Bluff your way into: caviar
Persians were already crazy about caviar, mainly because they believed that black gold would increase their potency… But what exactly is caviar? And why is it so expensive? With this overview, you’ll know not only that, but so much more. Memorize these caviar facts and bluff your friends under the table like a true caviar king (or queen).
An egg a day…
Keeps the doctor away. Caviar is healthy! It consists of 30 to 40% protein and contains lots of omega-3.
Only from sturgeon, you see
Caviar is only the real deal when it consists of the unfertilized eggs of sturgeon. The rest? Fish roe.
Old fish
Sturgeon is a prehistoric animal; it was already swimming around when dinosaurs still roamed the earth.
Sturgeon to extinction
Catching wild sturgeon and trading or possessing wild caviar has been prohibited (since 2010). This is because sturgeon was threatened with extinction due to overfishing and pollution of the Caspian Sea (its habitat).
China
China is the leading producer, but you can also find sturgeon farmers in, among other places, France, Bulgaria, Russia, Italy, Iran and Uruguay.
Different varieties
There are around thirty-three sturgeon species, but the roe of the females is not always suitable for eating as caviar. The sturgeon species that are suitable produce caviar with its own flavor, size and price range.
The most expensive
Almas is the most expensive and exclusive caviar in the world and comes from the extremely rare albino sturgeon. This exclusive caviar is therefore also the most expensive edible product available in the Netherlands. (€42,000 per kilo excluding VAT—we’re just saying.)
Beluga
The beluga is the largest sturgeon of all species, can live the longest and produces the largest eggs, with the most complex and pronounced caviar flavor.
Cesarean section
A sturgeon regularly undergoes an ultrasound to determine the stage the eggs are in. The caviar is harvested by hand. The abdomen is cut open to remove the egg sacs.
No walk in the park
Caviar production is not exactly easy; it requires quite a lot of patience. The beluga sturgeon, for example, only reaches sexual maturity in the wild after around eighteen years!
Twice a year
Adult sturgeon produce eggs twice a year. The quality is better the second time. With beluga, farmers therefore use this second batch of roe.
Price tag
Besides the long waiting time, the fact that every fish has to be killed during harvesting also makes caviar expensive, since each fish only produces once.
Straight from the hand
Eating caviar pure is delicious: place a small spoonful—on a mother-of-pearl spoon, which does not impart any flavor—in the palm of your clenched hand and slowly press the caviar against your palate with your tongue. The little pearls gently burst in your mouth. A sensational explosion of flavor!
Classic combination
Baeri on a blini. Baeri eggs are relatively small and delicious on a blini with a spoonful of crème fraîche.
Walnut or fries
A dollop of osetra caviar on a walnut is surprisingly delicious. Also irresistible: caviar fries.
Marilyn Monroe
She knew it: ‘Fame is like caviar. It’s good to have it but not at every meal’, said the sexy blonde. Make the most of it.
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