Traditionally caviar, sometimes also called Black Caviar was only from a certain type of Fish - Sturgeon, that was caught in the Caspian sea. The Caspian Sea is the largest fresh watered lake in the world and is bordered by, amongst others Iran and Russia. The two largest producers of caviar in the world

One of the reasons that this part of the world is such a leading caviar producer is that it is home to four types of Sturgeon. The beluga, the Ossetra , the sterlet and Sevruga Sturgeon. The rarest of these is the Beluga, although it is not superior to the its fellow caviars, its rarity has added a large price premium. The importation of Beluga Caviar has been curtailed in many countries, due to the threat to the survival of the species. Iran is the only country to maintain production in the Caspian of wild Beluga caviar, as Russian have maintained a ban on production. If you are wondering if the black caviar you have is illegal, remember that farmed black caviar is fine. It is the wild Beluga Sturgeon that you should avoid (this depends on your local laws as well). Beluga is noted for the large size of the roe. I personally favour Sevruga, it has a more delicate taste, but that is my opinion. If you are not concerned about cost, their is also Sterlet caviar, which is a golden roe, and was reserved during Imperial Russian times for the Czar.

Once europeans arrived in North America, they came across types of sturgeon that they used for Caviar. Indeed, they were harvesting caviar at such a rate, that it was considered the pretzels of its day. Tins were left on the bar counters, for the punters to help themselves. The salt content in the roe, increased the propensity to drink. There was several different sturgeons that were harvested, the lake Sturgeon, the Shortnose sturgeon and the Atlantic sturgeon. The shortnose is considered endangered, and is no longer used for caviar. In America the paddlefish, a cousin of the Sturgeon is increasingly farmed for caviar.Indeed there is actually 26 different types of sturgeon swimming in the seas of the world, though have the same buttery taste as that sourced from the Caspian sea.

The key to Sturgeon caviar, is that given its cost, when you are serving it, it is best to serve it on toast on its own, rather than accompanied by other foods. As they can over whelm the taste. A good drink to cleanse the palate between servings is a chilled Russian Vodka.

The last thing for you to do is sit back and enjoy the wonderful flavour

As we know Beluga Caviar is the roe of a sturgeon fish, of the same name. It is a truly impressive fish that comes form the Caspian sea in Russian. The largest inland sea in the world, the fish it self can grow up to 30 feet in length and weigh over 2000lbs. Which is the weight of a small car. Given the sheer size of the fish, how come Beluga Caviar is so expensive. Well the market has been growing for the last 100 years but the population of the Beluga has not. The harvesting of the fish, naturally involves killing them, so over fishing has pushed the fish to its very limits of survival. Their is a new method been worked on at the moment of performing a Cesarean section on the sturgeon to remove the caviar, this may seem excessive but when you consider that Beluga caviar prices mean that one Caspian sturgeon's eggs can be worth 30,000 dollars, and the fish survives to produce again, it makes a lot of financial sense and environmental sense.

There are three categories of Beluga caviar. The first, the darker eggs are from Sturgeon's around 20 years of age, the lighter grey are from more mature sturgeon, while white caviar, caller Almas (means pearl in Persian) is from Sturgeon over one hundred years. As you can imagine this is exceptionally rare, and as a result exceptionally expensive, currently at about $25,000 a kg. A point of clarification here, there is no such thing as Beluga Whale Caviar, whales are mammals and give birth to living young, weighing up to half a tonne.

Beluga caviar is noted for the size of its roe as well, they are about the size of a pea and are described as having a delicate taste with a hint of the ocean, in their taste. When you are serving it, you do not want to have its flavour overwhelmed by other tastes, so it is nest to keep it as simple as possible. It is usually served straight with a bone or mother of pearl spoon. If you use a metal spoon, it will leave a metallic taste on the caviar. Alternatively it can be served on a small piece of toast.

The best drink to serve with Caviar is chilled, unflavoured Vodka or a very dry Champagne. If you do not drink, a mineral water would be a good option as well.

Well that is all I can tell you about Caspian Beluga Caviar. I hope you enjoy it, it is really something special. If you are buying it, ensure that it complies with the laws of your land. The sturgeon population in the Caspian Sea, is at a critical juncture, and it benefits no one to have this magnificent and very ancient fish disappear. It has lasted over 350 million years, it would be a shame if Mankind, added this species to the extinction list.

