What exactly is caviar? Small, sweet beads, which tease your senses of taste and gently glide through your throat, like a little luxury avalanche...
Fresh caviar is definitely one of the most expensive and sought-after luxuries in the world. But what really makes ordinary fish eggs so valuable? This time we find 10 facts you should know before you buy caviar and champagne!
10. What exactly is caviar?
Strictly speaking, caviar is salted unfertilized roe, or eggs of sturgeon. Price is due to its salty and enticing taste that fills your entire oral cavity. Different types of sturgeon from around the world offer us the best version of caviar. Beluga caviar, which comes from endangered sturgeon from the Caspian Sea, south of Russia, is known as the most expensive caviar in the world, while Sevruga and Ossetra are immediately behind him in terms of prices.
9. What is NOT caviar?
Small red beads you can see in sushi are not caviar - it's actually tobiko. In different parts of the world, tobiko may be similar to sturgeon caviar and is often sold as caviar. But, remember - with caviar goes high price! If you encounter a favorable variant, you probably will not enjoy real caviar.
8. You have to know its origin
In recent years, sturgeon are very popular on fishing expeditions, that some of its species are on the brink of extinction. For this reason, some countries have banned the sale of the same, in the hope that the population of this species will be able to recover. Before you buy caviar, check its background and see whether the sale of sturgeon is allowed in this part of the world. If you are buying caviar on the black market, you will never know if you bought the real thing or a bad copy. Of course, it is best to buy caviar from reputable manufacturers, although you will pay a high price.
7. Distinguish good from the bad
At first glance, tiny beads of caviar should be bright and distinct. Your tongue will be feeling the same - you will be able to feel each bead individually, while each of them should break when pressed on the palate.
6. How to serve caviar
As a true delicacy, caviar is best when served cold. Keep it in the fridge before refreshments. If you serve it as an appetizer, be sure to serve over ice, so that its temperature is constant.
5. Be a caviar snob
Buy yourself a glass server for caviar, because such container has enough room for the ice around its base and cone for the caviar. Do not forget that a teaspoon which is used for caviar may not be the one you use for making coffee - they must be crystal or ceramic. The taste of caviar is significantly changed if it comes in contact with metal of any kind. If you are willing to pay huge sums of money for the purchase of caviar, you might want to enjoy it in the right way.
4 But the best way to relish in caviar is...
... Slowly, with your eyes closed. Purists prefer to consume clean caviar, in very small quantities. Those who are trying it for the first time could combine it with Russian pancakes or blini. And you can combine with chopped boiled eggs or cream, which is seasoned with parsley. With champagne or chilled vodka, you'll learn how to be a true bohemian and a hedonist.
3. Enjoy slowly but finish fast
When you open a can of caviar, spend it in one day. The older caviar becomes oilier and mushy, and simply loses all those qualities that make it a luxury delicacy.
2. Caviar etiquette
If you are at a party where they serve caviar, first look at how it is presented. If you see blini close, apply a small amount of caviar on blini. Add the spices that are on offer, if you love them. Blini are eaten with hands. If there are serving spoons, use one teaspoon only once.
1. Caviar can be eaten and used!
If you find caviar as a treat or delicacy boring, you can use it for beauty treatments. Actress Angelina Jolie uses caviar for facials, because she believes that phospholipids from sturgeon do wonders for her skin.
