Posts Tagged ‘Black Sea’
Beluga Caviar in Your Future
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The ban on beluga caviar in America has not stopped the Europeans or those in the Middle East from enjoying this delicacy. There are many theories as to why this particular caviar is the most enjoyable to eat of all the caviars in the world including every other type of sturgeon caviar.
The Beluga sturgeon is the only carnivore of all the sturgeons in the world that still exist. This might account for it also being the largest of its species. It can grow to over 20 feet in length and weigh over 3,400 pounds. Near the beginning of the last century this caviar accounted for over 40% of all caviar processed and enjoyed around the world. Since the ban on beluga caviar began in 2005 along the sharp decline in its population in the Caspian Sea, it now only accounts for less than 1% of what is processed and enjoyed.
The countries that still operate in the trade of beluga caviar include Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine. Of these Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia are the three largest.
The beluga sturgeon can also be found in the Black Sea and Adriatic Sea, but the market only seems to have a taste for the Caspian Sea variety. The only logical reason is the diet and the water.
Beluga Caviar is dark black when it is from a younger mother. The color lightens to grey and then white as the fish reaches the 100 year old plateau. This white caviar is called Almas, which is Persian for diamond. When you can locate a tin of this white beluga caviar, you can expect to pay over $800 an ounce for it.
You will recognize beluga caviar when it is served because it is a large black roe. This is larger than any other type of sturgeon still alive today. The taste is also unique being a mild buttery flavor. Because of the mild taste and its rarity, it is recommended that it be served on plain thin toast so its full flavor can be enjoyed.
When you can find it, the price per ounce of black beluga caviar will be in the neighborhood of just over $300 an ounce. To find this delicacy, you need to travel to the Middle East or Europe because the ban in American is not expected to be lifted any time soon.
Purchase your caviar by clicking HERE.
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No CommentsMarket of Beluga Caviar
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The market of Beluga Caviar is intense. This is the most sought after and prized morsel in the world. Unfortunately it is also well known that the demand for this roe heavily outstrips the supply. The reason most often given for this occurrence is over fishing and pollution where the Beluga naturally live.
What used to be the largest market for beluga caviar, America, has placed a ban on the importation of the Iran variety since 2008. This was not done because of concerns for the fish or the way the roe was harvested, but purely for political reasons.
There still is Beluga caviar from Russia along with the other countries that border the Caspian and Black Seas available to the global market. The production of Russian beluga caviar was supposed to end in 2007, but loop holes remain in place so a certain amount can be sold. Some of the prices for this morsel can reach up to $25,000 a kilo. This price is driven by its rarity with an estimated 100 beluga fish are captured in the wild each year for the harvesting of their roe.
As most connoisseurs know, the beluga caviar is packed in a blue tin. This is distinctive from the red tins in which Osetra caviar is sold and the yellow which the Sevruga is packed in. This makes it extremely easy to know what you are about to enjoy with just a glance. These colors cover the top of the tins. If there is a combination of colors, the roe inside is not from a wild sturgeon caught in the Caspian Sea.
Because of the lack of supply, there are many imitations and inferior beluga caviar on the market that are attempting to exploit the demand for this highly sought after product. To avoid being taken, make sure you do your homework on any place you decide to make a purchase.
The US law on this product states the type of roe and the place of it origin must be clearly labeled on the tin. If the roe is from a wild sturgeon, it does not need to be stated. If the roe is from a fish farm, it does have to be labeled as such. Many of these that are farmed have both blue and red on the tins for an easy distinction between them and the wild variety.
Luxury Food: The Beluga Caviar
The most expensive caviar, in turn, is what they call the Beluga Caviar, which sometimes costs up to $10000 per kilogram.
