,” their quality is so good that they have been known to fool the pros.
Buyer beware, however. Due to the similarity of Paddlefish’s egg size and steely grey color to that of Sevruga, it can sometimes be mislabeled and marketed as American Sevruga Caviar. Admittedly, this is confusing but you certainly do not want to be overcharged. The best advice is to deal with a reputable firm when buying any quality level of caviar.
What do caviars cost?
Authentic wild sturgeon caviars do not come cheaply. Due to their scarcity and difficulty to produce, be prepared to pay handsomely for them. Luckily farmed raised sturgeon caviars make this unique food more accessible. Still prices vary dramatically so you need to shop around. Caviar Russe, Brown Trading Company, Marky’s, and Imperial Caviar all offer sustainable, high-quality caviar and are excellent on-line sources.
Here is a very rough estimate of what one ounce of each caviar will cost:
Russian Beluga costs $200-$300 an ounce but it is barred from entry in the US.
Beluga Hybrid: $170
Russian Osetra: $95
Russian Osetra Imperial Golden: $220
Russian Sevruga: $80
Siberian Sturgeon: $75
American Hackleback: $30
American Paddlefish: $25
Salmon Roe: $10
Trout Roe: $9
Given there is so much to learn about caviar and fish roe, we will continue this discussion next week. Together we will learn how caviar is processed as well as how to store and serve it. We will also tackle the topic of how to tell the real from the fake. We will also serve up some delightful real-life experiences with caviar, an infinite source of surprise, joy, and sheer delicious-ness. If you would like to share your caviar tales, please email me at marsha.palanci@gmail.com.