THE GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING CAVIAR
To have the ability to fully enjoy caviar, first and foremost you need to understand what is true caviar, caviar comes in so many different varieties and tastes Each person has its own preference and taste when it comes to caviar, some like the more briny caviar, while others are looking for that buttery taste and clean finish. Once you comprehend the various caviar that are out there from the different species of sturgeons you can make a decision what your palate would prefer.
What is Caviar
Caviar (less often, caviare; Persian: خاویار, translit. xāviār) is a delicacy consisting of salt-cured roe of the Acipenseridae family. The roe can be "fresh" (non-pasteurized) or pasteurized, with pasteurization reducing its culinary and economic value.
Traditionally, the term caviar refers only to roe from wild sturgeon in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea (Beluga, Ossetra and Sevruga caviars). However if you have read our article on where the best caviar in the world comes from you can add the rivers coming from the foothills of the Tibetan – Chinese part of the Himalayas to that list. Depending on the country, caviar may also be used to describe the roe of other fish such as salmon, steelhead, trout, lumpfish, whitefish, carp, and other species of sturgeon.
Caviar is considered a delicacy and is eaten pure from a mother of pearl spoon, as a garnish or a spread.
Caviar is defined as stage 3 matured sturgeon eggs, and only sturgeon eggs qualify as caviar. The term “caviar” must not be mistaken with the word “roe”, which refers to all fish eggs.
Caviar is one specific type of roe, however there is no red caviar as the salmon roe (Ikura). The correct name is salmon roe as these are two different breeds of fish, one being the sturgeon and the other the salmon. Knowing that all caviar comes from sturgeon, the next part to understand is how caviar is classified. At Kaluga Imperial, we discuss both types and grades when defining caviar and they are two distinctly different things. The type of caviar refers to the sturgeon species from which the eggs originated. We currently offer three types of Caviar; two of our pure Kaluga’s (Huso Dauricus) and one Ossettra (Acipenser Gueldenstaedtii). These three different types are all about the way we grade them. So it is important to understand the grades of caviar, as they apply across the different types.
What are Caviar Grades?
Caviar comes in several different grades, which refers to the quality of the caviar. At Kaluga Imperial, we measure quality of caviar in five descriptive aspects: four primary criteria with another nuanced criteria factored in.
Size
The size of a caviar bead (each individual egg) impacts everything from the texture in your mouth (the “pop”) to the finish. Larger beads have more fluid within them, and generally speaking, most people prefer larger eggs over the smaller ones. However, size is just one aspect of grading caviar, and there are various other factors adding to the fact that bigger isn’t always better.
Texture
The firmness and resultant “pop” of the caviar is considered the texture. While individual tastes vary widely, there is a difference between the “summer” and “winter” caviar; summer caviar tends to have less of a pop due to the warmer waters. The winter caviar will have that firmer pop that comes with the colder waters. Often so-called caviar connoisseurs insist that the egg should have a strong pop this is far from true. In the end it is all about the flavor and the lingering aftertaste “Finish”, and most importantly how long will that “Finish be present”.
Flavor
Caviar flavors range widely between these two sturgeons, as our two different breeds have a large impact on the flavor of the caviar. Every Sturgeon is different as it is a natural produce, it is impossible to recreate the same caviar over and over again. In general all of our sturgeons will produce an excellent caviar but there are those that are so special and exceptional that we grade them as our “Special Reserve” as it will involve much deeper nuanced, complex and balances within the caviar itself. Lot of terms are used to describe flavors in caviar; nutty, creamy, briny, salty, buttery are some of the words, depending on how advanced and experienced once palate is you could also detect, vanilla, minerals, moss and even the earth that is present in the water. A large influence of course is the diet of the sturgeon; we only use non-GMO feed and naturally occurring elements in their habitat.