Publish Date: 10/11/2011 2:10
http://6starliving.com/luxury-food-the-beluga-caviar/
If you are looking for the market of Beluga Caviar, the best place to find fresh and real tins is in the Mediterranean area and in the many Arab states. They have fewer restrictions and openly sell Iranian beluga caviar. Just be ready to pay a hefty price for it.
sturgeon farmed for caviar harvesting in Spain
Russian sturgeon the source for russian caviar like beluga and osetra is an endangered species. A gourmet chef takes you on a tour to Spain were sturgeon is farmed for harvesting caviar in a sustainable way.
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No CommentsThis is Our Caviar Blog
The Best Caviar Blog Online
This Caviar Blog has one purpose that is to be a useful tool for anyone who loves the finer things in life. The articles enclosed are on topic of concern for those that love this salty morsel from the Caspian Sea. This will include what other foods go good with caviar, what you should server at a caviar party for your guest to drink along with the availability of caviar and the prices you can expect to pay for the many different varieties available to the world.
Beluga Caviar Blog
The most talked about subjects for the connoisseurs of caviar is the supply of Beluga Caviar. The importation of this delicacy was banned in America in 2005. In 2006 the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species suspended all trade in Caspian Sea caviar except for what was being produced in Iran. Iran was given this exception because they proved their fisheries used safe and conservative policies in harvesting this morsel.
This ban was partially lifted in 2007 and the trade in Caspian Sea Caviar is now again on the world market. Unfortunately for the American Market, the political disputes with Iran have kept their product from reaching the American shores in most instances. This ban was put in place in 2008 and is still present.
Caviar Blog Market News
On the market today there are many retailers attempting to fool the caviar connoisseurs by placing the name beluga within the title of their product. In the descriptions of the product are statements that the Beluga is native to the Caspian and Black Seas but makes no claim that the contents of the tin came from there.
The words Royal and Black are also often used. There is even one retailer that is making the claim that Osetra Private Stock Caviar is the only Beluga Caviar available in the American Market. Osetra caviar is a different species from Beluga so do not be fooled by hyped misleading marketing tricks.
The only countries that can produce true Caspian Beluga caviar include Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine. There is some from America, but they are produced in fish farms and not considered the same quality.
If you do run across any real Beluga, I hope you have your Mother of Pearl spoon ready. There are many tourists that travel abroad that forget to pack this item in their bags. While a plastic spoon will work, it is just not the same.
The entire problem has been developed by the overfishing of this fish in its native habitat. Nothing can be done about what has occurred in the past, but unless some of the caviar is allowed to grow up and thrive, this delicacy may be gone from the wild for ever very soon.
This caviar blog is a wonderful resource to use for your enjoyment. We just hope the beluga will never go extinct and responsible fishing practices are used for what there is available on the market to enjoy.
Do come back to www.GourmetFoodBlog.org often and discover what we present for you.
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No CommentsOn Choosing Caviar
Choosing Caviar for your occasion will best be done by looking at your budget and your guest list. For those that have a choice there are many different types of caviar available today at a reasonable price.
For those that know caviar, understand that the three basic kinds are very different in taste, size and color. Just to clarify there is Beluga, Osetra and Sevruga.
Beluga Caviar is the best known and most expensive. They are generally large black eggs that have a buttery taste to them. The lighter in color this roe is, the older its mother was in age. When a beluga sturgeon reaches the age of 100 years, the roe is almost white. This is amongst the rarest of caviar when it is even available.
The Osetra sturgeon roe is considered the second best of all caviar. This has a smaller roe and is brown to golden in color. The taste is also different being of a nutty flavor.
The smallest of all the sturgeon roe is the Sevruga. This is light gray in color and has the strongest flavor of them all. One of the reasons this type of roe is the least expensive is because this species of sturgeon can begin to lay eggs at the age of 7 when the other two needs to be nearer the age of 20. This is also the type of roe that is used in many different types of dishes because of its strong flavor.
When any of these types of roe are from a sturgeon that is caught in the wild in the Caspian Sea, the tin can is simply be labeled caviar with the sturgeon species included. All others including the farmed sturgeon caviars must be labeled by their place of origin. This will help to distinguish the type and price of the roe inside the tin.
