All About Caviar
NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS - THE ORIGINAL SUPERFOOD
Historically, people have always "just known" caviar is good for you but did you know that one spoonful of caviar contains high levels of protein, essential fats and that it is rich in Omega-3s and loaded with B12, amino acids, and antioxidants? Long believed to be a super food, caviar is also packed with selenium which is noted to improve your immune system.
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WHAT IS CAVIAR?
Caviar is one of the most luxurious foods in the world. Real caviar comes solely from fish of the Acipenseridae family, also known as sturgeon. The eggs are harvested from the female sturgeon before fertilization and then cured with salt to enhance the flavor and increase the shelf-life of the finished product. This combination of unfertilized sturgeon eggs and salt is the delicacy known as caviar.
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SERVING
Caviar service is simple and elegant. Ideally nestle a generous amount (1 to 1 1/2 ounces per person) in a glass dish that sits on a bed of crushed ice. This ensures the perfect temperature is maintained while taking time to enjoy it. Of course it's important to always keep caviar refrigerated until you're ready to serve.
To serve caviar, use a spoon made from a natural material such as horn, wood, bone or mother-of pearl. Just beware of using anything metal even sterling silver because it oxidizes when it comes in contact with caviar and may impart a metallic taste.
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STORAGE
Black caviar should be refrigerated as soon as possible. An unopened jar of black caviar may be kept in the coldest part of the refrigerator for up to two months. While black caviar can be frozen, we don't recommend it because freezing diminishes its taste and consistency.
Red caviar should be consumed within two weeks of receiving it. It's perfectly fine to freeze red caviar for up to twelve months or longer. When you're ready to eat it, just defrost it in the refrigerator overnight and consume it within the next three days.
An opened jar of any caviar can be stored in the refrigerator with its lid on for no longer than three days. Air is not caviar's friend which is why the jars are professionally air suctioned when shipped.
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TASTING AND PAIRING
The traditional way to taste caviar is to spoon it on top of toast or a blini. Add a touch of crème fraiche, chopped red onion, chopped hard boiled egg (separating the egg whites from yolks), and a snip of chive to garnish.
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Caviar’s traditional beverage pairings vary from location to location. Russians like it with vodka, Americans like it with dry Champagne and Europeans like it with dry white wine.
There are many other exciting and delicious - even health conscious - ways to eat caviar. See our Blog where you will find creative ways to eat your favorite delicacy.​
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NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS - THE ORIGINAL SUPERFOOD
Did you know caviar is rich in Omega-3s and loaded with B12, amino acids, and antioxidants? Long believed to be a super food, caviar is also packed with selenium which is noted to improve your immune system.Historically, people have always "just known" caviar is good for you. We now know one spoonful of caviar contains high levels of protein, magnesium, zinc, essential fats, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids making it a true superfood. Read more about the health benefits of caviar in our Blog.
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WHAT IS MALOSSOL?
The term malossol on the label is not a type of caviar, but a Russian term (literal translation "little salt"), meaning the fish roe was good enough to be processed using a minimal amount of salt, typically five percent of salt per weight. Most experts agree, the less salt, the better the caviar. Less salt makes it highly perishable and thus more expensive.
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GRADING CAVIAR
Each original tin holds the eggs of an individual sturgeon. Caviar should never be “blended” or mixed with different fish. With the advent of aquaculture, a harvesting group of caviar-bearing sturgeon is almost always of the same age, size, & stock. They are also raised in the same conditions (water quality, temperature, etc.) and on the same diet. Biology, of course, can still play a part and make a unique “batch” per individual fish. Part of the initial grading process is to evaluate the quality and consistency of the original delivery.
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