Beluga Caviar
The Beluga sturgeon, which reaches up to 15-feet long and weighs around 3,000 pounds, produces the best-quality caviar, one which is most desired in the market. That is why it is called the king of caviar. It originates from the Caspian Sea, which is surrounded by Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. This caviar has a rich taste, which is not fishy, and it has a smooth, creamy texture. Its color ranges from grey to black.
Baerii Caviar
Baerii is a type of caviar recommended for those who are new to the caviar world. It has a subtle taste that would suit the tastebuds of a newcomer, and it is smooth and fresh. Its aftertaste lasts not so long.
What is Caviar?
Caviar, also known as black gold, is not just food, but a luxury. It consists of unfertilized sturgeon fish eggs and is eaten as a delicacy, served cold. Pure caviar is extracted from various species of sturgeon, which are part of the Acipenseridae family. Beluga caviar is the rarest and most expensive kind of caviar on the market. The Caspian Sea and the Black Sea are the leading producers of caviar. However, due to overfishing and the depletion of wild sturgeon populations, there has been a rise in farmed caviar.
The different types of caviar differ in several factors, including color, texture, and flavor. Caviar colors range from golden, black, brown, dark green to grey. Pure, authentic caviar has what is called a “Caspian pop”; the pearls burst in the mouth, releasing their godly taste.
Caviar is divided into two groups: Grade one and Grade two. Grade one caviar consists of the richest and firmest eggs, while grade two caviar consists of eggs that are lower in quality. The color, size, texture, taste, and smell of the caviar define the grade in which it is going to fit.
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History of Caviar
Caviar has always been known for being one of the most luxurious treats in the culinary world. The finest sturgeon are known to come from the Caspian Sea, which gets its water from the Elburz mountains. Iran was once part of the Persian Empire and is a country that surrounds the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. Its Caspian coast is around four hundred miles long and stretches Azerbaijan to Turkmenistan. Iran’s side of the Caspian Sea is the deepest, coolest, and cleanest. Iran exports caviar from the Capsian Sea, and the caviar generates more revenue for the country than its crude oil, for which it is famous.
The earliest records of caviar date back to the fourth century B.C, when Aristotle described the delicacy as the eggs of the sturgeon, heralded into banquets amongst trumpets and flowers. It is thought that the people of the Persian Empire were the very first to taste caviar since they firmly believed that it held medicinal properties good for human health and was a great source of energy. However, the highest consumers of caviar were the czars of old Russia, and they introduced caviar into the world of luxury.
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The word caviar itself comes from the Persian word châv-jâr which means “cake of strength/power,” which relates to the way which caviar was pressed into a round shape for the market, and to the Persians’ belief of caviars medicinal powers. The Persians would catch the fish eggs on the Kura River, and proceed to salt them. Salting the fish roe originated in China, were carp eggs were prepared this way.
The Persian Empire used to surround both the northern and southern shore. However, after two wars with Russia, Persia no longer had the northern coast of the Caspian Sea. Also, once it became a Muslim country, caviar was not demanded and eaten as much as in Russia, since Muslims consider the sturgeon fish to be unclean due to its lack of fish scales. That is also primarily why caviar is not among the essential Iranian cuisine. ​
Process of Production
The process of harvesting, preparing, and manufacturing of caviar is incredibly tricky and time-consuming, following and strict traditional methods. It is not only the laborious process that adds to its value and price, but also the fact that It takes between 6-20 years—depending on the type of sturgeon—for the sturgeon to be mature enough to harvest. Caviar is created when fish eggs are extracted from the sturgeon. Best-quality caviar is derived from sturgeon immediately when it is releasing its eggs. Therefore, wild sturgeon are captured as they move from saltwater to freshwater to lay their eggs. Farmed sturgeon are monitored through ultrasound to find out when their eggs are ready for harvesting. The sturgeon can release millions of eggs at once, depending on its size. After removing the egg sack, the roe is meticulously sieved, cleaned, rinsed, and classified depending on its size, color, flavor, and texture. Once the classification step is complete, the caviar moves on to the salting phase.
The salting process is related to the quality of the caviar, so the amount of salt added is carefully monitored. Caviar is salted to maintain its fresh and authentic flavor as much as possible. The best type of caviar is prepared ‘Malossol,’ a Russian word for little salt (<3.7 percent). Malossol was and is still used to assure the consumers that their purchase is high quality and has not been over-salted. Other than Malossol, there is pressed caviar, semi-preserved or ‘salted’ caviar, and pasteurized caviar.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT IRANIAN CAVIAR
GORDON RAMSAY
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"The Iranians have the better quality controls because their political system is more stable. Also, the sturgeons in the south of the Caspian Sea are larger and not subject to overfishing" A Chef for All Seasons, Summer, p.57