Night Owl 9/Night Owl CD-ROM (NOPV9) (Night Owl Publisher) (1993).ISO/022a/seafood1.zip/CAVIAR

Text File | 1993-01-04 | 18KB | 320 lines

                 CAVIAR AND PUMPERNICKEL: A SNACK FIT FOR CZARS

               To celebrate the birth of her son to the Grand Duke
          Paul, Catherine the Great of Russia gave a banquet of such
          magnificent proportions that the English Ambassador to the
          Russian Court made up a detailed report of the affair,
          saying that there were "...  jewels and caviar..." on the
          banquet table to the amount of more than two million
          sterling.

               In the days of Peter the Great, the serving of caviar
          by a Russian family to its guests was a sign of affluence
          on the part of the family, and of importance on the part of
          the guest.  The more caviar that was set forth -- and the
          greater its variety -- the more wealthy the host -- and
          important the guest. This opulent Russian table was called
          the zakuska table.  In Russian, zakuska means "bite-down,"
          and comes from the custom of drinking (or rather gulping,
          as no sipping was allowed) a shot of vodka and "biting it
          down" with a chaser of caviar -- or some other appetizer
          that the hospitable Russian family might have on the table.

               If the Russian family happened to be the nobility,
          with plenty of rubles to spend on vodka and caviar, the
          spread could take on the dimensions and liveliness that was
          unique to the Russians of that era.  Legend tells us that
          one noble family of that era kept a 45-pound, cut-glass
          barrel of caviar on hand at all times, for use at the
          zakuska table.

               For the more affluent Russians, the zakuska table was
          to become as firmly entrenched in the Russian culture as
          the "cocktail hour" for affluent Americans.  The Russian
          winters were long and cold, the Russian estates isolated;
          the "little bites" were the perfect refreshment for guests
          who had journeyed long distances through the bitter cold of
          the Russian winter to visit.  If the host were affluent
          enough, many kinds of caviar, as well as smoked salmon,
          cold meats, fish in aspic, and salads (and always vodka --
          of course) were served to the Russian gentlemen.  While the
          men dallied at the zakuska table, the women would be
          ushered into a different room where they sipped tea from
          the samovar (a metal urn -- usually copper), and nibbled
          delicately at small cakes.

               To the average American of the variety that eats
          pretzels or potato chips with beer, the mention of caviar
          conjures up visions of opulence and wealth; of elegance and
          flowing champagne (and vodka), with long lines of servants
          to bring an endless supply of delicacies.

               The not-so-sophisticated American of yesteryear could,
          in fact, often be heard to ask, "What is caviar?"  To which
          his more knowledgeable friend might reply, with just the
          slightest revulsion, "Fish eggs."

               And, fish eggs it is; before the turn of the 19th
          century, even in Russia, where we think of all caviar as
          being the eggs of the spawning sturgeon, caviar consisted
          of salted fish roe from a variety of quite common fish.
          For example, shad, mullet, whiting, codfish and catfish
          have all had their roe removed to become the delicacy of
          the Russian zakuska table.

               Today, most Americans know considerably more about
          caviar than they used to:  They know, for example, what is
          considered the best of caviar today, and why it is best;
          what other types of caviar are acceptable, and where they
          can be found.  Many know the proper way to serve the best
          caviar.


              FOUR SPECIES OF STURGEON PROVIDE THE BEST IN CAVIAR

               The very best in caviar is considered by authorities
          to be in the form of the large black eggs of the Beluga --
          or white -- sturgeon.  At the time of gestation, the Beluga
          eggs are light gray in color, but during the period just
          prior to spawning, they turn black.  Connoisseurs of caviar
          are prone to argue about whether the black eggs are more
          tantalizing to the taste buds than the gray eggs; however,
          most agree that while there may a difference in color
          (which could possibly influence one's taste buds), there is
          but little difference. in actual taste.  The Osetra
          sturgeon produces pea-sized eggs, the caviar of which is
          called Osetrova or Osetrina.

               The Sevruga sturgeon's egg is smaller than that of
          either the Beluga or Osetra, and connoisseurs consider the
          Sevruga caviar to be as tasty as that of either of the
          other two.

               The Volga sterlet, which is the smallest of all the
          sturgeon, produces a golden roe that makes the rarest of
          all caviars.  This is the caviar that was traditionally
          reserved for only the table of the czars.