Finish
Caviar leaves both a flavored finish on the tongue, but also a fizzy perfume around the mouth and nose. The finish often mimics the flavor profile, with combinations of brine, butter, nutty and cream. Finish in caviar is typically described in terms of smoothness such as “velvety” and duration (“lingering” for example) with smoother and longer finishes generally considered the marks of quality caviar. Certain caviars have a lighter, cleaner finish that leaves the mouth and nostrils clear, while others have a heavier more pronounced finish that coat the palate and is more prominent in the senses.
What about color of the caviar?
While a lot of caviar houses insist color is an important factor to be considered, we at Kaluga Imperial believe that all colors can be exceptional, it really depends in the end on the overall taste. One exception I would like to add, would be our extremely rare golden caviar (Almas), often caviar where both the female and male is albino. But from personal experiences you can have a black, grey, amber, or different colored variation and all of them can be exceptional. However there are those in the west who are more appealed by an amber or different colored variation. While in Iran the obvious choice of color would be black for the Ossetra and grey for the Huso Huso Beluga.
How does Kaluga Imperial grade caviar?
The grading process of caviar is a complex, time consuming one that we at Kaluga Imperial take most seriously. Caviar has to have time to mature, and assessing the caviar throughout this maturation process is important in determining not only the grade, but also the ideal time when the caviar is ready for serving.
Because of the nuances from all caviar that varies from grades, to types (breeds) of sturgeon, as well as even variations from individual fish, Kaluga Imperial assesses each individual batch of caviar in order to assign the grade. Different breeds of sturgeon are responsible for the different types of caviar (for example, Ossetra caviar comes from a different breed than Kaluga caviar), so together with the grade and the type of caviar, we are able to then properly grade each batch so that you can select the flavor profile and caviar that is right for your tastes or special event.
We at Kaluga Imperial like to apply “excellent” – “unique” and “exceptional” standard to caviar types - there are simply too many variations and nuances for caviar to be that linearly defined - we do use grades to denote objective quality. We do not grade on a relative scale by type so not all types of caviar are available in all grades. For example, we do not simply take the best Kaluga and call it Special Reserve. If no Kaluga or Ossetra rises to the rank of Special Reserve then we do not offer the Special Reserve. This just further speaks to the in depth process of how Kaluga Imperial defines each caviar so that every caviar sold in our famous Kaluga Imperial tins is of the highest quality within each specific grade and type available.
Kaluga
Available in:
30 - 50 - 125 - 250 - 1000 - 1700 grams
Origin: Imported
Type: Farmed
Flavor: Mild and buttery
Size: Large to very large
Color: Golden green to khaki
Species: Huso Dauricus
Common Name: Kaluga (related to Beluga)
Ossetra
Available in:
30 - 50 - 125 - 250 - 1000 - 1700 grams
Origin: Imported
Type: Farmed
Flavor: Nutty, firm and juicy
Size: Medium
Color: Dark amber with hints of deep jade
Species: Acipenser Guldenstadtii
Common Name: Ossetra Sturgeon
Kaluga Imperial Huso Hybrid Caviar
Origin: Imported
Type: Farmed
Flavor: Fruity and buttery
Size: Large
Color: Dark brown with jade accents
Species: Huso Dauricus/Acipenser Shrenckii
Common Name: Kaluga Huso Hybrid (related to Beluga)
Shipping: Perishable – ships FedEx Overnight with Stay-Fresh™ packing
The Imperial marriage of the Kaluga (a close cousin of Beluga sturgeon) and Shassetra sturgeons has resulted in an incredible caviar that is surprising experts delightfully across the globe. There is an exquisite balance to this hybrid caviar, making it the choice for those who prefer a nutty, fruity well balanced taste comparable to the potent brine of traditional breeds.
Enjoying the Kaluga Imperial Huso Hybird Caviar begins by the observation of the various colours of deep brown amber with beautiful shades of jade. Upon placing these beautiful eggs on your palate, you will immediately taste the floral and fruity notes, as with all our Kaluga Imperial Caviars, the finish is extremely long lasting.
