Black, red, white: the most complete guide to caviar. What is the difference between red caviar of different fish of the salmon family and which is better? Red fish breed caviar
Some varieties of red caviar are distinguished not only by their delicate, delicious taste and pleasant aroma, but also by their impressive prices. Which of them are recognized as the most expensive, and how to distinguish them from counterfeits of unscrupulous traders, read on.
This is the rarest type of caviar, and the fish itself is an ancient species of Pacific salmon, or rather its warm-water representative. The eggs are red with an orange tint and reach about 6 mm in diameter.
They taste like sockeye salmon caviar, but without a hint of bitterness. Sima go to spawn in early summer. For sale to the population, it is prepared in rare cases, which explains the high price.
For a kilogram of product you will have to pay 5,000 rubles.
Chinook salmon is the largest representative of the Salmonidae family. Its eggs are also among the largest - up to 7-10 mm in diameter. The bright red caviar of king salmon tastes like beetle caviar. It still has the same bitterness and spiciness, but it is a most delicate delicacy. The shell of the eggs is not as hard as that of chum salmon.
The price for Chinook salmon caviar is one of the highest, since it is practically not found on the domestic market. In Russia, king salmon is caught only in Kamchatka.
When purchasing a product, be sure to find out the region of the manufacturer. In the central part of the country, you can find a lot of counterfeit Chinook caviar in stores. Usually the counterfeit product is made from chum salmon caviar with the addition of dye.
1 kg of delicacy will cost approximately 4,500 rubles.
It is large - reaches 5-7 mm in diameter, but there are specimens up to 9 mm in size. It has a uniform pale red color with an orange tint. Inconsistency in color is considered a defect and is not allowed during the production process, otherwise the product is considered defective.
Chum salmon caviar is the fattest delicacy. Its taste is soft, delicately creamy, without bitterness. The shell is very thin and breaks quickly, so it feels like it melts in your mouth. This product is considered the best of all types of salmon caviar. It is often passed off as Chinook salmon caviar due to its large size, but it should be remembered that chum salmon caviar is the lightest of all varieties.
The average cost of 1 kg is 4,200 rubles.
Coho salmon or “silver” salmon is a small representative of the salmon family. Its caviar is considered a powerful aphrodisiac. It increases the level of serotonin and endorphin (“the hormone of joy”).
The size of the beads is not as large as in previous types, reaching only 4 mm. Caviar is easily recognized by its dark red color with a burgundy tint. During the production of the product, heterogeneity in color is allowed.
The taste of this caviar is unique and suggests a slight bitterness, but in terms of the content of microelements and vitamins it occupies a leading place among its analogues.
For 1 kg of silver salmon caviar you will have to pay 4,200 rubles.
This is the smallest red caviar - the size of the eggs does not exceed 2-3 mm. It comes in different colors - from yellow to red. The coloring depends on the time and place where the females were caught.
The taste of the delicacy is bitter, with a noticeable fishy aftertaste. The eggs are quite sticky and salty. They are often served on canapés and sandwiches.
The average cost of 1 kg of trout eggs is 3,600 rubles.
Sockeye salmon mainly lives along the American coast, so it is rarely found in Russian stores. The size of the eggs is most often no more than 3 mm, but can reach 5 mm. They have a rich dark orange color and a strongly noticeable odor.
In production, uneven coloring is not considered a defect, since various shades of red-orange tones may be present. However, if the product contains white or black color, this indicates that it is spoiled. The taste has piquancy and a slight bitterness, which is not typical for the caviar of the next rated fish.
The average cost of 1 kg of sockeye salmon caviar is 3,200 rubles.
Most often, this caviar of fish of the Salmonidae family is found on store shelves, the price of which is slightly lower than for previous varieties.
The fish move to spawn from June to August. The trajectory of its movement is from the North Pacific Ocean to the adjacent rivers. The experience of fishermen shows that fish numbers fluctuate between even and odd years. The lifespan of the humpback is up to 2 years. It spawns once in its life, after which it dies.
The size of pink salmon eggs varies from 3 to 5 mm. Most often they are bright orange in color. After tasting them, one can note the absence of bitterness, but the presence of slight saltiness.
The average cost of pink caviar is 3,200 rubles per 1 kg.