               A relatively inexpensive caviar is pressed caviar,
          which is made from the damaged eggs of various sturgeon.
          Pressed caviar is widely used and enjoyed in the Russia of
          today, and it is to be found at the usual buffets in
          theaters and hotels.  The Russian name for pressed caviar
          is Pausnaia, or Paiusnaya.

               Americans, whose taste in caviar seems not so exotic
          as that of the Russians, have established a taste for
          caviar made from red salmon roe and golden salmon roe.  The
          red salmon roe comes from salmon that are going into their
          spawning phase, but who have not yet left the salt water of
          the ocean to return to the river of their birth.  The
          golden salmon roe is taken from the salmon that have gone
          into fresh water.  The American taste, with which most
          Russians disagree, is for a not-too-salty caviar made from
          the salmon roe.

               Another common kind of caviar, to be found in many
          American restaurants, is made from the roe of whitefish and
          lumpfish.  The roe of these fish, which is white when taken
          from the fish, is dyed with black vegetable dye to make it
          resemble the more expensive -- or "regular" -- caviar made
          from the roe of the sturgeon.  The dyed caviar is salty and
          relatively inexpensive.


                         ROE PROCESSED WITH SALT

               Salt, correctly applied in the correct amounts, is the
          key ingredient in the processing of fish roe to caviar.  A
          mildly salted caviar, which is a favorite of the Russians,
          is referred to as malossol, meaning "little salt."
          Generally speaking, the amount of salt that is used in
          processing caviar depends upon the grade (or size) of the
          roe, its condition, the weather, and the market for which
          the caviar is intended.  Caviar destined for the United
          States can have only salt in it as a preservative; however,
          most European countries allow the use of borax along with
          the salt.  These European caviars, which can only be served
          in the U. S. in foreign embassies and outside the
          three-mile limit, have a sweeter taste than the American
          caviars.


                    SIZE OF THE ROE AFFECTS THE SALTINESS

               Certain experts with a caviar-oriented taste like to
          point out that despite the fact that the Beluga and Sevruga
          processes are the same, the Sevruga caviar has the saltier
          taste of the two.  This, the experts say, is because the
          smaller Sevruga grain, or individual egg, which is
          preserved in the same amount of salt as the Beluga -- and
          which absorbs the same amount of salt as the Beluga -- will
          taste saltier for a given amount of caviar, because there
          are more of the smaller Sevruga grains in a given amount.


                       IRANIAN OR RUSSIAN CAVIAR?

               The connoisseurs of caviar also insist that the
          quality of caviar made of sturgeon roe is determined by
          whether the roe was caught, processed and packed by the
          Iranians or by the Russians.  Fisherman from both Iran and
          Russia fish the Caspian Sea, which has long been considered
          the source of the choice roe of the world; therefore, it is
          assumed that the difference in the quality of the two
          end-products is due to the processing of the roe.

               The Iranians are relative newcomers to the fish roe
          industry, and are therefore second in production to the
          Russians; nevertheless, this is a flourishing industry for
          the Iranians.  A major factor in the difference between the
          Iranian and Russian caviar (if such a difference indeed
          exists) might be that the Russians by tradition and taste
          are much large consumers of caviar than are the Iranians.
          Russian tastes in fish roe account for approximately 600
          tons annually, with 500 tons being consumed at home, and
          only about 100 tons finding its way into world markets.
          The Iranians, on the other hand, consume little caviar,
          with a result that their approximately 140-ton production
          is exported to the world market.


                         DIFFERENCE IN PROCESSING?

               The Russian method of processing the sturgeon roe into
          caviar has been handed down through generations of
          forbearers who not only caught and processed the roe, but
          also developed a national taste for it.  In the Russian
          process, the huge female sturgeon, which can sometimes be
          as long as 14 feet and weigh as much as a ton, is slit open
          to have her eggs removed while the fishermen are still at
          sea.  On the premise that an undesirable chemical reaction
          may set in if the eggs were to remain in the fish, the fish
          is cut open immediately, and the eggs removed; in a large
          sturgeon, as many as 3,000,000 pearly-black eggs are
          removed, encased in a skein.  Later, when the fishing boat
          returns to dock, the eggs are rubbed out through a screen
          into water, where they will be washed and screened through
          a finer screen to obtain the individual eggs.  They are
          then salted and packed.

               In the Iranian method, sailboats cruise the shallows
          close to shore, and motorized boats cruise the deeper
          waters farther from shore.  Both leave the eggs in the fish
          until they are brought to shore, where trained Iranians
          will remove and process the eggs.  After the eggs are
          removed, washed and sieved, salt is circulated through them
          until just the right amount of salt is absorbed; this
          salting process transforms the eggs into caviar.  The
          process itself is quite short, requiring only about 15
          minutes; but it is a process requiring skill and
          delicateness of handling.


