As for the cheapest caviar in the modern food industry, everything is clear. The surrogate product is a beautiful balls of gelatinous algae, the taste of which is vaguely reminiscent of fish. There is also natural cheap caviar - pollock, herring. Counterfeiters sometimes fake pike caviar. They stain it black and try to pass it off as stellar sturgeon. But in this article we are not interested in surrogates and products of the lower price segment, but in what caviar is the most expensive in the world. Or at least in Russia. And in general, what types of fish give the most expensive caviar? And how much does such a product cost?
Caviar Myths and Facts
It was believed that the most expensive caviar is black. Red, though larger, is a cheaper delicacy. Actually, everything is more complicated. After all, there are a number of species of fish that spawn black caviar. These are beluga, sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, sterlet. It is in that order that a delicacy is valued. But that is not all. The age of the fish itself is important. The older she is, the tastier her caviar is. And, like a paradox, lighter. In the world of manufacturers, a color classifier for the product has been developed. Caviar of a light gray shade is the best grade of black.
Further, the degree of maturity affects the taste of the product. Sometimes the eggs do not have time to transform into whole beads. This mass is called the gaiter. Together with a connecting film it is salted. Caviar is the cheapest of the noble varieties. Higher is the spike, salted in brine (strong saline). And even higher grained pasteurized caviar is appreciated. She is mature, with whole beads salted in a dry way. For gourmets, it is important that the eggs of different fish species do not mix. Therefore, not just black or red caviar is valued, but beluga, sturgeon, salmon, chum salmon, etc. Glass jars are preferable to iron. So you do not buy a "pig in a poke", but see the quality of the product (wholeness, size, color of grains).
The most expensive caviar in the world
We have already mentioned that the older the fish of the sturgeon family, the tastier and lighter the product. Therefore, the most-most valuable and, accordingly, expensive caviar is not black, but white caviar. She is rushed by special fish - albino beluga. This alone makes caviar rare. And now take into account the fact that such a fish must be at least a hundred years old! Albino belugi are found in the southern (Iranian) part of the Caspian Sea. Despite the fact that the individuals of these fish are cared for and cherished, quite a few of them remain. The international market receives no more than ten kilograms of such caviar per year.
In Iran, the product is called "almas", which means "diamond." And in the West and North America, it is called "Golden Caviar" - "Golden Caviar". And not so much the radiant yellow color defines the name. This caviar is worth its weight in gold. For one hundred grams you need to pay two and a half thousand dollars. But it should be noted that a significant share in the pricing of goods is played by its packaging. Iranians believe that the only worthy setting for such a diamond as Almas caviar can only be a jar of gold of nine hundred and ninety-fifth samples.
Demand for delicacy
It seems strange and almost impossible for someone to want to buy caviar for the price of a small car. Indeed, so one meal costs more than the food of one African village throughout the year. Nevertheless, the most expensive caviar in the world is very in demand. For five years, moneybags from around the world have been waiting in line to be able to shell out two and a half thousand US dollars for a jar of delicacy. Why do they give back their “overworked money” money? Well, certainly not for a jar of the 995th test! They say that golden (or diamond) caviar has a unique taste, incomparable with anything in the world. She doesn't smell like fish. Her taste resembles almond. And in calories, caviar is ahead of meat. But, unlike pork and beef, it is much more healthy.
The taste and wallet of the Russians
What is the most expensive caviar in Russia? Naturally, it should be beluga. Moreover, the age and size of the fish directly affects the price of the product. Thus, the paradox is that the most expensive black caviar is not coal, but light gray in color. This product, of course, is granular. Fully ripened eggs are light gray whole and well-shaped balls of a certain diameter. To do this, they are delicately sifted through a special sieve - screens. Only the largest eggs go to the bank. They are completely cleaned from the films and veins of the carp.
Caviar is barely noticeably salted. This is called the dry method. The eggs are sprinkled with very fine table salt (not more than five percent of the product) and are so aged for a couple of minutes. Then the delicacy is packaged in cans with a top and corked with a high lid. When opening containers, caviar should keep its shape well. But the official catch of beluga in the Russian Federation is prohibited. On the black Russian market, the price of the product is six hundred twenty euros per kilogram.
The best sturgeon caviar
Since beluga remains a “forbidden fruit” for a domestic user, let’s see what a law-abiding Russian can indulge in during the holidays. This is a sturgeon - a fish that breathes in the back of the head to the leader of all throwers of black caviar. The volume of legal production is one hundred eighty tons per year. Significantly more than ten kilograms of "diamond". The most expensive sturgeon caviar in supermarkets costs four hundred and fifty euros per kilogram. Without wrapping up the store - two hundred and thirty. Near the fishery you can buy a liter jar of excellent black sturgeon caviar and for a thousand rubles. But such an acquisition is not entirely legal.