Expensive types of red caviar are a real delicacy with a pleasant aftertaste. A quality product must have a number of characteristics. In particular, the eggs in the jar should be the same size and color, whole, uncrumpled, crumbly, without mucus, films or plaque.
A New Year's feast is not complete without this delicacy. Many people buy caviar on sale in the store, others look for the code inscription “from Sakhalin” or “from Primorye” on the jars. It is difficult to choose a sufficiently high-quality product, but it is possible.
"Salmon" is the collective name of a family of fish
Salmon caviar is produced from chum salmon, pink salmon, coho salmon, and sockeye salmon by treatment with a solution of table salt, sometimes with the addition of antiseptics.
Coho salmon. The eggs of this fish are smaller than those of pink salmon (about 4 mm), dark red in color with a predominance of burgundy. Coho salmon caviar has a characteristic bitter taste. It ranks first in nutritional properties.
Pink salmon caviar can be called a “classic” among other types of salmon caviar. It has a neutral taste, medium diameter (about 5 mm) and bright orange color. The shell of the eggs is not strong enough, so when the caviar is stirred, some eggs burst, forming juice, that is, caviar juice. Pink salmon is one of the most prolific fish in its family, therefore it is most often used by caviar producers. In terms of its nutritional properties, it ranks second and is second only to coho salmon caviar.
Tsar's caviar - chum salmon caviar. The size of the eggs in diameter is 5–6 mm. Large eggs have a regular spherical shape, a bright amber-orange color and a clearly visible fatty spot-embryo. Due to its effectiveness, chum salmon is often used to decorate dishes. However, not everyone likes the taste of chum salmon caviar - it has a rather dense shell.
Red salmon. Sockeye salmon caviar is bright red in color, smaller than pink salmon (average diameter - 4 mm). This caviar is extremely rare in Russian stores, because this type of fish is not common in the country. The largest populations of sockeye salmon are found along the American coast (from Alaska to California). It should be noted that sockeye salmon is one of the first salmon fish species to spawn, so it reaches the market earlier than others. Sockeye salmon caviar is often smuggled into Russia, since the import of this caviar into our country is prohibited.
Trout. Trout caviar is the smallest of all the species presented (the average diameter of the eggs does not exceed 2–3 mm). The taste has a slight bitterness and a fishy aftertaste. The color of caviar is either yellow (dark yellow) or red (bright red). Trout caviar is usually served on canapés and sandwiches, as its eggs are sticky and quite salty.
The caviar of different types of salmon fish can differ significantly in taste and visual characteristics. Many manufacturers use this.
How to choose quality caviar?
1. The can of caviar should not be swollen or deformed, the caviar should be tightly rolled. Press the lid of the jar of red caviar with your finger. It should not sag and under no circumstances should it be swollen.
2. When buying caviar in tin and glass jars, make sure that it fills the jar tightly without voids. Feel free to shake the jar before purchasing. If there is nothing gurgling in it, the caviar has a chance to end up on your table.
3. The marking on the cover must be pressed out from the inside. If the marking is printed, then pay attention to its alphabetic and numerical composition. The complete set in the case of Russian caviar includes the date of production of the product (salting, but not rolling), the assortment mark "ICRA", the number of the manufacturing plant, the shift number, the fishing industry index "P".
4. Be sure to read the information on the label. The composition usually includes salt, corn or sunflower oil, as well as glycerin and preservatives. Sorbic acid (E200) or sodium benzoate (E211) can be added as preservatives. Avoid caviar with the addition of methenamine (E239) - when this preservative breaks down, it forms formaldehyde. In the USA and Europe, methenamine has long been recognized as a toxic substance; in Russia its use has been banned since 2010.
5. Pay attention to the date of packaging of the caviar. Salmon go to spawn from July to September. This means that high-quality caviar should be prepared precisely during these months. There should be no more than six months between the date of production and packaging.
6. Caviar in a glass jar can be examined visually. High-quality caviar should not immediately begin to crawl along the walls when the jar is turned over. Look at the jar of red caviar up to the light - there should be no burst eggs or foreign objects in the caviar. Red caviar grain should not be cloudy, with one dark dot.
