Black caviar is a treat that appears on our tables for special occasions. From the gastronomic point of view, it is an exquisite delicacy, very useful in its nutritional properties. On the biological side, this is, first of all, eggs of fish of certain breeds. But what kind of fish is black caviar, we will talk and find out in our article.
What kind of delicacy?
Black caviar is called sturgeon fish eggs. The size of the eggs and the taste of different fish species may vary slightly. However, common features are easily traced: the eggs of all sturgeons are a very delicate substance covered with a thin film. It should be handled with care both during production and during use, since the film of eggs easily breaks and the contents simply pour out.
They use black caviar as something overvalued and rare (which it, in essence, is). The vast majority are small portions on a piece of bread, smeared with a thin layer of butter.
An excursion into the world of sturgeons: fish with black caviar and product features
A number of sturgeons include several species that live in different parts of the world. Therefore, we can use fishery products of Russian, and Arabian, and European origin.
Let us begin to get acquainted with various varieties of delicacy to find out from which fish black caviar is and how it can differ.
Beluga caviar
Beluga black caviar is the most expensive variety of all. The features of its appearance are, first of all, in the size of the eggs: they are much larger than other varieties of black caviar (they have a diameter of about 2.5 mm).
The color of beluga caviar is gray, it can be of different shades. When packaging for sale, labels are made on the labels corresponding to a particular shade. For example, light gray caviar is labeled “0000” on the label, dark gray is “0”, and one that is black is marked “X”. There is also a rarer unusual shade - golden. This color is inherent in the eggs of an adult albino beluga and is especially revered by connoisseurs of this exquisite delicacy.
The aroma of beluga caviar is far from the usual fishy smell. Rather, her smell is closer to a hazelnut.
The cost of beluga caviar is determined by exceptional taste and nutritional qualities, as well as the rarity of the fish itself.
Sturgeon caviar
Black sturgeon caviar is the most common on the shelves of the whole world (we mean countries importing it). Sturgeon differs from beluga caviar externally and in taste.
The taste of sturgeon black caviar is special: it is perfectly balanced and therefore pleasant to our taste buds. For this, this product is considered valuable, but in terms of money it is more affordable than beluga caviar.
The size of the sturgeon eggs is smaller than that of the beluga. If such an egg is crushed, then inside you can see a darkish germinal vesicle among the yellowish substance. The color of sturgeon caviar is marked on the banks with different designations: black caviar is represented by the letter "B", dark gray - "B", but the lightest, light gray - "A".
Servugia caviar
Stewed caviar stands out among other varieties of black caviar. First of all, it is the smallest in diameter and has the highest density. Also, it contains a lot of fats in comparison with other varieties of this delicacy.
There is no color designation on sturgeon caviar packaging. Unlike sturgeon, the germinal vesicle is lighter than the outer color of the eggs. The liquid inside the shell has a whitish color resembling milk. This can be seen by crushing a few grains of stellate sturgeon caviar and examining them.
Processing and eating black caviar
Now that we know which fish caviar is from. It's time to find out how it is processed in factories before serving it at our table.
Pasteurized grained salted caviar is the most famous and loved by connoisseurs. That is what we most often see on store windows in hermetically sealed glass jars and jars. Such caviar is stored in the refrigerator, the terms of using the product with open packaging are strictly maintained.
Black caviar cannot be stored in jars in the freezer, as its structure deteriorates from this: the shells of the eggs burst.
In cases when caviar extracted from fish from sturgeon breeds is immature or damaged during prey, they make caviar from it. With this method of processing, the film is retained, which is covered with fish roe. This is very rarely seen in our stores.
Sevjurya black caviar fell in love with the consumer, being processed under the press. Such caviar is called spawn.
To summarize
Black caviar is an exquisite delicacy. She is appreciated all over the world and try, as far as possible, to complement her holiday table.
But this delicacy is not only valuable, but also gentle. Store black caviar carefully in the refrigerator, but not in the freezer. The ideal temperature for keeping caviar as long as possible is -2-3 ° C.
Caviar is stored in open form for a short time. You need to eat it as soon as possible, since even under good conditions it quickly deteriorates. Caviar banks always give directions for storing both closed and printed products.
That was our gastronomic journey into the world of precious delicacy. Now we know for sure which fish caviar is from. We also learned that it comes in several varieties and can be processed differently before it reaches our table. It remains only to wish that we more often indulge in black caviar!