If any Caviar companies are confident in their product and want to contact me for independently reviewing a product sample. I would be delighted. :)

The Petrossian caviar company

Petrossian caviar is considered the leading marque in the caviar world. It was founded by the Petrossian brothers in Paris in 1920. The brothers had fled Moscow at the time of the Russian Revolution. Like a lot of wealthy Russians they fled to Paris. They intended to resume their medical studies, however they were not able to transfer the credits so they had to find something else to do. They noticed one thing was missing at the numerous parties the Russian aristocracy were having in Paris - Caviar. So Petrossian caviar was born.

Having family at the edge of the Caspian sea, the Petrossian's were familiar with Caviar and ideally spotted an opportunity. They had everything in place except an import licence from the Soviet govt. Once this was arranged Petrossian caviar started arriving in France and immediately had a market from the Russian population in the city. The Parisians themselves were not that familiar with Caviar and indeed the petrossian brothers had to bring spitoons to the exhibitions they went to, so revolting did the locals find it. They got a lucky break when the hotel magnate Caesar Ritz agreed under protest, to feature Petrossian caviar at his prestigious hotels.

It wasn't until 1929 that Caviar developed the reputation as a delicacy in Western Europe and the States. At the World exhibition in Paris, the brothers entertained many of the leading food gourmets of the time. Their glowing reviews of caviar led to a surge in its popularity. After 10 years of struggle, the petrossian brothers had finally made it.

Petrossian caviar grew and prospered and developed importation rights for many more European countries. In the 80's the company decided to establish a presence in North America, to meet the demand that was not being sated as a result of the Iranian revolution. Inlet stores in Bloomingdales met the demand that Americans who were now travelling abroad and developing a taste for luxury items. A bold idea was then set upon, to establish a Caviar restaurant in New York. It initially set up as a marketing ploy, a way to introduce Americans to Caviar. It became a viable and profitable tool in its own right. Since the Beluga Sturgeon has become more scare over the years, the Petrossian caviar company has diversified in to selling different speciality products. The name has built up such a powerful reputation for quality and luxury it can drive opportunities by itself. It probably is as fascinating story as the product the sell from the Petrossian restaurants to the boutiques.

Sevruga caviar

America has had a love affair with Caviar since the earliest days. However it has sometimes allowed its better judgement to be clouded by the marketing techniques of other countries, especially large caviar exporters. Take for example at the start of the century the state of Pensylvania issued a report that said that 90% of the Russian Caviar that was sold in Europe was actually American Paddlefish Caviar. Some cunning Russian was buying the cheaper Paddlefish Caviar and repackaging it as sturgeon caviar.

The paddlefish caviar was so cheap because the waterways of the southern states, up to pennsylvania were theming with Paddlefish. Each female fish gave up to 9 pounds of caviar. So given that they were so plentiful at the time, it is no wonder that it was the pretzel of the old western saloon. Its salty content made people thirsty and encouraged them to drink more beer. However this over expoltation of the paddlesfish led to it suffering a severe population crash and once more America had to rely on imported caviar.

However, some enterprising farmers decided that there was more money in fish than beef and started to farm paddlefish for their eggs(roe)and meat, which is flavoured like swordfish. Indeed for one family of farmers in Missouri, the Kahrs are targetting the market at the just the right time. Given the collapse in the sturgeon in the Caspian sea and the subsequent ban on importing their roe, the demand for paddlefish caviar has rocketed. The Kahrs are in the enviable position of having more demand than they can meet. L'osage caviar was born and demand really took off. People had a prejudice against paddlefish caviar, as in the wild it can take on the murky water taste that it is hatched in. However in the clear waters of the kahrs fish farm it has really come in to its own and is finding new fans. They are hoping to boost production to around 1000 pounds a year by 2008, given that they have already received an order from a Japanese firm for 4 metric tonnes, it is not going to be difficult to sell that quantity of paddlefish caviar.

The paddlefish are stocked in private pools, and even in some golf courses. Given that they only eat zooplankten, they are environmentally friendly and are very low maintenance. It is also in the price range of most people, opposed to imported caviar, as it goes for about 17 bucks an ounce.

Paddlefish Caviar serving suggestion.

What can I say, it is best to serve simply on a cracker, or eat it straight from the tin. Keep it simple and enjoy its flavour.