7. To make sure that the production technology has been followed, look on the jar for a link to GOST (state standard) - this is a sure sign that the caviar was packaged near the place where the fish was caught, and no more than a month passed between catching and ending up in the jar.
8. After you open a jar of caviar, you should not be overtaken by the smell of fresh fish. In artificial caviar, herring milk is used as a flavoring agent, so a strong fishy smell gives away the fake. It tastes tough and very salty. If you are in doubt about what kind of caviar you bought - real or artificial, conduct a simple experiment: throw 2-3 eggs into a glass of hot water, artificial caviar will dissolve in boiling water
Our resident expert Ilgizya Sharafieva shared her experience of choosing red caviar. Ilgizya Sharafieva: “Red salmon caviar is an internationally recognized delicacy. Salmon caviar has a pleasant mild taste, it is nutritious and healthy. In addition, salmon caviar is certainly served on the most beloved Russian holidays - New Year and Maslenitsa. There are many ways to serve caviar, the main thing to remember is the basic rule - red caviar should be cold when served, even if it goes with hot pancakes! And, of course, it is important to choose the right red caviar.”
Useful properties of red caviar
We can talk about the beneficial properties of red salmon caviar for a very long time. Red caviar is one of the most nutritious foods; it has great nutritional value. 100 g of black (grained or pressed) caviar contains 280 calories. And 100 g of red caviar - 270 calories. For comparison: the same amount of medium-fat meat provides only 120 calories. There are only 70 calories in 100 g of milk. The beneficial properties of red caviar also include the fact that it is easily absorbed by the body!
So, red caviar is a healthy delicacy, which affects the formation of red blood cells in humans, normalizes metabolism and blood sugar levels, and also regulates cholesterol metabolism. Rich in protein and fats that can be easily digested, this caviar contains everything that is necessary for the full development and functioning of the human body:
- Lecithin, which neutralizes bad cholesterol
- Vitamins E, D, groups B and A
- Phosphorus
- Iron
- Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
- A protein that provides a full spectrum of amino acids
Interestingly, the nutrients contained in red salmon caviar have an intense effect on the skin, preventing the aging process and restoring affected areas.
It should be remembered that caviar, while having a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, still contains salt, and therefore people prone to edema, suffering from atherosclerosis, hypertension or coronary heart disease are recommended to consume no more than 2 sandwiches per day. The general recommendation of doctors is that our body needs red caviar. Ideal if you use it 1-2 times a week.
Which red caviar is better
Often those who want to buy red caviar are interested in which fish is the best caviar. Let's try to figure it out. Salmon caviar or red caviar is prepared from raw caviar of salmon fish: chum salmon, pink salmon, masu salmon and less often from sockeye salmon, coho salmon and chinook salmon. Different salmon eggs have different sizes and colors. If you are wondering which fish red caviar is better and which caviar is better to buy, remember the following information:size of red caviar eggs - which fish has the largest
the diameter of the eggs is 3-5 mm - this is most likely the caviar of pink salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon and masu salmon;
the diameter of the eggs is 5-7 mm - caviar of chum salmon and chinook salmon.
color of red caviar eggs - which fish is more beautiful
chum salmon caviar is pale red with an orange tint;
Sockeye salmon caviar has a bright red color.
Our shelves mainly offer red salmon caviar of three types:
- chum salmon caviar- large orange eggs with red splashes and a delicate taste;
- pink salmon caviar- medium size, bright orange color, with a very slight bitter taste;
- sockeye salmon caviar- small eggs of dark red color with a strong smell and bitter taste.
How to choose red caviar
Red salmon caviar is, unfortunately, of poor quality. To choose high-quality caviar, you should follow some rules:
How to choose caviar in a tin can
You should not buy red caviar not from the refrigerator.
If red caviar is kept in an open refrigerator, the temperature in it should not be higher than -5. If it's higher, don't buy!
You have the right to ask the seller for a veterinary certificate for loose caviar; if the issuance period is more than a week, it is better not to buy such red caviar.
How to choose loose caviar
The caviar grain should be clean, not cloudy when exposed to light, with a small dot of a slightly darker color.
The smell of red caviar is the smell of delicious fish; if the caviar has no smell at all, it is frozen; if the caviar smells strongly, it is rotten or sour.
Red caviar should not taste too salty, now red caviar can be slightly sweet (from the new preservative - Varex).