The very rarest of all the sturgeon roe is from the Sterlet species. This is the preferred caviar of the Russian Czars. It was found in the Black Sea and not the Caspian Sea. Because of different reasons, this species of sturgeon is almost extinct in the Black Sea. It can be found off the west coast of Europe but the taste and price of this roe is vastly different than that the Russians served the Czars.
This Imperial Caviar is still black like the beluga but smaller. Unfortunate since it is so rare today, none of it can be found on the open market. What is being sold on the open market is caught in the Atlantic Ocean and the least expensive of all sturgeon caviar.
The American Caviar is from the cousin of the sturgeon called the paddlefish. This is a common species of fish found in the waterways of America. Their roe is small to medium size and in many different shades of gray. The US government considers this species of roe sturgeon for food purposes. For the experienced caviar connoisseur they will be able to determine this type of caviar by its taste. It is considered to taste rather earthy of muddy.
When Choosing Caviar, know what you are looking for and what to expect so your guest will be satisfied with your choices. This is one delicacy that is hard to fool the experts with an imitation.
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No CommentsBest Wine and Other Drinks to Go With Caviar
Wine and Caviar
The best wine and other drinks to go with caviar should never be over powering. Each and every time caviar is served, it should be the main focus of the meal or snack. In most cases a dry chilled white wine is considered best.
In most instances a sparkling wine, chablis, sauvignon blanc or chardonnays would be best to be served when enjoying caviar as a hors d’oeuvre. These are light crisp wines that have a subtle flavor and would never overpower the taste of your caviar. In many cases a small description will be on the bottle that will include the words dry, subtle, light or crisp. This is what helps those of us that are not wine connoisseurs from making a dreadful choice when pairing a wine with our favorite caviar.
Unless it is champagne, most people that do not know wines that well should avoid the French varieties. They can be very good or terribly wrong, so play it safe. The Italian wines are an easy pick because of their consistency and good taste. Other countries that produce a consistently good wine include Australia, New Zealand and America.
Most people choose a sparkling wine to pair with caviar because both can be dreadfully expensive. If you wish to impress in the correct manner this is the route to take. The term sparkling wine is used for any bubbling wine that is double fermented like those from Champagne France. The term champagne can only be on the label for wines made from this specific region.
If you as choosing a sparkling wine from Italy the term spumante will be on the label. In Germany it is called sekt. From Portugal there is petillant and cap classique is from South Africa. America and all the English speaking nations just refer to this type of wine as sparkling wine.
If you wish to drink a more potent alcohol then the prime choice is chilled vodka. This should not be any of the cheap brands because it will be consumed straight. The cheaper bottles tend to have an aftertaste that would ruin the caviar flavor you are attempting to enjoy.
For many from the Far East the choice is chilled sake. This is a wine that once opened should be consumed so the smaller than typical bottle is recommended and common.
The last two can be used but not at a typical caviar party and they are water and a light beer.
The point that must be thought about is that you never want to have a drink that will interfere with the taste of your caviar. As far as other drinks go, any non-alcoholic carbonated beverage that does not overpower the taste buds is acceptable. Consider sparkling spring water or any mild soft drink. No matter what you choice, it should be properly chilled. These are the best wine and other drinks to go with caviar for the best possible experience by those attending your party.
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No CommentsHow to Serve Caviar
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Knowing how to serve caviar is essential for connoisseurs of fine dining and party goers. There are right ways to serve this delicacy that brings out the full flavor of the roe and there are wrongs ways to serve it.
Beluga caviar is considered real caviar by most people in the world. It has a unique taste all its own. It is also the most expensive, since the beluga sturgeon has been nearly hunted to extinction making this delicacy very rare.
This is the caviar that is served chilled and on a one-bite cracker. To do this properly, the removal of the caviar from the refrigerator approximately 10 to 15 minutes before it is to be served is recommended. The caviar should also be covered at all times until it is about to be consumed.
