Caviar, sturgeon on your table

Caviar, a phenomenon
The origin of the word caviar is heavily disputed. The ancient Greeks served “avyron” at lavish occasions, while others claim that the Turks were the first to coin the word “Khavyar.” References to caviar date back to antiquity when Phoenician, Egyptian and Roman coastal populations began to salt and pickle sturgeon eggs.
Persians coined the term “Chav-jar” or “cake of power,” as they considered caviar to be a stimulant that increased their endurance and force. They were the first population known to consume sturgeon eggs, benefiting from the incredible resources provided by the Caspian Sea and its nearby rivers. Following the great commercial routes of Central Europe, caviar made its first appearance at the Russian court quickly becoming the preferred delicacy of their royal Czars. Caviar slowly acquired popularity in Europe, where it became a delicacy of Aristocrats.

Through time, caviar began to appear on popular tables. In the United States, at the end of the 19th century, sturgeon eggs were sold in saloons in hopes that its saltiness would make bar patrons thirstier. It is estimated that American caviar production reached 75 tons per year. Sturgeon a major food source in the Hudson River was commonly sold as “Albany Beef,” as it was so plentiful and affordable. At this time, sturgeon harvesting was also particularly intensive in the Gironde and the North and Baltic Seas. Sold at a frivolous price the quality of caviar quickly declined.

The 20th Century
In Paris, during the Roaring Twenties caviar once again became a fine delicacy served at the greatest tables. Exiled Russian royalty, intellectuals and aristocrats who fled the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, with the assistance of the Petrossian house, revived the art of caviar serving this fine delicacy at the world’s most grand tables, among artistic circles, becoming a symbol of luxury, and an indispensable ingredient for success.

Caviar, a fish
Biology
The sturgeon is a fish in the family Acipenseridae. They are characterized by the boney plates called scutes which cover their body, their toothless mouth, elongated body, flattened rostra and elongated upper tail lobes. A bottom dwelling fish, their projected wedgeshaped mouth and unique tactile organs allow them to detect the small fish, crustaceans and aquatic invertebrates on which they primarily feed. They are some of the largest of the fresh water fish.

There are 24 sturgeon species found in the Northern Hemisphere. The family Acipenseridae is subdivided in to two subfamilies, Acipenserinae and Scaphirhynchinae – 4 species in the Atlantic Basin, 8 species in the Pacific basin, 1 in the Artic, 9 in the Mediterranean Basin, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and the Asov Sea, and 2 in Central North American.
Sturgeon feed on organic debris (crustaceans, small fish) at the bottom of seas or fresh water estuaries. Most species are partially anadromous, and like salmon, they live in salt water and reproducing in the fresh water rivers where they were born.

Sturgeon Caviar Guide
Of the twenty four species of sturgeon that exist, eight produce caviar, the primary six are described below and are historically fished in the seas of Eurasia and in the Amur River along the Russian-Chinese border. Fishing restrictions of wild sturgeon have led us to export caviar from farm raised sturgeon – particularly in China, Bulgaria, the United States and France.

Beluga (Huso Huso): measuring 1.5m to 6m and weighing 100kg to 1000kg. The eggs can account for nearly 25% of the female’s weight. One of the largest fishes in the world the Beluga sturgeon is found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It can also be found in the Black Sea basin and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea.

Ossetra or Asetra (Acipenser persicus or Acipenser gueldenstaedtii): measuring 1.5m to 2m and weighing 80kg to 150kg. Found primarily in the Black Sea, Adriatic Sea and the Caspian Sea. There are two species – the Persian Acipenser persicus and the Russian Acipenser gueldenstaedtii colchicus. This fish is anadromous. It feeds on invertebrates and small fish.

Sevruga (Acipenser Stellatus): measuring 0.70m to 1.5m and weighing 30kg to 80kg, it has been nicknamed the star sturgeon. It is an anadromous fish, found primarily in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Caspian Sea.