If you feel a sour taste, the red caviar has become sour. It is better not to buy such red caviar. You can also determine the quality of red caviar by the container in which the caviar is stored - if a white coating is visible along the upper edge, then the caviar has gone sour.
Remember that pink salmon caviar is slightly bitter, and coho salmon caviar, even when fresh, will most likely seem too bitter to most.
How to choose caviar in a glass jar
If you want to buy red caviar in a jar, pay attention to the production and packaging dates - there should be no more than 6 months between them.
Salmon go to spawn from July to September. This means that high-quality caviar should be prepared no later than the beginning of October.
When the jar is turned over, high-quality red caviar should not immediately begin to crawl along the walls; at most, only one or two eggs will fall onto the lid.
If the red caviar immediately crawls when you turn it over, it is too liquid; there is a lot of juice in it.
Look at the jar of red caviar up to the light - there should be no burst eggs or foreign objects in the caviar.
Red caviar grain should not be cloudy, with one dark dot.
Most believe that It’s better to buy red caviar in glass, since granular salmon caviar, packaged in jars, retains its quality longer and is more convenient for retail trade than barrel red caviar. Granular salmon caviar is divided into grades 1 and 2 taking into account the condition of the grain, taste, smell of caviar and salt content in it:
- 1st grade caviar should have intact elastic grains and should not contain films or blood. The salt content in caviar of 1st grade is from 4 to 6%, 2nd grade - from 4 to 8%.
- Characteristic features: caviar of one type of fish; uniform color; strong grain; pleasant aroma and taste without foreign tastes; lightly salted, salt 4-6%; no sludge or burst eggs. Sockeye salmon and coho salmon caviar may have uneven color and a bitter taste.
How to eat red caviar
If you already know how to choose red caviar, then all that remains is to enjoy it. The soft and delicate, moderately salty taste of caviar will bring pleasure both in its pure form and in dishes. And you can eat red caviar in different ways.
Red caviar is good in the best Russian traditions with pancakes, potato pancakes, or as an amazing appetizer with vodka.
You can serve regular sandwiches with butter and caviar, or serve stuffed eggs with caviar.
Or you can eat caviar the way they do it in Europe, use it in pasta, as a side dish, in sauces, light salads and gourmet hot dishes, or decorate canapés with sour cream with it, or serve simply with cream.
Previously on the topic:
| We enjoy eating tangerines! To get the most out of these healthy citrus fruits, you should know how to choose the right tangerines, what are the benefits of tangerines, and how to use the beneficial properties of tangerines for your benefit. To enjoy... | |
| In winter, hunters and fishermen need more vitamins. You can get them by eating fresh fruits. With the arrival of cold weather, bright orange persimmon fruits appear on our tables. The orange color of the persimmon pulp indicates the presence of a large... | |
| Snowflakes are flying, the days of December are flying, the New Year's bustle is everywhere... It's time to think about how to choose a Christmas tree for the New Year! Let's try to understand the pros and cons of Christmas trees, find out how to choose the right live Christmas tree and how to choose an artificial Christmas tree.... |
YEREVAN, December 22. News-Armenia. It is difficult to imagine a classic feast without this delicacy. However, many people do not take the choice of caviar seriously: some are prompted to buy by a promotion in the store, others look for the code “from Sakhalin” on the cans. It is important that often the caviar cannot even be seen from all sides, because it is almost always additionally fenced off from buyers. But you can still choose a fairly high-quality product. Roskachestvo experts talk about this.
Salmon is not a fish
If you study fish exclusively on the menu pages of sushi restaurants, you may come to the erroneous conclusion that salmon is a fish. In fact, “salmon” is the collective name for a family of fish that are found in both fresh and salt water. Salmon caviar is produced from chum salmon, pink salmon, coho salmon, and sockeye salmon by treatment with a solution of table salt, sometimes with the addition of antiseptics.
The caviar of different types of salmon fish can differ significantly in taste and visual characteristics. Many manufacturers use this, and under the abstract concept of “salmon caviar” in a jar there can be anything, even a mixed “porridge” of all kinds.
