Caviar is fish roe or eggs, which is slightly salted. The salt helps to cure and preserve the caviar and is a method that is still used today.
Female fish reproduce by laying eggs but not all fish roe is considered to be caviar. To a connisseur, however, real caviar comes only from the sturgeon.
Female fish reproduce by laying eggs but not all fish roe is considered to be caviar. To a connisseur, however, real caviar comes only from the sturgeon.
Large Sturgeon
The sturgeon is a saltwater fish but spawns in freshwater and is found in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea between Europe and Asia. It's also found in the Pacific Northwest and Southern Atlantic coasts of the USA.
The sturgeon can grow to over 3,000 pounds but usually the average weight is about 60 pounds. The flesh of the sturgeon is also highly prized.
Caviar from the beluga, osetra and sevruga sturgeon are the most highly prized. However, today 'caviar ' is also available from other fish varieties, such as salmon, lump fish and tuna.
The sturgeon can grow to over 3,000 pounds but usually the average weight is about 60 pounds. The flesh of the sturgeon is also highly prized.
Caviar from the beluga, osetra and sevruga sturgeon are the most highly prized. However, today 'caviar ' is also available from other fish varieties, such as salmon, lump fish and tuna.
Caviar
The word caviar comes from the Turkish word 'khavyar' which first appeared in print, in 1591 England. However, the sturgeon has been a part of the Middle Eastern and Eastern Europe diet for centuries.
Caviar was once reserved just for royalty but in early nineteenth century America, it was routinely served free of charge in saloons. The saltiness of caviar made people more thirsty and this increased beer sales, much as salted snacks in public houses do today.
Back then, America's waters were full of sturgeon and by the end of the nineteenth century the USA was the largest exporter of caviar in the world.
Polmac Caviar Box
However, during this period, a great deal of the caviar shipped to Europe was exported back to the USA and labelled as 'Russian caviar'. This was because higher prices could be charged for Russian caviar which was considered the best quality.
This kind of sharp practice continues today as can be seen from the recent European, horse meat scandal, where inferior and cheaper quality horse meat was substituted for beef..
Sturgeon stocks in the USA were decimated by over fishing, almost to the point of extinction and the sudden shortage in the early 1900's meant that prices rose sharply. The prices for premium quality caviar remain high today.
Sturgeon stocks in the USA were decimated by over fishing, almost to the point of extinction and the sudden shortage in the early 1900's meant that prices rose sharply. The prices for premium quality caviar remain high today.
Polmac (UK) Ltd supplies custom made, wood presentation boxes for caviar and other premium quality food products. They're beautifully made, versatile and terrific value and are designed to boost company branding and sales!
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