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CAVIAR GUIDE

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Sturgeons are fish of the Family Acipenseridae. The toothless sturgeon is one of the few surviving bony fish (the bones are soft and cartilaginous) which have retained their prehistoric appearance. Because their unique skeletal structure has distinct longitudinal bony plates on the outside, they have no bones in the flesh - a characteristic that gourmets welcome.

There are twenty-four existing sturgeon species worldwide. Five of them live in the Caspian Sea, and only three supply caviar. The three species of sturgeon that supply caviar are the Beluga, the Osetra, and the Sevruga. These three give us 90 percent of the world's production.

Beluga (Huso huso)

The Beluga is believed to have remained unchanged for the past 120 Million years. It is one of the oldest and most amazing survivors of the Dinosaur Era. The beluga is the largest sturgeon and the only predator in the family. It is so rare that the annual beluga catch does not exceed 100 units. The beluga is strong, vigorous, large-mouthed, and nomadic, following its prey, shoals of whitefish. Beluga caviar, the largest, is light to dark gray. It is highly valued for its large granules (coarse roe) and delicate skin.

Osetra ( Acipenser gueldenstaedtii colchicus) - also known as asetra, oscetra, ossetra, and ossetrova

The medium-sized sturgeon probes the sea bed with a projecting snout. The snout is elongate and there are four barbels on its lower surface. It is equipped to vacuum up plants and small forms of sea life. Osetra caviar is dark brown-gray to golden. It is the only variety of caviar with a unique nutty flavor.

Sevruga (Acipenser stellatus)

The sevruga is small, and it has a pointed snout with an upward tilt. The diamond-shaped exoskeletal plates are the most distinct in this species of sturgeon. Sevruga caviar, the smallest, is greenish black and fine-grained.

The factors that are considered in the grading of caviar are the uniformity and consistency of the grain, the size, color, fragrance, flavor, the gleam, firmness and vulnerability of the roe skin.

Grade 1 (see also 000 Standard criteria below in the summary)

Grade 1 caviar is caviar which ideally combines all properties: it must be firm, large grained, delicate, intact, of fine color and flavor.

Grade 2

Grade 2 caviar is also fresh caviar with normal grain size, very good color and fine flavor.

Pressed Caviar

In this grade, external effect caused the fracture of more than 35 percent of the roe skins before it was removed from the fish. Therefore, this caviar is treated in a different manner than grade 1 and grade 2 caviar. It consists of a roe blend from the Osetra and Sevruga. This blended roe, usually milky and soft, is heated to 38 degrees Centigrade in a saline solution and stirred until it has absorbed salt and regains its natural color. Then, it is cast into "talees," fabric pouches in which it is pressed out to remove excess salt and oil.

Pressed caviar contains four times more roe than fresh caviar of the same weight. It is drier, spreadable, and it is also considered to be a delicacy. Because it takes four pounds of fresh caviar to prepare one pound of pressed, the resulting black paste has a highly concentrated flavor. The strong, sharp taste is favored by some gourmets.

Beluga Caviar

GRADE ONE

Large grain. Absolute top quality. In this category, the following additional color criteria apply:

000 light gray. The most expensive and precious.00 medium gray , 0 dark gray 

GRADE TWO Smaller grain. Medium to light gray.

Osetra Caviar

Grade 1

In this quality, Osetra is distinguished by three colors:

Royal Caviar: Gold The rarest and most coveted caviar (general yield from Osetra is 1:1,000) Color A: gray gold. Color B: dark gray Grade 2 Smaller grain. Medium gray color.

Sevruga Caviar

Grade 1

Dark gray to light gray

Grade 2 Smaller grain. Dark gray PRESSED CAVIAR 

Fresh-grained caviar is prepared from the full roe of the female sturgeon. The sturgeons are caught in nets and taken back to the fishery laboratory alive. There they are clubbed and anesthetized, not killed, and the egg pockets are emptied. The fishermen carefully anesthetize the fish by hitting them at a specific spot below the head. The roe must be taken while the fish are still alive. If the fish experience the stress of death, they release a chemical into the eggs that spoils the caviar by making it bitter.

When beluga roe is taken from the fish to make the highest graded caviar, it is processed manually. The fish are placed on a coarse mesh screen spread across a wooden tub. The roe is removed by splitting the underside of the sturgeon with a sharp knife. Then the roe bags (filmy sacs containing the eggs) are broken by whipping them with birch switches. The freed roe is then passed over screens with varying-sized mesh to grade the eggs according to size. The roe is rubbed through the screens with the palm of the hand for optimum control. The process also separates the eggs from binding tissue.

During the process, the eggs drop into a tub below the mesh screens. After a portion of the eggs has been collected in the tub, it is transferred to a bucket and the process is repeated. Considerable care must be taken in rubbing the eggs through the screens, since bruising them results in a lower grade of caviar.

When all of the eggs have been collected, they are put into a tub and dry salt is added. The salt is thoroughly mixed with the roe. The eggs are then placed in a fine mesh screen to drain.

The caviar is packed in tin, glass or porcelain containers equipped with tight-fitting covers. It is then ready to eat or store under refrigeration.