Farm raised Sturgeon

Baeri (Acipenser Baeri): farm sturgeon, this fish measures 0.50m to 1m and weighs 7kg to 30kg. In the wild, in the great rivers of Siberia, it can measure up to 3 meters. Baeri Caviar is farmed in France, most notably Aquitaine, from Siberian Sturgeon.

Alverta (Acipenser Transmontanus): measuring 0.7m to 1.30m and weighing 20 to 80 kg, this white sturgeon is farmed in America. In American rivers it can measure up to 6 meters. Primarily anadromous, this fish lives well in fresh water. Alverta caviar is exclusively farm raised.

Other wild sturgeon species exist and are sold in limited quantities. In China and Russia, in the Amur River, one finds Huso dauricus or kalga, as well as Acipenser shrenki. There are several species of sturgeon native to North America, including the Pacific, or white, sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus); the lake, or rock, sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens); the shovel-nose sturgeon; and the endangered pallid sturgeon.

Caviar: Fish and Man
Without sturgeon there would be no sturgeon eggs and without the work of man, there would be no caviar!

Fishing Methods
Line fishing is used by the Cossacks and habitants of Astrakhan. A fishing line composed of small hooks with small morsels of fish is tossed in the water, held at the bottom by a large stone. The Cossacks have chosen to use harpoons, a technique that is no longer used by fishermen in North America. Nets placed perpendicularly in rivers, are checked twice daily. The nets are pulled by trawlers. These two techniques are commonly used today and permit fishermen to collect the fish and stock them alive in barges or basins filled with fresh water. This preserves the quality of the eggs.

Harvesting the eggs and making caviar

An incision is made in the belly of mature female sturgeon, and the whole egg sack is then removed. The sack is placed on coarse mesh sieve and rinsed with water to remove ovary residues; the eggs are separated by their firmness, colour, size, odour and flavour.

Once the eggs have been separated they are placed into a 1.8 kg container (blue, yellow or red, depending upon the species) and the perfect amount of dry salt is added and then carefully mixed in; a lesser quantity of salt is desirable (“malossol” caviar meaning literally “little salt” is sold at Petrossian and contains only 2.8% to 4% salt). The eggs are then placed on a fine mesh screen for drainage. Packaging the caviar in containers requires finesse; the eggs are carefully placed in a container, the lid is then manually pushed down and air and excess liquid is forced out as the container is sealed. There must be enough humidity inside the container to allow the eggs to move. The lid’s joint and container is covered with a rubber hermetic band and the caviar is then carefully stored for several months, maturing at a low temperature.
This caviar is then carefully placed in tins and sold by Petrossian. Serve caviar at any occasion, for your special guests and of course for yourself.

Choosing your caviar and understanding the flavour:

Sturgeon, like the most prestigious vine stock, offers a remarkable diversity. The eggs of each fish, like the grains of each grape, offer a large range of size, colour and taste. These natural delicacies reveal their magnificence with the help of man. It is the caviar master (only 20 exist in the world) who carefully appraises the grains, selecting the best by hand. A great master is able to adjust the salt content according to type of eggs, quality and season.

Serving Caviar
Respect the golden rule, caviar should be served in a simple manner. Choose flavours that will unveil its natural delicate aroma:
white bread, lightly toasted, potatoes or blinis
rice (caviar sushi), deviled eggs, avocados…
Caviar is a rare delicacy that should be enjoyed naturally. We recommend that you serve several types of caviar to provide your guests with a truly memorable experience.
Remove the caviar from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving. To enhance the taste place the tin on a bed of shaved or crushed ice and serve with a caviar spoon.

What should one drink with caviar? Rinse the palate with a dry alcohol, ideally vodka (for example Petrossian’s Premium Vodka), a dry white wine (a Bordeaux white, Cotes de Blayes) or Champagne. The caviar should fill the mouth with its delicate and unsurpassed flavour.

And beyond caviar once can accrue all the fine points of caviar culture: the présentoirs and spectres, the golden ladles, and the mother-of-pearl serving spoons!