Template:Short description Template:About Template:Redirect Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox food
Caviar or caviare is a food consisting of salt-cured roe of the family Acipenseridae. Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or spread.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Traditionally, the term caviar refers only to roe from wild sturgeon in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea<ref>lan Davidson, Tom Jane, The Oxford companion to food, Oxford University Press, 2006, Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN, p. 150.</ref> (beluga, ossetra and sevruga caviars). The term caviar can also describe the roe of other species of sturgeon or other fish such as paddlefish, salmon, steelhead, trout, lumpfish, whitefish,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or carp.<ref>Fodor, Alexandrina, et al. "ASSESSMENT OF DEGREE OF FRESHNESS AND QUALITY OF PRODUCTS TYPE "FISH ROE" SOLD IN SUPERMARKET CHAIN STORES." Analele Universităţii din Oradea, Fascicula: Ecotoxicologie, Zootehnie şi Tehnologii de Industrie Alimentară 10.A (2011): 177–181.</ref>
The roe can be "fresh" (non-pasteurized) or pasteurized, which reduces its culinary and economic value.<ref>According to Jean-Pierre Esmilaire, Directeur Général of Caviar House & Prunier: "two-thirds of caviar's taste is lost through pasteurisation." (in "Three-star caviar", Caterersearch – The complete information source for hospitality, 1 February 2001).</ref>
TerminologyEdit
According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, roe from any fish not belonging to the Acipenseriformes order (including Acipenseridae, or sturgeon sensu stricto, and Polyodontidae or paddlefish) are not caviar, but "substitutes of caviar".<ref>"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. Template:Webarchive</ref> This position is also adopted by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora,<ref>"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. Template:Webarchive</ref> the World Wide Fund for Nature,<ref>"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. Template:Webarchive</ref> the United States Customs Service,<ref>"The United States of America Custom Service (US Customs & Border Protection, 2004) defines caviar thus: 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 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 Azerbaijan, 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. Template:Webarchive</ref> and France.<ref>Arrêté du 23 février 2007 Template:Webarchive (NOR: DEVN0750874A; Version consolidée au 06 mai 2007), Article 1: "a) Caviar : oeufs non-fécondés, traités, des espèces d'acipensériformes dont la liste figure en annexe du présent arrêté;".</ref>
The term caviar is sometimes used to describe dishes that are perceived to resemble caviar, such as "eggplant caviar" (made from eggplant) and "Texas caviar" (made from black-eyed peas).
The term caviare or caviar was first introduced into the English language in the late 16th century and appears to have been borrowed from a number of European languages at the same time, including French cavial, Italian caviale, Portuguese caviar, and Spanish cabial, all of which are ultimately derived from Turkish khāvyār.Template:Sfn Up to the 17th century, archaic spellings included chauiale, cavery, and cauiarie, and as early as 1625, it was becoming a three-syllable word, with the final "e" being dropped in speech.Template:Sfn In Russian, the term for caviar is ikra, a term that was used in the English language in the 16th and 17th centuries as ikary.Template:Sfn
HistoryEdit
Caviar and sturgeon from the Sea of Azov began reaching the tables of aristocratic and noble Greeks in the 10th century, after the commencement of large-scale trading between the Byzantine Empire and Kievan Rus'.Template:Sfn The Russians likely learned to process fish eggs with salt from Greek traders who had passed along the Black Sea coast, but it was not until after the Mongol invasions that the caviar industry developed in Astrakhan.Template:Sfn Production was for a long time centered on the Caspian Sea, with the Iranians and Russians accounting for most of its output.Template:Sfn
In the 16th century, François Rabelais described caviar as the finest item of what is now called hors d'oeuvre.Template:Sfn By 1569, the Russians had conquered the entire Volga River to its mouth.Template:Sfn The Volga and its tributaries offered a diverse range of fish, including sturgeon and its caviar, as well as sterlets, a type of small sturgeon that pleased both Russian locals and foreigners.Template:Sfn
