The real sturgeon caviar and low cost alternatives – Italian Cuisine

The real sturgeon caviar and low cost alternatives


Small fish eggs, they all look the same, but they are not: here is a reasoned guide to orient yourself in the world of caviar. The qualities, the methods of production and conservation, the false myths to dispel and the alternatives of other fish – cheaper but equally tasty

It should be served directly in its container, or in a glass container, on a base of ice that preserves its freshness, better if accompanied by blinis: to bring the caviar to the table you have to follow some good rules, like when you have a dealing with an important guest. Because caviar is a symbol of luxury and elegance, but it is also a product whose quality must be respected and valued. In the first place knowing him.

From the sturgeon the "true" caviar

With the term caviar we indicate the salted and preserved sturgeon eggs. If the salt that is added is little, you have the caviar malossol, literally, "slightly salty": it is the fresh caviar, with a delicate taste that is both complex and persistent. It is the most prized, produced only with whole sturgeon eggs, large and perfect. In some cases the eggs come instead pasteurized, to give a product of lesser value, more "crisp" but which is preserved longer. You can then find the "pressed caviar", based on small or broken eggs, salted and decidedly salted.

Several species of sturgeon, different types of caviar

A second classification is given by the varieties of sturgeon from which the eggs come. This is how caviar is made Beluga, extracted from the sturgeon Huso Huso: large eggs, bright gray, juicy and fat, highly appreciated and precious. Caviar is rare and prized Oscietra, with a golden hazel color. On the other hand, the eggs are small and dark Sevruga, the most intense in terms of taste.
"The types of caviar are numerous and each has its own history – Stefano Bottoli points out, sales manager for Italy of France Calvisius Caviar – currently we are experiencing a great success with the Tradition that is given by White Sturgeon and it is characterized by an elegant and delicate taste at the same time .

Quality is not just a question of price

As for quality, Bottoli emphasizes that "Beluga is certainly the most expensive but not necessarily the best. There are other caviars such as Oscietra and the Sevruga of Ars italica or the Siberian or the same Tradition of Calvisius which are certainly listed as caviar by connoisseur . The choice must be guided by several elements: «taste is definitely the main factor, but also the smell, during the selection phase, is important: it must be almost absent . Then there are gods myths to dispel, continues Bottoli: "color and size are instead factors linked to legends that, in reality, are not confirmed by an organoleptic level: there are small and dark caviar exceptional and yellow eggs (given by albino Sturgeons) of large size that do not they keep their promises ".
As far as the provenance is concerned, the caviar that is increasingly widespread and appreciated is the Italian one which, in these years, is considered a real qualitative reference point.

Not just sturgeon

By extension they are called mistakenly "caviar" also the eggs of other fishes: next to the very popular lumpfish eggs, it should be remembered those of salmon, bright orange red and delicate perfume, and those of trout; those of herring and those mullet, perfect to use in the kitchen, and the very special ones of whitefish of Lake Kalix, in Lapland.

VEGETARIAN CAVIAR

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