That is why we advise you to choose packages marked with the inscription “GOST”, since in this case the manufacturer is obliged to indicate the type of fish from which the product is obtained. It is worth noting that first-grade caviar consists of eggs of the same size and color, characterized by a thick consistency, friability, low salt content and a pleasant smell.
Species features
If you purchase caviar by weight, the product can be assessed visually. Caviar from different fish of the salmon family differs from each other in egg size, color and, of course, price.
Pink salmon. Pink salmon caviar can be called a “classic” among other types of salmon caviar. It has a neutral taste, medium diameter (about 5 mm) and bright orange color. The shell of the eggs is not strong enough, so when the caviar is stirred, some eggs burst, forming juice, that is, caviar juice. Pink salmon is one of the most prolific fish in its family, therefore it is most often used by caviar producers. In terms of its nutritional properties, it ranks second and is second only to coho salmon caviar.
Chum salmon. Chum salmon caviar is quite large: the size of the eggs in diameter is 5–6 mm. Before the revolution it was called royal. Large eggs have a regular spherical shape, a bright amber-orange color and a clearly visible fatty spot-embryo. Due to its effectiveness, chum salmon is often used to decorate dishes. However, not everyone likes the taste of chum salmon caviar - it has a rather dense shell.
Red salmon. Sockeye salmon caviar is bright red in color, smaller than pink salmon (average diameter - 4 mm). This caviar is extremely rare in Russian stores, because this type of fish is not common in the country. The largest populations of sockeye salmon are found along the American coast (from Alaska to California). It should be noted that sockeye salmon is one of the first salmon fish species to spawn, so it reaches the market earlier than others. Sockeye salmon caviar is often smuggled into Russia, since the import of this caviar into our country is prohibited.
Trout. Trout caviar is the smallest of all the species presented (the average diameter of the eggs does not exceed 2–3 mm). The taste has a slight bitterness and a fishy aftertaste. The color of caviar is either yellow (dark yellow) or red (bright red). Trout caviar is usually served on canapés and sandwiches, as its eggs are sticky and quite salty.
Coho salmon. The eggs of this fish are smaller than those of pink salmon (about 4 mm), dark red in color with a predominance of burgundy. Coho salmon caviar has a characteristic bitter taste. It ranks first in nutritional properties.
Caviar is counted in the fall
When buying caviar, pay attention to the production date. Good caviar is most likely to be produced during the months when salmonids go to spawn. This process lasts only a few months, depending on the type of fish - from mid-May to October-December.
Pink salmon on western Sakhalin mainly spawn in June-July, on eastern Sakhalin - in July-August, on the South Kuril Islands - in August-September. Chum salmon begins its spawning run in the rivers of northern Primorye in August, and mass spawning begins in the second half of September-October.
In southern Primorye, chum salmon enter rivers and spawn at a later date. Sockeye salmon, as a rule, begins entering the rivers in May, and it continues until the end of July.
Coho salmon in Kamchatka are divided into summer, autumn and winter. Summer spawns in September-October, autumn - in November-December, winter - in December-February.
News is loading..."Levo"
If there is a date on the caviar package that does not correspond to the spawning period of a particular fish, most likely the caviar was prepared from frozen eggs. Yastik is a thin durable film containing fish eggs. When harvesting salmon caviar, the manufacturer is often unable to immediately process all of the available product, so some of the roe is frozen. This also saves precious time on transportation and allows you to safely transport the caviar closer to the consumer. At the production site, the yastyki are thawed, the thawed red caviar is removed and salted, and then it is packaged in jars. Such caviar, as a rule, significantly loses its properties.
5 tips
1. It is best to choose caviar with the GOST marking on the packaging and produced in places where the salmon family is traditionally caught - in Kamchatka and Sakhalin. This way you will reduce the likelihood that the caviar was prepared from frozen eggs. On caviar produced in accordance with GOST, the type of fish of the salmon family must be indicated.
2. When choosing caviar in a glass jar or by weight, you can consider it before purchasing. First grade eggs must be whole, of the same color and size, and not stuck together. When turning the jar over, the caviar should not immediately begin to “crawl” along the walls; at most, a few eggs can fall onto the lid. Too thin caviar, which contains a lot of juice (liquid), will immediately slide onto the lid.
3. If the store has a thermometer in the refrigerator section, check at what temperature the caviar is stored. The ideal temperature is from –4 to –6 °C.