Caviar was eaten differently in the past compared to today.Template:Sfn Medieval Russians often ate it hot.Template:Sfn The Travels of Olearius in Seventeenth-Century Russia says "they expel the roe from the membrane in which it is contained, salt it, and after it has stood for six to eight days, mix it with pepper and finely chopped onions. Some also add vinegar and country butter before serving it. It is not a bad dish. If one pours a bit of lemon juice over it, instead of vinegar, it gives a good appetite, and has a restorative effect."Template:Sfn
VarietiesEdit
The main types of caviar from sturgeon species native to the Caspian Sea are Beluga, Sterlet, Kaluga hybrid, Ossetra, Siberian sturgeon and Sevruga. American White Sturgeon caviar is abundant and native to California and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The rarest and costliest is from beluga sturgeon that swim in the Caspian Sea, which is bordered by Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. Wild caviar production was suspended in Russia between 2008 and 2011 to allow wild stocks to replenish. Azerbaijan and Iran also allow the fishing of sturgeon off their coasts. Beluga caviar is prized for its soft, extremely large (pea-size) eggs. It can range in colour from pale silver-grey to black. It is followed by the small golden sterlet caviar which is rare and was once reserved for Russian, Iranian and Austrian royalty. Next in quality is the medium-sized, light brown to rich brown Ossetra, also known as Russian caviar. Others in the quality ranking are the grey sevruga caviar, the Chinese Kaluga caviar, and the American white sturgeon caviar. The Siberian variety with black beads is similar to sevruga and is popular because of its reduced (five years) harvest period, but it has a higher brine content than other kinds. The Chinese Kaluga hybrid varies in colour from dark grey to light golden green and is a close cousin of beluga caviar.Template:Citation needed
Quality factors and costEdit
An expensive caviar example at Template:Convert sold for £20,000 (then US$34,500) is the Iranian 'Almas' product (from Template:Langx, "diamond") produced from the eggs of a rare albino sturgeon between 60 and 100 years old from the southern Caspian Sea.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wild beluga sturgeon caviar from the Caspian Sea was priced in 2012 at $16,000 per Template:Convert.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cheaper alternatives have been developed from the roe of whitefish and the North Atlantic salmon.Template:Citation needed
Conventional sturgeon caviar was priced in 2014 at about $105 per Template:Convert and from albino sturgeon up to $800 per ounce.<ref name="NPR2014">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Other quality factors are texture – with firmness having higher quality value – flavour qualities, such as creaminess, butter taste, and brine or mild fish finish, and whether the caviar was taken from the fish by massage (higher value) rather than by killing it.<ref name=NPR2014/> Caviar is generally sold in ounces. An ounce of sturgeon caviar costs between $45 and $1,000, depending on the variety of sturgeon and other factors.
IndustryEdit
| Country | Caviar (Tonnes) |
|---|---|
| China | 100 |
| Russia | 49 |
| Italy | 43 |
| France | 37 |
| Poland | 20 |
| Germany | 16 |
| USA | 16 |
| Bulgaria | 8 |
| Uruguay | 6 |
| Israel | 5 |
| Saudi Arabia | 5 |
| Spain | 5 |
| Armenia | 4 |
| Belgium | 4 |
| Finland | 4 |
| Iran | 4 |
ChinaEdit
China produces the most caviar of any single country.<ref name="best">Template:Cite news</ref> The largest caviar company in the world is the Chinese brand Kaluga Queen, which cultivates sturgeon at Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
RussiaEdit
In the wake of over-fishing, the harvest and sale of black caviar were banned in Russia in 2007.<ref>"After a nine year ban Russia has begun exporting sturgeon caviar to the European Union" Template:Webarchive, Newzy.net, 21 February 2011</ref> The ban on sturgeon fishing in the Caspian Sea has led to the development of aquaculture as an economically viable means of commercial caviar production.<ref>California Farm Bureau Federation Template:Webarchive – Farmers tame prehistoric fish to make food fit for a king</ref> Russian caviar exports were also banned from 2002 to 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
ItalyEdit