The caviar has a reaction with metal that will change its taste and ruin the experience. For this reason, there are mother of pearl spoons and bone spoons specially made to eat and use with caviar. The tin of caviar should be surrounded by ice so it stays chilled while being consumed.
The crackers or small pieces of toasted bread should be on another plate so they do not soak up the water that is being created by the melting ice.
When a guest takes a portion of the caviar from the tin, they should do so carefully as not to break the eggs.
Some people pour a drizzle of lemon juice, or a side dish of sour cream should be added to enhance the flavor of the caviar. However, this should never be done unless the caviar is of such a low quality that the taste has to be masked. Beluga caviar is always served plain. There are no exceptions to this rule.
These are the proper points on how to serve caviar the right way. With caviar that is not Beluga, many people mix it in recipes with other ingredients. This should never be done with the rare and expensive beluga roe.
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No CommentsCompare Wild and Commercial Caviar
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To first Compare Wild and Commercial Caviar you must understand that traditional caviar is from the wild sturgeon only that is caught in the Caspian or Black Seas. The reason commercial sturgeon farms have been created in Russia and other places is due to the sharp decline in the wild sturgeon population.
The term commercial is now a reference to aquatic life that is raised on fish farms for the sole purpose of being consumed as a food source. The known sturgeon’s fish farms are located in Russia and America at this time. The American sturgeon farms imported live Russian sturgeon of all three varieties so their numbers can multiple in a safe environment.
The exportation of real caviar has been banned for years by the world community, but still occurs on the black market from countries around the Caspian Sea including Iran. The largest market for this illegal caviar is in the EU, but other places still savor the taste including the Middle East.
The establishment of the sturgeon fish farms is in areas that reproduce the natural environment of the Caspian Sea in every aspect. The only exception to some of the farms is the cleanliness of the water. The farm’s water is cleaner and healthier for the sturgeon to live and breed in.
There are still some species of wild sturgeon roe that are being sold legally, but they are not from the wilds of the Caspian Sea. Most of them are from the rivers and streams of America. The two most popular wild species are the Hackleback Sturgeon and the Paddlefish. These species of fish survive in the wild in abundant numbers due to a regulated fishing season that is enforced by the US Government.
The commercial Russian caviar is labeled as 100% Russian caviar, but the word wild is omitted from the cans. This is the only way a person can tell the difference between the two. Many caviar connoisseurs believe they can tell the difference between the two by taste, but this is a highly debatable topic and no real scientific studies have ever been conducted.
The reason the studies have been avoided is due to the fact that there is a fear that the farmed sturgeon roe is superior in quality and taste due to a better environment the fish are kept in as compared to the highly polluted Caspian Sea.
To compare wild and commercial caviar is a personal thing. The largest difference a person will notice is the price variation from $2000 a kilo for wild to $100 for the commercial variety.
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No CommentsSturgeon Caviar
The name sturgeon caviar casts a larger net than what most people think. While Beluga sturgeon caviar is in this group, they are not alone. Another rarely spoken fact is that there is Russian and Iranian sturgeon caviar, there is also American sturgeon caviar.
The traditional sturgeon caviar is from the Beluga, Sterlet, Ossetra, and Sevruga species of the fish that are found in the wild living in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The leading problem is that these fish have been hunted to near extinction in the wild. This has forced many producers of caviar to use a more conservative approach.
In Russia, the creation of sturgeon fish farms was started a few years back. They began supplying Europe with caviar beginning in 2011. Because of the huge profit potential and to help save this creature from extinction, sturgeon farms have also been established in America.
There are a total of 25 different sturgeon species around the world. This ancient fish is abundant is some areas, but for some reason they only live in the northern hemisphere. There are three sturgeon species that are native to America. This includes the American Lake Sturgeon, the American Hackleback Sturgeon, and the cousin of the sturgeon called the American Paddlefish.
