What is Caviar?

Caviar consists of the eggs of sturgeons, salted to preserve and flavor them. Whenever the eggs are from a different fish, the name of it is attached to the word caviar. For example, the eggs of the salmon are called “Salmon Caviar”.

The Different Types of Caviar

The name of the different caviars comes from the type of sturgeon they are coming from.

Beluga caviar

Usually sold in a blue tin, the egg is rather large and fragile. The color ranges from light to dark gray. The lighter it is, the better it is.
The color is rated as per the following:
“0”: darkest color
“00”: medium dark.
“000”: the lightest. It is called the “royal caviar”. It is the most desirable and the most expensive.

The beluga is the largest of the sturgeons. It can measure up to 20 feet. Its weight can reach more than a ton. It is also the one with the longest lifespan since it can live up to 100 years. A female can produce 10 to 15 kg of caviar (which can be up to 15% of its total weight). It is a very rare fish. The annual catch hardly ever exceeds 100 units.

Sevruga caviar

Usually sold in a red tin, the egg is fine- grained and dark gray in color. It is the smallest of all the caviar-producing sturgeons (150 lbs and 7 feet in length). It is also the mostly common found sturgeon in the Caspian Sea and, therefore, it is the least expensive caviar on the market (besides the American and Chinese one).

Ossetra caviar

Usually sold in a yellow tin, the egg is dark brown-gray to golden. It has a unique nut flavor. Another large sturgeon as it reaches 10 feet in length and weighs about 500 lb.

Pressed caviar

Made of a mix of the ripest roe that is taken at the end of the fishing season. It is pressed to remove 30% of the water contained in the eggs. About 5 kg (11 lb) of caviar is needed to get 1 kg (2,1/4 lb) of pressed caviar. It is very much appreciated by Russian connoisseurs. It has a strong taste that is not liked by all.

How to Store Caviar?

It is best to buy smaller portions, as caviar is a semi-conserve and perishable.

It must be kept between 26 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit. You can surround it with crushed ice or put it in the cold part of your fridge (not in the freezer!)

As soon as the tin is opened the oxidation process starts, the product goes bad if not consumed. Therefore, caviar must be eaten the same day it is opened.