Cristoforo da Messisbugo in his book Libro novo nel qual si insegna a far d'ogni sorte di vivanda, Venice, 1564, at page 110, gave the first recorded recipe in Italy about extraction of the eggs from the roe and caviar preparation "to be consumed fresh or to preserve".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The writer and voyager Jérôme Lalande in his book "Voyage en Italie", Paris, 1771, vol. 8, page 269, noted that many sturgeon were caught in the Po delta area in the territory of Ferrara.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1753 a diplomatic war broke out between the Papal States, governing the Ferrara territory, and the Venetian Republic about sturgeon fishing rights in the Po River, the border between the two states.<ref>Archivio di Stato di Roma, Commissariato Generale della Reverenda Camera Apostolica, busta 546, Controversia coi veneziani sulla pesca nel Po di Corbola</ref> From about 1920 and until 1942, there was a shop in Ferrara, named "Nuta" from the nickname of the owner Benvenuta Ascoli, that processed all the sturgeons caught in the Po River for caviar extraction, using an elaboration of the original Messisbugo recipe, and shipped it to Italy and Europe. A new owner sporadically continued production until 1972, when the sturgeon stopped swimming up the Po River. Since 2015, some sturgeon have reappeared in the Po.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Currently, Italian caviar is obtained almost entirely from bred sturgeons. The caviar production is concentrated predominantly in Brescia, which is considered the capital of Italian caviar:<ref name="BSCaviar">Template:Cite news</ref> in this area, in Calvisano, is located the world's largest sturgeon farm<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> that produces annually 25 tonnes of caviar.<ref name="BSCaviar"/> Italy is a top producer of caviar.<ref name="ITCaviar">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
North AmericaEdit
In the early 20th century, 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 East Coast of the United States. The American caviar industry started when Henry Schacht, a German immigrant, opened a business catching sturgeon on the Delaware River. He treated his caviar with German salt and exported a great deal of it to Europe. Around the same time, sturgeon was fished from the Columbia River on the West Coast of the United States, also supplying caviar. American caviar was so plentiful at the time that it was given away at bars to induce or prolong patrons' thirst.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Today, the shortnose sturgeon is rated Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of endangered species and rated Endangered per the Endangered Species Act. With the depletion of Caspian and Black Sea caviar, production of farmed or "sustainable" caviar<ref>SUSTAINABLE CAVIAR PRODUCTION: SAVE OUR STURGEON! Template:Webarchive</ref> has greatly increased. In particular, northern California is reported to account for 70% to 80% of U.S. production.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2021, a significant illegal sturgeon egg harvesting and selling ring run in part by the former top sturgeon biologist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was discovered and broken up by investigators.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In coastal British Columbia, Fraser River white sturgeon are sustainably farmed to produce caviar.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
SpainEdit
The 17th-century book Don Quixote mentions "cavial"<ref name="Quixote en">Don Quixote II, Chapter LIV: "They also put down a black dainty called, they say, caviar, and made of the eggs of fish, a great thirst-wakener."</ref><ref name="Quixote es">Don Quijote de la Mancha II, capítulo LIV Template:In lang: "Pusieron asimismo un manjar negro que dicen que se llama cavial, y es hecho de huevos de pescados, gran despertador de la colambre."</ref> in a banquet of German pilgrims. Until 1992, sturgeons and caviar were collected at the lower parts of rivers Guadalquivir, Ebro, Duero and Tajo. From 1932 to 1970, the Ybarra family had a factory in Coria del Río.<ref name="DiarioSevilla">El caviar del Guadalquivir Template:Webarchive Template:In lang, Diario de Sevilla, 5 June 2011.</ref> Overfishing, pollution and the Alcalá del Río dam eliminated the wild population of Acipenser naccarii. In Spain, a fish farm called Caviar de Riofrío<ref name="Riofrío">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> produces organic caviar<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> at Loja, Granada, Andalusia.