The American Lake Sturgeon is smaller than their Beluga counterpart, but produces the same color, size and flavor roe as the Beluga. The American Hackleback is the smallest sturgeon and is found in many of the rivers on the continent. They have a medium-size roe that is dark which has a sweet nutty and buttery taste.
The American Paddlefish is a sturgeon species that branched off just a little earlier than the others. This is sometimes called the Spoonbills sturgeon and is found in a plentiful supply in the American waterways. Their roe can vary from dark steel grey to the golden color of the Osetra brown. It is known for its silky rich flavor.
These are the sturgeon caviar varieties that are available to the world’s market from America at significantly reduced prices. The low price is due to the fact that they have not been overfished and are still in an abundant supply. This is unlike their Caspian Sea cousins that could be extinct before the end of the century.
To place an order or check prices on Caviar, please visit our sponsor at: Reasonably Priced Caviar.
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No CommentsCaviar Recipes
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The number of caviar recipes includes the most basic and essential one of all when dealing with this delicacy. This is to serve the caviar in the tin that is chilled and surrounded by ice. The reason it is left in the tin is so the roe does not break. The eggs are very fragile and must be handled very carefully.
The accompanying food that can be served with caviar should be bland. This is so they never overpower the taste of the main item or distract from it. This should not only be the food that is served, but also the drink.
That is a typical recipe for beluga caviar and any other that is deemed savory enough to be enjoyed plain.
The most treasured caviar is from the Caspian Sea. The most abundant food item in this region is the potato. So it is not a surprise when these two are combined together to make a delicious morsel. A favorite in this area is the combination of potatoes, sour cream and caviar.
By using the skin as the platform for the entree, this just became finger food. The strips of the baked potato’s skin should be about 1” wide and 5” long. A majority of the potato should be scooped out, but not all of it. This should be fried until it is crispy and light brown. Once they cool, smear the sour cream on and sprinkle to taste with salt and pepper. Careful add the caviar on top of the sour cream and sprinkle with finely chopped shallots for an inviting morsel that your guests will enjoy.
As with the original way to serve caviar, all the ingredients are bland and will never overpower the true taste of the caviar itself. These are just the basic rules for any caviar recipes that need to be followed so your guests are never insulted.
If you have a favorite way that you like to serve caviar, please let us know about it.
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No CommentsBeluga Caviar
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The beluga caviar is the richest and best tasting of all the types of caviar available today in the world. It is also the most expensive and the rarest. This delicacy can only be harvested from the Beluga sturgeon fish which is known to only live in the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, and a few have been found in the Adriatic Sea.
The caviar itself is the roe of the female sturgeon which are the unfertilized eggs she carries. It can take a female sturgeon up to 20 years to mature to the point she can reproduce and carry roe in her uterus. The color of the roe will indicate the age of the fish. The younger ones produce eggs that are a very dark grey to almost black. This is the most common.
As the female beluga sturgeon grows older, her roe lightens in color. The lighter shades of grey are from the older ones, with the pearl white being the rarest. This is labeled as Almas and can only be harvested from centennial female beluga sturgeons, or ones that are over 100 years old.
For reasons of tradition, the beluga sturgeon was not farm-raised and only the roe from the wild ones were considered to have any value. Since the population has been decimated and the species placed on the endangered list in 2006 with a ban on most exports put in place, that attitude has changed.
For this reason, Russia started sturgeon farms and have helped to bring the species back to respectable numbers. Starting this year, 2011, Russia has been give permission to export beluga caviar again from farm-raised sturgeon fish. The first shipment was sent to Europe in January of 2011.
The reason for major concerns about the species is that the population has dropped by 90% in recent years and a 10 year moratorium on catching the wild species is being suggested. With the price over $9000 a kilo in some areas of the world, many do not believe this is possible due to the profit potential, poachers will not heed the ban.
One thing that is certain is that beluga caviar is the best and rarest of all the types of caviar on the earth. Without responsible planning, like what Russia is doing, this species could be extinct in less than a decade.
No CommentsBuy Caviar
