Not only connoisseurs of the foamy drink appreciated the taste and splendor of fish snacks, one of which is dried caviar. And this is no accident, because there is nothing more appetizing than this natural, tender, moderately salty and very tasty product. Gourmets from all over the world treat this dish with special trepidation and in many countries they consider it a real delicacy.
A bit of history
According to ancient Roman sources, fish caviar dried up at the beginning of the VI century, long before they mastered the methods of harvesting sturgeon and salmon. In those days, merchants and pilgrims especially appreciated it for its specific taste, nutrition, and ability to be stored for a long time. They took caviar with them on long trips, so the technology for its preparation soon spread to most of Europe.
In Ancient Russia, this dish was known under the name "caviar caviar". Unlike ancient Roman technology, dried roe roe, pike perch, pike, common carp and other common fish, was prepared by grinding the hawk and marinating it for a long time in its own juice. From this, the taste of the dish became sharp and sharp. Such a product was almost always present in the daily diet of many villages in Russia. However, over time, it somewhat lost its significance in Russian cuisine, and for some time they forgot about it, replacing sturgeon and salmon caviar.
What dried caviar we know today
Today, in many specialized stores you can find the most varied and unusual snacks. Often among them there are various variations of caviar dishes. And if one can hardly surprise anyone with the usual granular scattering of unborn salmon, then the salted, pressed and dried delicacy is of general interest. Today, many of us are curious to know what botargo, galagan or tarama are - that is what different types of dried caviar of different breeds of fish are called in Russia.
Modern technology for the preparation of delicacies of this kind involves the use of salt pails pressed under a heavy load into long strips. Long-term marinating caviar with the addition of various spices and spices gives a special piquancy and brightness to the taste. In France, Sicily and Sardinia, after pressing and drying, the finished product is canned in beeswax. However, in Russia, in its manufacture, they are increasingly limited to vacuum packaging or packaged in cardboard boxes and then sold by weight.
What botargo is made of
Botargo is the common name for salted dried oysters in European countries. Foreign producers use noble mullet as the main raw material. Dried caviar of this fish contains a large amount of protein and trace elements. After drying, the product acquires a homogeneous structure and can be perfectly stored for up to six months. It is this dish that gourmets around the world appreciate.
What is galagan and tarama
In our stores, there are sometimes similar products made from other types of fish. Most often, you can find floundered caviar of flounder, macrus, cod and even pollock.
At home, many craftsmen grease the mouths of the most diverse representatives of local reservoirs. Moreover, the most delicious and nutritious is the dried product obtained from pike, bream, pike perch and roach.
Among the people, caviar of bream and roach is called tarama, and caviar of pike perch is called a galagan. They have long been used in their menu by residents of certain places where rivers and lakes abound in fish. However, such delights are destined to be tasted by far not every person living where the reservoirs are not so rich. Since these products are in demand, some fish processing enterprises actively produce them and then deliver them to specialized stores.
Cooking technology
In fact, the technology for preparing river fish caviar is not too different from the preparation of overseas botargo: they cut the caught individual, and whole, undamaged oysters are removed, washed, salted and placed under the press. To remove excess salt, pickled caviar is soaked for a while in clean water. Then they are removed and dried in a dry, dark room for several months. The result is a very tasty product that goes well with foamy drinks and can be served as a separate dish.
Taste qualities
The taste characteristics of different dried caviar (gourmet reviews indicate this) can vary greatly. So, for example, tarama vobla is not inferior in taste and nutrition to fish meat, and the pike perch galagan, although it does not have a special taste, goes well with beer.
One of the varieties of white caviar is a product obtained from the abdomen of bream. In earlier times, it was very appreciated for its amazingly delicate taste and excellent aroma.
You need to be able to cook dried pike galagan - this is the only type that should be cleaned from the ovarian film. However, if the eggs are properly processed, salted and dried, it acquires an amber color and friable consistency. Such a dish was very much appreciated in Russia and was considered a royal delicacy.
Pollock is a dietary product, but the caviar of this fish has a unique composition of nutrients. When dried, it has a dense structure with a pronounced marine odor. A little bit bitter. Gourmets appreciate this product for its piquancy of taste and specific aroma.
Surely many people heard about the dried caviar of salmon fish , however, for a number of reasons, only a few people tried it. It is considered truly a real delicacy, and it is not so easy to acquire it. However, a good alternative to this expensive product may be the macro caviar. The product made from this ocean fish has a special fat content and tastes very similar to dried red caviar.
The absence of heat treatment during the preparation of any dried caviar snacks is the key to preserving the vitamin-mineral composition in combination with the original taste. However, dried caviar is a product that is not eaten often and little by little.