When it comes to making a list of expensive foods around the world, foods such as champagne, truffle, fois grais, and Wagyu always make the cut. The seafood version of these is caviar. In fact, a pound of this luxury delicacy could fetch for $2000. What makes it special though? And what does caviar exactly taste like?
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It turns out that the hefty price of caviar was not always the case. Just like oysters, its high value lies behind the rule of supply and behind. Caviar is salt-roe eggs from sturgeon species. There are 27 varieties of sturgeon and 4 types of caviar—Malossol, Beluga, Oscietra, and Sevruga.
Back in the 19th century, caviar was a common food item that establishments would offer caviar for free and farmers would make it as animal feed. But everything changed when water pollution and overfishing of sturgeon during the 20th century diminished their population. As a result, supply could not keep not with the demand, making caviar a rare commodity. Furthermore, it takes several years for a female sturgeon to become sexually mature.
Take Beluga, the largest, the rarest, and the most expensive caviar, for example. This type of caviar is made from beluga sturgeon Huso huso, species that may live for 80 to 100 years but matures only after about 20 years. Its eggs for caviar is the largest, and are very dark gray to light gray on color. A pound of Beluga caviar costs around $4000.
The World Wildlife Fund has listed Beluga sturgeon on the critically endangered list. To combat this, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service banned the importation of the fish in 2005. However, the was ban was partly lifted later to allow sale in the country.
THE TASTE OF CAVIAR
Well, the United States and European countries consume the most caviar. With the high price of caviar, Is it worth it though?
In general, the taste of caviar at first is salty and briny with a hint of fishiness—kind of like raw oysters. And after a few seconds, the taste transitions to produce a creamy, buttery or nutty taste. The taste is heavily influenced by how caviar is prepared, which is usually by mild salting.
The salting process allows part of the salt to enter the egg via osmosis. Osmosis preserves the food by drawing out moisture from bacterial cells. It also activates enzymes that break down proteins. On average, caviar is 75% ovoglobulins, 13% collagen and 11% albumin. The breakdown of these proteins increases the levels of flavor-stimulating free amino acids. Studies have revealed considerably high amount (3 g/100 g) of free glutamic acid in some types of caviar. Glutamic acid is the amino acid responsible for the umami taste in a wide range of foods such as meat, poultry, and other protein-rich foods.
Another function of salting is that triggers the production of the transglutaminase enzyme, an additive that enhances the appearance and texture in foods such as processed meats. In the case of caviar, it aids in the cross-linking of proteins in the egg’s outer membrane. This contributes to the membrane’s strength and plumpness, giving the egg more texture and a firmer mouthfeel overall. And as salt ions affect the proteins inside the egg, the bonded protein becomes a thickening agent where watery egg fluids display greater viscosity in the final product. A high grade caviar is best described as a pleasantly viscous liquid.
CAVIAR LABELLING REQUIREMENTS AND REGULATIONS
The quality and characteristics of caviar vary greatly. And this depends on the type on the type. But we are not talking about fish roe in general. Real caviars are made from eggs of sturgeon. In fact, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the term “caviar” should be applied only to sturgeon roe. The name of the fish should be listed on the label if the caviar is derived from anything other than sturgeon roe.
Roe made from other fish may be labeled as “_______ Caviar”. The blank needs to be filled in with the common or typical name of the fish that the roe was harvested from. One common alternative to real caviar is salmon roe. It is pale yellowish-orange to dark reddish-orange because of carotenoid pigments. Sturgeon caviar, on the other hand is silver to black because of brown-black melanins.
Caviar is dry salted at concentrations of 3% and 10% for 2 to 4 minutes. Traditionally, sodium borate (borax) has taken the place of some kinds of salt. The alkalinity of borax allows for slight salting of the eggs, improvement of shelf life, while adding sweetness. However, it should be mentioned that, among other nations, the United States has banned the imports containing borax due to concerns over health.
Fresh caviar should be stored at refrigerator temperature, not frozen. The preserved eggs’ integrity is compromised by freezing, especially the membranes. The egg’s quality can remain unopened for four weeks, but once it’s been opened, it is better to eat it right once. Caviar can be pasteurized at 122°F (50°C) to 158°F (70°C) for an hour or 2 to extend its shelf life. However, the mild heat treatment diminishes the flavor of caviar and it becomes chewier.