                          NO FROZEN CAVIAR

               The roe's cellular composition is permanently
          destroyed by freezing; therefore, caviar is best kept fresh
          by maintaining it at a temperature of between 28 and 32
          degrees Fahrenheit; at temperatures above 45 degrees it
          will spoil.  With modern temperature control methods,
          maintaining caviar at the optimum temperature presents no
          problems, but in the days of the Russian czars, special
          containers which could be warmed in the winter and iced in
          summer were used to transport the delicacy from Moscow to
          St. Petersburg.

               Caviar can, however, be pasteurized and vacuum-packed,
          and can be kept for an indefinite time in the refrigerator,
          or for a limited time in cool room.


                 RUSSIAN CAVIAR RELATIVELY NEW TO THE U.S.

               Because of political relations with the Soviet Union,
          Russian caviar only become available to the more affluent
          American tables about 15 years ago.  This availability
          follows a long period that the American gourmet could
          consider a "drought." The Iranian caviar, on the other
          hand, then fairly well established in the U. S. is now
          limited because of the deteriorated U. S. political
          relations with Iran. The marketing success that the
          Iranians have had with caviar has prompted them to protect
          themselves against future shortages by a long-range
          hatchery building plan that will restock the Caspian Sea.


                       LIMITED SUPPLY OF STURGEON

               A limited supply of sturgeon is the prime reason for
          the high price of caviar.  During, and toward the end of,
          the 19th century, the coastal rivers of the Atlantic and
          Pacific Oceans, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, Black Sea,
          Sea of Asar and the Caspian Sea yielded a fair catch of
          sturgeon.  Up until 1900, approximately 100,000 pounds of
          roe were prepared in America for export to Europe.  Then,
          pollution and over-fishing began to take their toll, with
          the result that by now most of the commercial fishing for
          sturgeon is done by those who fish the Caspian Sea
          (however, the Black Sea and the Girond River in France are
          still stocked with sturgeon).  The Russians lead the world
          in the consumption of caviar, with France, Germany and the
          rest of Western Europe close behind.  The American
          consumption of caviar is increasing, and should soon be
          comparable with that of Western Europe.  This increasing
          demand, together with the limited supply of the magnificent
          sturgeon, will undoubtedly keep the price of caviar high.


           ONLY A FEW BASIC AND TRADITIONAL WAYS TO PREPARE CAVIAR

               Despite its gourmet tradition, there are surprisingly
          few basic, traditional ways to prepare caviar for the
          table.  The canape recipes are, of course, limited only to
          what the imaginative person can think of; but, the gourmet
          cooks of the world -- as well as those of Russia -- have
          handed us only a scant few traditional recipes.  In the
          United States, a favored way to prepare caviar is with
          finely chopped egg white, sieved egg yolk and a choice of
          finely-chopped onion or chives.  This method has become
          popular with the more common, more heavily salted grades of
          caviar.

               Many experts say that the most delectable way to eat
          caviar is plain, from a bed of crushed ice -- perhaps with
          toast and lemon juice.  Special dishes are made for eating
          caviar in this manner.

               Another recommended way to enjoy caviar is with the
          Russian blini -- or pancake -- with sweet butter.  The
          tradition of eating cold caviar with hot blini began as a
          religious tradition (as did many of Russia's famous
          dishes).  Orthodox Russians begin Easter preparations weeks
          ahead of time.  In prerevolutionary Russia, Maslenitsa --
          or "butter-week"--was a seven-day carnival, ending just
          before lent.  Blini were traditionally eaten on the last
          day of Maslenitsa.

               Other traditional ways of preparing caviar for the
          table are with baked potatoes, or mashed potatoes, blended
          with sour cream and chives.  Add the caviar last, and if it
          is the excellent, pearly-black grade, don't worry about
          adding too much.  But if you use the black Danish or red
          caviar, use smaller amounts.  You might also like the red
          caviar dip from Norway, or French caviar eggs in aspic.

               And you would surely like the black caviar prepared as
          it was in the time of Peter the Great -- on small pieces of
          white bread, sometimes toasted quite dry in a warm oven.

               More than likely, though, us common folk will settle
          for the red salmon caviar, spread in large amounts on a big
          slice of pumpernickel, sprinkled with minced scallion tips
          and finely chopped egg yolks.  For a between-meal snack, it
          tastes as good as it sounds!