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Wild Iranian Ossetra Caviar with Champagne, ready to serve with mother-of-pearl spoons.

Farmed Siberian sturgeon caviar.

Caviar, sometimes black caviar, is a luxury food delicacy, consisting in processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe.^[1] The roe can be "fresh" (non-pasteurized) or pasteurized, having this last one much less gastronomic and economic value.

Traditionally the designation caviar is only used for sturgeon roe, namely from the wild sturgeon species from the Caspian Sea, in most cases from Russia or Iran (Beluga, Ossetra and Sevruga caviars). This caviar varieties, according to their quality (flavour, size, consistency and colour) can reach (February 2009) prices between 6,000€ and 12,000€ per kilo, and are associated with gourmet and Haute cuisine environments.

Presently, depending on specific national laws, the name caviar may be used by a variety of far less expensive products, substitutes and imitations of caviar, such as salmon roe (sometimes called red caviar), trout roe, lumpfish roe, etc.

However, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, roe from any species not Acipenseriformes (including Acipenseridae, or sturgeon strictu sensu, and Polyodontidae, or paddlefish) are not caviar, but "substitutes of caviar".^[2]

This position is also adopted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora^[3], the World Wide Fund for Nature,^[4], the United States Customs Service^[5], and the Republic of France.^[6]

Caviar is commercially marketed worldwide as a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or a spread; for example, with hors d'œuvres.

[edit] Etymology

Look up caviar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The word caviar entered English via Italian "caviale",^[7] though it is ultimately derived from Persian خاویار, pronounced [xɒvjɒr], from khaya "egg" (from Middle Persian khayak "egg," from Old Iranian *qvyaka-, diminutive of *avya-, from PIE *owyo-/*oyyo- "egg") + dar "bearing." ^[7]

Some people^[who?] also think it derives from the Persian word خاگ‌آور (Xâg-âvar), meaning "the roe-generator"; others say chav-jar, which means "cake of power", a reference to the ancient Persian practice of eating caviar in stick form as a kind of elixir.^[8]

In Persian, the word refers to both the sturgeon and its roe; in Russian, the word икра (ikra), "roe", is used. The Russian word malosol ("little salt") sometimes appears on caviar tins to show that the caviar is minimally salted; typically, caviar contains 4% to 8% salt, with the better-brand varieties generally being less salted.

[edit] Varieties

Russian and Iranian Caviar tins: Beluga to the left, Ossetra in the middle, Sevruga to the right.

Advertising poster for Iranian caviar in Paris, France

This elegant and expensive appetizer is simply sieved and lightly salted fish roe (eggs). Sturgeon roe is premium and considered the "true" caviar. The three main types of caviar are beluga, osetra and sevruga. The rarest and costliest is from the beluga sturgeon that swim in the Caspian Sea, which is bordered by Russia and Iran. Caviar production is a major industry for both countries. Beluga caviar is prized for its soft, extremely large (pea-size) eggs. It can range in color from pale silver-gray to black. Next in quality is the medium-sized, gray to brownish oestra, and the smaller, gray sevruga caviar. The small golden sterlet caviar is so rare that it was once reserved for Russian czars, Iranian shahs and Austrian emperors.

The word malossal on the label doesn't describe the type of caviar but rather the fact that the roe is preserved with a minimum amount of salt; malossol is Russian for "little salt." Caviar is extremely perishable and must be refrigerated immediately until it's consumed. Pasteurized caviar is roe that has been partially cooked, thereby giving the eggs a slightly different texture. It is less perishable and may not require refrigeration before opening. Pressed caviar is composed of damaged or fragile eggs and can be a combination of several different roes. It's specially treated, salted, and pressed. Be sure to read the label for information on how to handle the caviar you purchase. Although a spoonful of caviar supplies the adult daily requirement of vitamin B-12, it's also high in cholesterol and salt. The caviar of the sturgeon is the most expensive. Currently, the dwindling fishing yields as a result of overfishing and pollution have resulted in the creation of less costly, though popular, caviar-quality roe alternatives from the whitefish and the North Atlantic salmon. The harvest and sale of black caviar have been banned in Russia since August 1, 2007. The ban extends for 10 years, but scientific research and the artificial breeding of black caviar fish are exempted.

Other popular and much less expensive types of roe, sometimes presented as caviar, include lumpfish caviar (tiny, hard, black eggs, whitefish caviar (also called American Golden) with its small yellow-gold eggs and salmon or red caviar (medium-size, pale orange to deep red eggs).

[edit] Ecology

Sturgeon

In the early 1900s, Canada and the United States were the major caviar suppliers to Europe; they harvested roe from the lake sturgeon in the North American midwest, and from the Shortnose sturgeon and the Atlantic sturgeon spawning in the rivers of the Eastern coast of the United States. Today, however, the Shortnose sturgeon is rated Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of endangered species and rated Endangered per the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

In Spain a fish farm called Caviar de Riofrio has begun to produce organic caviar. The company raises sturgeon in such a way that it has earned an organic certification.^[9]

Current aquaculture of sturgeon is an economically viable means of sustainable, commercial caviar production, especially in Spain, France, Uruguay, and California.^[10] Hackleback caviar is a popular, inexpensive product of this industry. Paddlefish, a sturgeon cousin, is also farmed in increasing numbers.

Recently, the amount of allowed wild fish harvesting has been decreased, consequently increasing caviar prices. In September 2005, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service banned the import of Caspian Sea Beluga caviar, to protect the endangered Beluga sturgeon; a month later, the ban included Beluga caviar from the entire Black Sea basin. In January 2006, CITES, the convention for trade in endangered species, announced they were "unable to approve the [caviar] export quotas" for 2006 from wild fish stocks.^[11] In January 2007, this ban was partly lifted, allowing the sale of 96 tons of caviar, 15% below the official 2005 level.^[12]

[edit] Production

Salmon roe with bread.