UruguayEdit
As well with Canada and the United States, Uruguay has become a major producer and exporter.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
IsraelEdit
Kibbutz Dan in Israel<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> produces four tons of caviar a year. The farm is fed by the Dan River, a tributary of the Jordan River.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
MadagascarEdit
Madagascar is the first African country that produces and exports caviar since 2018.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
MalaysiaEdit
In Malaysia, caviar production is relatively new and smaller in scale. Caviar is harvested from farmed sturgeon fish in Tanjung Malim, Perak. The caviar produced here is marketed as "tropical caviar".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The first Malaysian brand of tropical caviar was launched in March 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
EcologyEdit
Overfishing, smuggling and pollution caused by sewage entry into the Caspian Sea have considerably reduced the sea's sturgeon population.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
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 was extended to include Beluga caviar from the entire Black Sea basin. In January 2006, the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) supported an international embargo on caviar export.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2007, this ban was partly lifted, allowing the sale of 96 tons of caviar, 15% below the official 2005 level.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In July 2010, Russia and some other CIS countries restarted the export of caviar.<ref name="DTCaviar">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The 2010 quotas allow for the export of three tons of beluga, 17 tons of sevruga and 27 tons of osetra.<ref name="DTCaviar"/> In September 2010, Kazakhstan launched a state monopoly brand, Zhaik Balyk, from the Kazakh word for the Ural River. Under the CITES agreement, Kazakhstan was granted the right to produce 13 of the 80 tons allowed up until 28 February 2011.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
ExtractionEdit
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Commercial caviar production historically involved stunning the fish and extracting the ovaries. Another method of extracting caviar is by removing eggs through a small incision, which allows the female to continue producing roe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Other farmers use a process called "stripping", which extracts the caviar from the fish via a small incision made along the urogenital muscle when the fish is deemed to be ready to be processed. An ultrasound is used to determine the correct timing.<ref>mottra.co.uk Template:Webarchive – The link to the Latvian farm which pioneered commercial "stripping" in 2007</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Removing the caviar by massage may yield higher quality and a more sustainable source.<ref name=NPR2014/>
PreparationEdit
Preparation follows a sequence that has not significantly changed over the last century. First, the ovaries are removed from a sedated female sturgeon and passed through a sieve to remove the membrane. Freed roes are rinsed to wash away impurities. Roes are now ready to become caviar by adding a precise amount of salt for taste and preservation. The fresh product is tasted and graded according to quality. Finally, the eggs are packed into lacquer-lined tins that will be further processed or sold directly to customers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
SubstitutesEdit
A sturgeon caviar imitation is a black or red-coloured lumpsucker caviar sold throughout Europe in small glass jars.
In Sweden and Finland, the roes of many fish species, including vendace, burbot, salmon and common whitefish, are also commonly eaten in a similar manner as caviar. However, they are not caviar 'substitutes' but are enjoyed in their own right.
Spherification of liquids with alginate (a seaweed polysaccharide) is used to recreate caviar's texture. With liquids flavored to resemble caviar, one obtains kosher and vegan caviar substitutes. They resemble beluga caviar in appearance and are either used as a food prop for television and film or enjoyed by vegetarians and other people worldwide.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In Scandinavia, a type of sandwich spread is available, made from smoked cod roe and other ingredients, which is referred to as smörgåskaviar (meaning "sandwich caviar"). Outside Scandinavia, the product is referred to as creamed smoked roe or in French as Caviar de Lysekil.
NutritionEdit
Caviar is 48% water, 25% protein, 18% fats, and 4% carbohydrates.<ref name="fdc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In a common serving amount of 16 grams (one tablespoon), caviar supplies 44 kilocalories of food energy, 53% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin B12, and moderate amounts (10-19% DV) of sodium, iron, magnesium, and selenium, with no other micronutrients in significant content.<ref name=fdc/>
StorageEdit
Caviar is highly perishable and must be kept refrigerated until consumption.<ref name="imp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Proper storage is critical to maintaining caviar’s freshness and flavor. After opening, caviar should be consumed within 2–3 days and kept in airtight glass or plastic containers to avoid flavor degradation caused by metal tins.<ref name=imp/><ref name="lem">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Better source To prolong shelf life, some recommend placing a layer of vegetable oil over the eggs to displace oxygen. Ideal storage temperature is around 32°F (0°C).<ref name=imp/><ref name=lem/> Avoid freezing opened caviar, as it negatively impacts texture and taste.<ref name=imp/><ref name=lem/>
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
SourcesEdit
Further readingEdit
- Peter G. Rebeiz, Caviar – a magic history, Template:ISBN, Sagep Editori Template:Webarchive, Genova, Italy, 2010.
External linksEdit
Template:Sister project Template:EB1911 poster
- Cooking For Engineers: Caviar, 2006
- Caspian caviar in peril, 1994
- Russian caviar: an old fish learns some new tricks, 2012 Template:Webarchive
Template:Roe Template:Seafood Template:Fishing industry topics Template:Authority control