The most expensive red caviar
This incredibly healthy and valuable product comes from fish in the salmon family. Like sturgeon, there are several species in this friendly company. In addition to salmon itself, the family includes chum salmon, pink salmon, trout, sockeye salmon, chinook salmon, sim and coho salmon. In terms of usefulness, fat content and the level of valuable, easily digestible proteins, the caviar of all these fish is the same. But the size of the eggs is different. And the taste is a little different. Keta tosses the largest caviar. Seeds of five or even nine millimeters in diameter will not be lost in the salad. Such eggs also have an elegant bright orange color with a red splash. They have a dense shell. And so they burst on their teeth, shooting an amazingly tasty center towards the palate. This caviar is not bitter, and therefore is considered the best.
Outlandish product
Salmonids do not have such a gradation in value as sturgeons. Therefore, there is no unequivocal answer to the question of what is the most expensive red caviar, which fish is the product. In pricing, the population of a given species often matters. Coho salmon caviar costs three and a half thousand rubles per kilogram. But you can’t say that it is the most delicious and valuable. Coho salmon eggs have a diameter of three to five millimeters. Color - closer to red, not as elegant as chum. Sockeye salmon tosses very small caviar. The taste of the fish itself is much better. But the price per kilo of caviar is three thousand rubles. So it’s up to you to decide what to put at the forefront: the rare appearance of the product or its taste.
Pink salmon is a sales leader
We have already found out which red caviar is the most expensive. But people vote with a wallet. The favorite of the public still remains pink salmon caviar. She has the same elegant amber color as the keto. But the eggs themselves are slightly smaller - from three to six millimeters. They have a not very dense shell. But the market is so awash with counterfeits that this quality only confirms once again that the caviar is real. The taste is slightly bitter. The annual catch of pink salmon in Russia is the largest in terms of volume of all salmon. And this will inevitably affect the price. Thus, despite all the economic crises, the average Russian can easily afford to buy a jar of pink salmon caviar for a holiday.
And other salmon
With the growing popularity of sushi, there was a demand for very small caviar - for rolling rolls. Sockeye eggs are too bitter and have a specific aftertaste. Therefore, trout caviar is more popular. It is very small (two to three millimeters in diameter), sticks well to land. Its color, based on the types of trout, can be either yellow or orange. No less delicious delicacy is coho salmon caviar. It is also medium-sized - the grains barely reach four millimeters in diameter. Chinook salmon is the most expensive caviar. Its large grains, six to seven millimeters in diameter, have a rich red color. However, this delicacy is distinguished by a somewhat bitter taste. The high price is due to the fact that the species of chinook salmon family is listed in the Red Book.
How to choose caviar
With the abundance of protein substitute in the market, it is important not to make a mistake in choosing a quality product. Too beautiful grains of uniform color with a distinct fishy smell just indicate that the caviar is fake. Gelatin does not crack, but sticks to the teeth - another fake marker.
Now we will learn how to choose a real product from sturgeons. It is better to buy a glass jar - so you can consider its contents. But high-quality Iranian caviar - black, not diamond - is sold in metal containers. But in this case, you can determine whether the product is good. The lid must be labeled extruded from the inside. The jar should not gurgle when shaken. The label must contain information: what kind of fish this caviar is and what is the method of processing it. It is even easier to identify a quality red delicacy. In natural eggs, an “eye” is traced - the embryo of the fish.
Best caviar recipes
This delicacy is able to transform even a very simple, everyday dish. We have already figured out which fish caviar is the most expensive. Consequently, a sandwich with her will be oh how expensive. But for such a delicacy you need to come up with something more sophisticated than a sandwich. With red caviar, they prepare a national Russian dish - pancakes. And how to use black in cooking?
Here is the recipe for the Neptune's Gifts festive salad. Black caviar goes well with seafood. Take a pound of squid and two hundred grams of shrimp for the salad. Boil seafood. Two eggs and 150 g of cheese rub. Pass the squid through a meat grinder, mix with two garlic cloves and 100 g of mayonnaise. Put a layer of boiled rice in the dish. Then half the squid. Following are two chopped cubes of tomato. We lay eggs on them. Top - the second half of squid and cheese. Lubricate with mayonnaise. Top of the salad is decorated with boiled peeled shrimps and black caviar.