When you think of caviar you think of fine delicacies that are traditionally reserved for the wealthy, royalty, or famous. When you imagine where they come from, often you can’t help but to think of exotic locations that are far from anything familiar to us in our own little worlds.
This special dish, when at its finest, comes from the Caspian Sea, and from sturgeons that can weight as much as 900 pounds. Some of these can also last to shocking ages that surpass a human’s age. Caviar is very carefully harvested and in order to preserve it the special dish is delicately salted, and packed carefully in ice. Although caviar from the Caspian Sea is nearly all gone, there are other options still available that are just as exquisite. This includes Beluga, Ostreca, and Sevruga caviar.
There are some misconceptions in regard to what exactly caviar is for some people, and ultimately it is important to know that all it consists of is fresh fish eggs, carefully cleaned, and then preserved with a little salt. Although there are many types that can be found traditionally, there are ways to prepare caviar from nearly any game fish. In the United States, often people are shocked when they learn that one of the most common varieties found comes from Kokonee salmon, stocked in less then exotic New Mexico.
It is unfortunate that the Caspian Sea Caviar market is now gone, this special species was nearly completely eradicated through pollution, and the rampage of an aggressive market in the area that did not allow for the environment to recover. Through the exploitation that was seen for many years by the Soviet Union and surrounding areas, as well as a serious environmental neglect, the caviar in this location was made almost completely extinct. Now, what little remains is being captured by poachers and sold on the black market.
What many do not realize is that although this caviar may taste somewhat similar to what it has always tasted like in the past, it likely contains a significant amount of chemicals and heavy metals such as pesticides and petroleum. It is important to note that this form of caviar is both potentially dangerous to eat, and illegal to import.
Despite the fact that it is rare to find Caspian Sea sturgeon caviar, there are some sturgeon that is raised in a farm that is excellent and completely legal to eat. This can give you the same luxurious satisfaction that the original Caspian can.