Tasting the ecstasies of caviar
Gene Gonzalez
Caviar–the word paints a picture of yachts, champagne, the playful jetsetter, and everything else reeking of wealth, privilege, and the exotic. Nowhere in this world can you find a more appreciated luxury food than caviar (and perhaps the truffle).
But what is caviar? Taken from the Turkish word "hayvar," which means "ecstasy," caviar is the roe or eggs of various species of the female sturgeon, a freshwater fish known to be of prehistoric lineage. When caviar was first introduced in 1432, it was described as the choice hors d’ oeuvre. Soon it became the epitome of taste, too exquisite for the masses.
Caviar comes in different classes depending on size, color, processing, and country of origin. People pay very high prices for caviar since sturgeons are rare; man has not been kind to the bodies of water they inhabit. What’s more is that when you extract eggs from a sturgeon, the sturgeon is killed. That is why the Russians, who are the world’s greatest eaters of what they call ikra, have performed caesarian operations on the female of the species.
Processing starts when a 15- to 20-year-old sturgeon is caught. It may weigh anywhere from 11 lbs, which is the smallest species found, to 4,000 lbs, the biggest caught. The fish is knocked out, not killed, in order to get the eggs still fresh to the processing center.
The eggs then go through several processes. After sniffing and testing, grades are accorded to size, color, firmness, bouquet, and flavor. The amount of salt to be mixed in is then decided. Modern methods use only sterilized salt and water. After this brining, it is mixed by hand so minimal eggs are broken.
The highest quality of eggs is given minimal salt of about 5 percent. These eggs are known as malossol caviar, meaning less salt (it is a personal favorite).
Fresh caviar can be found between the second and third quarter of the year. Most caviar sold is malossol or salted and packed in small jars or tins. To preserve it longer, it is pasteurized in a can or jar. Fresh caviar can be kept for four weeks unopened, while the pasteurized variety can last up to a year. Opened, it may be kept only for two days, refrigerated. Most caviar found in Asian markets is pasteurized. But now, a new source from Manchuria has given the world demand a more relaxed supply, although prices are still sky high, and caviar is like truffles, true luxury on the table.
While caviar is available in many specialty shops, the best, most trustworthy and respectable sellers can offer the service of a sampling such as Petrossian in New York, or at Rue de L’Universite in Paris, and Fortnum & Mason of London.
Grades of caviar vary in origin, processing, size, and other standards. For instance, caviar that has too many broken or bruised eggs has a low classification.
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