History
The caviar is a food that is obtained from the eggs of different types of sturgeon, through a work of salting and processing. The sturgeon is a fish that belongs to the Acipenseridae family. Caviar, has a very delicate texture and creamy on the palate, divided in small granules. The word caviar is still subject to discussions and the Oxford Dictionary believes that the origin of this term is the Italian “caviar“, and now the Italian words caviale, caviario and caviare, are probably of Persian origin, the literal meaning of “fish that generates eggs“.
With the eggs of other fish, they produce very similar products, and among these the best known is obtained from salmon eggs, and is often called red caviar, or from lumpfish eggs, which are then artificially colored as red, or black. In the cases just mentioned, the commercial value is far below that of caviar sturgeon eggs, and for Italian standards, this product should be classified as a substitute for caviar.
In several countries, the Caviar name, preceding the fish species they belong to the eggs, although for caviar in the strict sense, we generally mean only that the sturgeon, and other products, should be classified as a simple fish eggs. In July 2010, in the context of international trade, on the question, which has long generated suspicions and ambiguities, it was settled definitively by the Codex Alimentarius, a body of the United Nations that deals exclusively with the food, and issued one specific standards regarding the caviar, which is the term “caviar” was recognized, exclusively for products from fish of Arcipenseridae family.
Quality of caviar
To decide upon the quality of the caviar, simply observe its color. In fact, more eggs are clear, higher it is the quality. By this criterion, caviar is classified in a prestige scale which includes three levels, the first is called Level 0, and is attributed to eggs from the darker color, while the acronyms 00 and 000, are assigned to caviar eggs with shades average or very clear. Not only the color, determines the quality of the product, in fact must also observe the size of the eggs and their texture on the palate, the scent emanating and the percentage of salt.
The best quality is that of the so-called “royal caviar“, a variety of Osetra, which boasts many highly appreciated organoleptic characteristics. A caviar considered good, must not have fishy smell and the taste should not be spicy and at the same time, the eggs must be well defined with each other, uniform in size and moreover, should not be pressed.
When you have to buy the caviar eggs, it is always better to take those packaged in clear glass jars, to verify immediately in place the quality of caviar. A recommendation that we do, is that at the time of purchase, you should also check if on the container closure, there are swellings, in which case you should not buy this product because it could be spoiled by the presence of air, and call right away a salesperson.
Before being put on the market, the caviar is subjected to a pasteurization process that even if slightly, alters the nutritional and organoleptic characteristics, and this treatment is done only for the Russian eggs. The Iranian caviar however, does not require this step before being put on the market, and its particular process, it does not alter its nutritional value and retains its crunchiness.
Russia and Persia, are among the main producers of caviar in the world and this primacy, they owe to the Caspian Sea, where its waters are populated by so many sturgeons.
Sturgeon, normally lives in marine coastal waters and only in the spring, goes up the rivers to spawn, and then in the evening, making spectacular swings out of the water. Once this fish, also it inhabited the waters of the Adriatic Sea and the Po River, about today instead its presence in the wild is quite casual. In Italy, there are sturgeon farms and are bred in captivity, and to date the caviar is produced in Calvisano (BR), it is proving very popular in the international arena.
Uses in the kitchen
For its taste and for its rarity, caviar is one of the most expensive foods and even more valuable that you can find on the market. Its use in the kitchen, is mainly done to enrich appetizers, such as the classic sandwiches buttered, and is part of the culinary preparation of haute cuisine. Very often it goes with cold fish carpaccio, accompanied with good Franciacorta Brut, strictly cold from the refrigerator.
This product should be stored in a refrigerator at a temperature not too low, so it is preferable to store it in the upper floor. Once the caviar of the packaging is opened, it should be well sealed and consumed within a few days at most. If we speak of this food from the nutritional point of view, caviar is very nutritious, rich in iron and protein, phosphorus, magnesium and selenium, and is also a rich source of vitamins such as vitamin A, B and D and also the B 12.