4. The embossed numbers on a tin factory can of caviar should be convex, not depressed - this is a sign of a factory product. Inspect the jar for external damage; under no circumstances should it be swollen. A swollen jar (“bombage”) is a sign of the presence of unacceptable types of microbes in the caviar.
5. Excessive volume of brine liquid (brine) affects the actual amount of caviar itself. Shake the jar: the sound of “splashing” will mean that there is a lot of excess liquid inside.
Everything has its time
Transfer caviar purchased in a tin container and opened into another container: it is not recommended to leave it in the original packaging due to oxidation of the metal. The shelf life of an open jar of caviar in the refrigerator is only one week, so be careful when purchasing this delicacy for the holidays. -0-
Views: 21888
14.03.2018
There are not so many varieties of caviar, but red and especially black are considered the most valuable for their taste and nutritional qualities.
In fact, the caviar of almost any fish can be caught and eaten, since each egg contains a lot of useful substances and minerals.
All caviar is usually divided according to the specific breed of fish, color, method of preparation and packaging.
Main types of fish eggs
Based on their value, caviar is usually divided into five main categories:
· Black caviar
It is obtained from especially valuable sturgeon species (sturgeon, beluga, sterlet and stellate sturgeon). This type of caviar is at the highest level among all other fish delicacies.
· Red caviar
It is obtained from representatives of salmon fish (chum salmon, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, pink salmon, chinook salmon). This caviar is more accessible due to the higher number of salmon representatives, but is valued significantly less than black caviar.
· Pink caviar
It is obtained mainly from marine or migratory fish species (cod, vendace, whitefish, pollock). Mainly consumed in the form of sandwiches or used to prepare various sauces.
· Yellow or partial caviar
It is obtained mainly from fish living in freshwater rivers (pike perch, pike, bream, roach), as well as from such low-value fish as mullet, capelin and mullet. This caviar is often called “white”, despite the fact that it has a yellowish tint. This caviar has a low price, and its taste is significantly inferior to the finished product from more valuable breeds.
· Artificial imitation caviar
Imitated caviar is produced industrially and is a protein product. It is made mainly from seaweed. Unlike natural caviar, which has a dense shell and watery contents inside, surrogate caviar consists of a homogeneous soft structure and is prepared using dyes, including synthetic ones.
Typically this product has a neutral marine flavor.
Varieties of black caviar
Depending on the processing method, black caviar can be:
Grainy
Immediately after cutting the fish, granular sturgeon caviar is carefully wiped on a sieve, as a result of which individual grains are almost completely cleared from the crust. The ovary is a thin and fairly durable enveloping film (shell) in the form of a small bag in which each individual egg is located.
The presence or absence of caviar during salting plays an important role in the formation of the caviar variety, since it directly affects the quality of the product.
· Pressed
Pressed caviar, after cutting the caught fish, is salted together with the eggs, then laid out in special troughs, where it is dried, and only then cleaned and pressed in vats.
Sevruga pressed caviar is considered the most valuable, since it is not only very healthy, but has an extremely delicate and delicate taste with a pleasant aroma.
· Trinity
This type of black caviar is prepared using the same technology as regular caviar, but is not processed with ordinary salt, but is filled with a strong saline solution. The product salted in this way is first thrown onto a sieve until all the brine has drained, and then placed in special barrels (usually made of oak).
This type of caviar is considered an exceptional delicacy and is prepared for special occasions.
· Yastychny
Immediately after opening the fish, the roe is heavily salted (along with the roe). It is in this form that it enters the retail chain. This variety of black caviar, for obvious reasons, is considered the least valuable product, and therefore costs much less than all others. It can be either slightly over-salted or have a too compacted consistency and may not have a completely marketable appearance.
It is noteworthy that each of these types of caviar, with the possible exception of roach, is usually divided into three grades: first, second and highest. A particular variety is influenced by both the degree of freshness of the product and the complexity of the salting process.
It is noteworthy that different varieties of black caviar also have different caloric content, which ranges from 200 to 270 kilocalories per 100 grams of the finished product.
Types of black caviar depending on the value of the breed
Beluga caviar is rightfully considered the most valuable, the eggs of which have a dark silvery hue and a delicate taste with a subtle nutty aroma.
