Regular black caviar is roe or mature eggs harvested from the sturgeon which is native to the Caspian Sea. All the bordering countries (Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) collect caviar according to agreed quotas. Since the 1970s, sturgeon population levels have fallen to around 90% of former levels, and that resulted in the implementations of the quotas. Unfortunately, however, there is now a roaring black market in black caviar, and organised crime rings smuggle illegaly poached caviar out of the country and sell it for as little as half the market price of the legally sold product.
Black caviar can be frozen and stored and later defrosted and even frozen again. However, this is not recommended as the consistency of the roe will change and the taste will also be altered. Despite this warning, those with untrained palettes will boast that a few freezing cycles will only degrade slightly the quality of the caviar.
The most famous and expensive caviar is the Beluga caviar. Naturally, this comes from the Beluga sturgeon which boasts of the largest roe of all stugeons. It is a dark grey colour and has a dominant but mild buttery taste, as well as hints of nut-like flavour and sweetness. This caviar is so expensive because only around one hundred Beluga Sturgeon are caught each year. Beluga is not recommended in cooking because it tastes so mild that its flavours would be masked by the other ingredients and therefore its addition is a waste of money.
Osetra caviar is another popular type of black caviar. Actually, it has more of a yellow-brown appearance rather than black. Compared to Beluga caviar, it has a much stronger taste and more of a nutty flavour. This type of caviar also varies enormously in appearance and taste. This is thought to be because the fish is a bottom eater and so eats a larger variety of food thus giving a greater variation in its roe.
Sevruga caviar is the cheapest of the black caviars. Sevruga sturgeons are also more plentiful, albeit smaller than their related species, hence the roe are also smaller than those of the Osetra, for example. Its taste is much stronger than the others and hence this type of caviar is popular in cooking.
Black or sturgeon caviar is considered to be the best caviar available. When referring to black caviar, some people are actually referring to the roe from the American Bowfin Black, a non sturgeon fish. Some go further and distinguish between the sturgeon and non-sturgeon varieties by referring to them as imported black caviar and American black caviar.
Whatever the convention, make sure you know what you are buying, otherwise you could end up paying over the odds for what you think is a bargain but is actually the wrong type of caviar!
Related Web Directory Categories:
[...] Beluga caviar is valued not mainly due to its scarcity but also because of its signature taste. It does not have the strongest taste of the black caviars but in fact has a mild and delicate flavour. The lighter coloured Beluga caviars come from older sturgeons and are preferred by most. [...]
Pingback by Beluga Caviar Guides — October 31, 2007 @ 6:34 pm