Sevruga Caviar

Petrossian Caviar

Sevruga Caviar is considered one of the premier caviars in the world. It is from the Sevruga sturgeon fish in the Caspian sea. Indeed sevruga caviar, like all true caviars comes from the Caspian sea.Its eggs/roe are usually smaller than the other caviars, it is less expensive but for all this it is still highly prized and I wouldn't deviate to any other type. It may have the strongest flavour but it is also the sweetest.

Even though sevruga is amongst the finest of the caviars, it is not as dear as its cousins Beluga and Osetras, this is because the fish that it comes from is more plentiful than the others, that is all.

So what is the best way to serve caviar, well given its delicate falvours, less is definately more. When you are serving it, make sure that it is given 15 minutes out of the fridge so that it is not near freezing. Given the expensive and unique tastes of sevruga caviar, you do not want to overwhelm it with other strong flavours. So i recommend three ways of serving.
1) On its own.

2) Spread on small toast pieces.

3)Sevruga Caviar eggs - a way of sharing the Sevruga caviar amongst a wider group, without diluting the flavour too much.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

6 hard-cooked eggs
6 Tablespoons Sevruga caviar
1 Tablespoon chopped chives or green onions
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon mayonnaise or sour cream
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Shell the hard boiled eggs, cut them in half and then remove the Yolks.
Mash the yolks with Sevruga caviar, Chives, parsley and mayonnaise and the black pepper. Stir till it is well mixed and then spoon in back in to the egg.

You can use this as a starter on its own, or with side servings of watercress and other greens.

Enjoy your caviar, it truly is an experience to cherish.

Paddlefish caviar Another article.


Here is another recipe for Sevruga cavia

what is it, with food marketing strategies, that use the food itself, by pretending that it is alive and to get it to talk in ads. I find nothing objectionable in Leprechauns or tigers trying to sell cereal, there noted salespeople. Even a goat, telling us about the merits of a chicken sandwich, may seem a little odd, but it still works, there are some that do not, lets go through them.

The problem lies with foods that jump out of fridges in to batter, the chocolate sweets that jump in to your mouth. This is the kind of stuff I am talking about Partially Clips strip. Anyone who has read, restaurant at the end of the universe, will be familiar with the dish, who has to do a sales pitch,and recommends itself as very tender,and who can forget Charlton Heston proudly proclaiming the contents of Soylent Green?

In the world of food advertising there are a few real gems, that stand out, check out this funny advertisement from Hostess, the pie and pastry folk.

Even aside from the “I am tasty so you should eat versions of me” factor, let’s look at the naming scheme: Happy Ho ho? Twinkie the Kid? It is no wonder that they are no longer on TV. Ahh the innocence of past times.

They are still at it though, nowadays.What about those Frosted Mini-Wheats , that are currently on TV, famous for being providers of nutritious foods and energy and minerals to our children.

The greatest proponent of the talking vegetable, is the M&M'S company. They have always used talking advertisers, and given that M&M's are so tasty, it often works. I just feel that you don't want to eat something that has a name, it is like eating pork, after babe. Sales in America collapsed. I had a pork chop during the film, and it didn't bother me one bit.

Some times it is full on and a bit raunchy.

While other times, you go wtf.

food adverisements, food marketing, marketing food, masterfoods advertising, m&M'S

Brian J. Geiger / CC BY 3.0

sevruga caviar

Do you remember when the first rangers came in, and they had temperature gauges in the door, that were a great revolution, then their was home food scanners, kitchen computers and so forth. They were all in answer to the need of being able to understand and follow the temperature of your food while it is cooking, and to make sure that the heat is permeating throughout. It was the difference between a large risk of food poisoning, of food going bad, of being cooked or overcooked.

I have looked at the topic of temperature and monitoring it before, but I never found the right sensors to use. I have been playing around with food sensors, and the computer interfaces.

I have been lucky enough to read a post by the Turkey tracker, who has come with a great way for tracking these temperatures. It has live casting temperature updates fora turkey, the Smoker and the outside environment. It is a very advanced blog as well, with videos, and lots of gadgets. The people that are listed behind this project are- Robin Parker, Michael Weinberg, and Chris Chen. A tip of the cap to you good sirs.

The blog goes in to the description of the high end thermometers that they have used, the temperature controls, and interfaces, and the fascinating separate probes. They have flickr pictures and all that as well.

They are looking at making the code open source, and making different variations of it. So I will wait till then.

via Make.

home temperatures, cooking thermometers, making a kitchen computer, thermometer food sensors

Brian J. Geiger / CC BY 3.0

sevruga caviar