Commercial caviar production normally involves stunning the fish (usually by clubbing its head) and extracting the ovaries.

Nowadays most commercial fish farmers extract the caviar from the sturgeon surgically (compare caesarean section) and then stitch up the wound to keep the sturgeon alive, allowing the females to continue producing more roe during their lives.

Nevertheless, other farmers are going even further, using a process called "stripping", which extracts the caviar out of the fish without surgical intervention. This is the most humane approach towards fish that is present in our days, but not all farmers can do it due to the lack of knowledge in this field.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Alternatives and imitation

Seven different kinds of caviar substitutes

Typical Swedish sandwich with hard-boiled eggs and cod roe from a tube

In Scandinavia, a significantly cheaper version of caviar, made from mashed and smoked cod roe (smörgåskaviar or sandwichkaviar), is sold in tubes as a sandwich filling. When sold outside Scandinavia, the product is referred to as creamed smoked roe or in French as Caviar de Lysekil, named after the Swedish coastal town of Lysekil from which this type of caviar may have originated.

An obvious sturgeon caviar imitation is Danish or German black coloured lumpsucker caviar, which is sold throughout Europe in small glass jars. It can also be found red coloured. A more expensive sturgeon caviar alternative, sold in Sweden and Finland, is the caviar from the vendace. In Finland caviars from the burbot and the common whitefish are also sold.

In some eastern European countries, such as Ukraine and Russia, "Ikra" also refers to an eggplant spread which is often referred to as "poor man's caviar."^{[citation needed]}

Caviar farms have also been established in the mountains of Spain.^{[citation needed]}

In the vegetarian foodstuffs market, algae-based imitation caviar is produced and sold as a caviar alternative.

[edit] Cultural

Iranian ossetra caviar with refreshed langoustines in a nage reduction, accompanied by its perfumed broth, by Alain Ducasse in his restaurant at the Plaza Athénée.

Given its high price in the West, caviar is associated with luxury and wealth. In Russia and other Eastern European cultures, though still expensive, caviar is commonly served at holiday feasts, weddings, and other festive occasions.

Sturgeon-derived caviar is not eaten by Kosher observant Jews because sturgeon lack the scales mandated by the kosher diet. Sturgeon possess ganoid scales instead of the permitted ctenoid and cycloid scales. Although there is a discussion of its status within Halacha, since the scales will come off if soaked in lye; however, this does not apply to every roe-yielding fish species.

In Islam generally all sea or river animals such as fish are lawful and halal which applies to the sturgeon as well as its caviar (depending on which school of practice), though in Twelver Shi'a Islam the creature has to have scales.

ikura (salmon roe) on a sushi roll

In East Asia, "caviar" made from caplin roe may be found on sushi and is often very affordable. Salmon roe is called "ikura" in Japanese, a derivative of the Russian, "ikra" (caviar).

Caviar is also seen as a common offering to the feline species in the ancient Bast religion. As cats are divine figures, caviar is an excellent example of an offering to our benefactors.

In the movie The Party, ( 1968 ), character Hrundi V. Bakshi, played by Peter Sellers ( 1925 - 1980 ), puts his whole hand in a dish of caviar, smells it, and says " Pooh ! ", indicating that his character did not like its smell. ( The Party on the IMDB Database ).

[edit] References

1. ^ Houshang Alʿam, "Caviar", in Encyclopædia Iranica online.
2. ^ "Roe coming from a fish other than Acipenseriformes is not caviar, and is often classified as «caviar substitute»." in Catarci, Camillo (2004), "Sturgeons (Acipenseriformes)", in World markets and industry of selected commercially-exploited aquatic species with an international conservation profile, FAO Fisheries Circulars - C990, FAO Corporate Document Repository, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.
3. ^ "Caviar: processed roe of Acipenseriformes species." in CITES (2002), "Annex 1 - CITES guidelines for a universal labelling system for the trade in and identification of caviar", in Resolution Conf. 12.7 - Conservation of and trade in sturgeons and paddlefish, Twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, Santiago (Chile), 3-15 November 2002.
4. ^ "Caviar is made from the unfertilized eggs of female sturgeon and paddlefish, among the oldest and largest species of fish living on earth." in World Wide Fund for Nature, Wildlife Trade - Caviar Trade FAQs.
5. ^ "The United States of America Custom Service (US Customs & Border Protection, 2004) defines caviar as: Caviar is the eggs or roe of sturgeon preserved with salt. It is prepared by removing the egg masses from freshly caught fish and passing them carefully through a fine-mesh screen to separate the eggs and remove extraneous bits of tissue and fat. At the same time, 4–6 percent salt is added to preserve the eggs and bring out the flavour. Most caviar is produced in Russia and Iran from fish taken from the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov." in Johannesson, J. (2006), "1. Fish roe products and relevant resources for the industry: Definitions of caviar", Lumpfish caviar – from vessel to consumer, FAO Fisheries Technical Paper No. 485, Rome, FAO, p.1.
6. ^ L. Circ. 12 mars 1957.
7. ^ ^{a b} Online Etymology Dictionary
8. ^ LEDA at Harvard Law School - A Brief History of Caviar
9. ^ www.boston.com - More than one fish egg in the sea
10. ^ California Farm Bureau Federation - Farmers tame prehistoric fish to make food fit for a king
11. ^ news.bbc.co.uk - International caviar trade banned
12. ^ news.bbc.co.uk - UN lifts embargo on caviar trade

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Caviar

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Caviare.

• Cooking For Engineers: Caviar
• Stolt Sea Farm
• Sturgeon population in Hudson River - Once-Endangered Sturgeon Rebounding in Hudson River, Study Says
• Caspian caviar in peril