Next in value is sturgeon caviar. Its eggs are slightly smaller in size than beluga eggs and are yellow or brownish in color. This caviar is also inferior in taste to beluga caviar, since it has a slight taste of seaweed.
Sevruga caviar has small eggs, but it is highly valued. The shell of the grains is black and they taste great.
Varieties of red caviar depending on the value of the breed
Red pink salmon caviar is considered one of the best. Its eggs are colored juicy orange. The grains are medium in size and have an excellent aroma and excellent taste with a slightly noticeable bitterness. However, in terms of its taste, this product is somewhat inferior to chum salmon caviar, which is valued much higher.
The eggs of chum caviar are larger, also colored in a bright orange hue and covered with a thin elastic film.
Silver salmon caviar (coho salmon) is considered to be the most useful, due to its unique set of vitamins and minerals. Its eggs are medium in size, dark orange in color and have a soft, pleasant taste with a slight bitterness.
Trout caviar is very widespread, the eggs are medium in size, but may appear stuck together. Individual grains have a pinkish or golden hue and this caviar, due to its excessive saltiness, is usually served as sandwiches.
Sockeye salmon caviar is especially popular in European countries because it has a very spicy and unique taste with a slight bitterness. The eggs of sockeye salmon are small and bright scarlet in color.
Red salmon caviar is prepared in the same way as black caviar, but more salt is used for salting it. First, as a rule, the caviar is freed from the sacs, and then immersed in a strong salt brine (from 8 to 15 minutes), which is allowed to drain completely. After adding preservatives, the finished product is packaged and supplied to the retail chain.
Red caviar comes in only two varieties: first and second. Moreover, its calorie content ranges from 230 to 270 kilocalories per 100 grams of finished product.
Pink caviar
This type of caviar is produced exclusively granular and is considered dietary because it contains less fat. Thanks to this, the calorie content of this product is at least half as low as that of red caviar.
Yellow or partial caviar
Depending on the method of preparation and processing, yellow caviar can be:
· Yastychny
· Breakout
As the name suggests, yastyk caviar is salted together with the yastiks. It is usually prepared according to two recipes:
1. First, the raw materials are salted (from 8 to 12 days) in special wooden chests, and then thoroughly washed and placed in barrels.
2. Caviar (with this method of salting, as a rule, mullet seeds are used), is salted for 3-4 hours in strong brine, after which it is dried for two weeks.
The punched caviar is first freed from the joints and only then salted. The caviar of all freshwater fish (pike perch, pike, bream, roach) is prepared in this way.
The finished product usually contains preservatives and vegetable oils.
In fact, caviar of any type of fish (including pink and yellow) is very nutritious and beneficial for human health, as it contains a huge number of vitamins, as well as macro and microelements. However, when choosing a product for the table, you should not chase a low price, but act on the principle: “even if less, but better,” because in this case the conversation concerns such an important factor as health.
Curious facts about caviar
· Previously, Russian and Japanese caviar producers could not sell their product due to low demand, so they packed it in wooden barrels and then froze it. Such caviar was sold for next to nothing, and it was simply chopped into pieces.
· Fyodor Chaliapin was a great connoisseur of black caviar. He liked to spread it on a piece of bread, and then wash down the snack prepared in this way with a glass of cold vodka. It was thanks to the artist’s popularity that caviar began to be served in Russian restaurants. In France, fans of the great maestro’s talent even opened a “Caviar House”, where they also served caviar.
· In the Stalin era, caviar was considered an ordinary product and was necessarily present on the shelves of absolutely all stores in the country (even including small villages), but disappeared as soon as Nikita Khrushchev came to power, becoming in short supply everywhere.
· The most valuable black caviar is considered to be the hundred-year-old albino beluga sturgeon, which is caught in Iran. This delicacy is called “golden caviar”. 100 grams of this product costs 2.5 thousand dollars (about 40 times more expensive than usual), and the caviar is packaged in containers made of pure 995-carat gold.
· Cosmetologists say that red caviar is an excellent anti-wrinkle remedy. The fact is that proteins contained in large quantities in caviar activate the production of collagen and allow people to remain young for a long time. In addition, scientists have proven that regular consumption of caviar extends life by 7-9 years.
