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How to distinguish real from fake caviar: expert advice
We do not buy this delicacy very often – literally once a year. I would not like to puncture.
One of the main traditions for the New Year is a richly set table. And if we have already learned how to choose red caviar – after all, this product is relatively affordable, then lining can happen to black caviar, because it is often faked. And at the same time it costs so much that buying black caviar more often than once a year will not work. Wday.ru asked an expert about what you need to know when choosing black caviar and how to protect yourself from counterfeiting.
Technologist, founder of the company for the production of fish delicacies “A-ICRA”
“At best, buying low-quality caviar or counterfeit will lead to lost money, but at worst it can end up poisoning and spoiling the holiday.”
What is caviar
Before buying the coveted jar, you should figure out what types of caviar are and how they differ.
Beluga – the most expensive caviar, which is highly valued by gourmets. In terms of nutritional value, it ranks first. The eggs are large, more oval, from 3,2 to 3,6 mm, and can be of completely different shades, ranging from pearl to dark gray. The lighter the color, the higher the cost of the product.
Sturgeon – inferior in fat content to beluga. The size of the eggs is from 2,5 to 3 mm, and the color varies from olive and bronze to almost black. The taste is full-bodied with an aftertaste, in which notes of iodine are expressed.
Sevryuzhya – at the moment, a rather rare species of caviar, since sevruga grows very poorly in captivity. Before the ban on catching sturgeon (2008), it was the most accessible of the sturgeon. The eggs are small, from 2 to 2,5 mm, and have a unique, unique taste. The color ranges from dark gray to gray.
Sterlet caviar – the most affordable option, since sterlet is the most common type of fish for growing in aquaculture. The color of the eggs ranges from dark gray to almost black. Eggs are small, from 1,5 to 2,2 mm. In terms of taste, it loses somewhat to more expensive varieties, which is the reason for the rather low price.
Illegals and smugglers
The expert advises buying packaged black caviar.
“When purchasing a delicacy in a glass jar, you can visually assess its quality. This container does not corrode and does not affect the taste of the caviar. If we talk about tin containers, then caviar can be stored in it for a long time. But there is also a significant disadvantage – you cannot evaluate the quality of the product without opening it, ”says Yaroslav.
You can also find caviar in transparent plastic packaging. If you are offered to purchase black caviar in such a container, then be 99,9% sure that this is counterfeit from the People’s Republic of China, illegally imported to Russia or illegal products from the Far East of Russia. Such a product has nothing to do with a delicacy, it is brought without documents and with incomprehensible contents.
Russian producers produce caviar in the following form:
in a transparent glass jar;
in a classic tin can with an elastic band, which can be opened to take a sample of the product. Such a container is currently considered outdated, since black caviar in it quickly deteriorates and loses its taste;
in a tin French vacuum jar that cannot be opened;
in large polypropylene cans for wholesale.
To increase the shelf life of black caviar, unscrupulous sellers add prohibited preservatives to it and manufacture it in unsanitary standards. All this negatively affects the taste and quality of the product, so it is dangerous to purchase it.
How to distinguish a fake
According to the expert, black caviar is never deep black. In black caviar of sturgeon fish, an embryonic eye is always present, which differs in color from the body of the egg. For example, the body of the egg may be gray, and a kind of gradient will go from the embryonic eye to the darker or lighter side.
“This is very rarely talked about, but this is the main distinguishing feature by which a natural product can be identified. Black caviar of sturgeon fish can have many different shades – from light gray or cream to dark brown. It all depends on the type of fish: the Caspian sturgeon has a light-colored inner content, while the Far Eastern sturgeon has a yellow color, ”explains Yaroslav Viktorov.
Fraudsters, it happens dye pike caviar and pass it off as a sturgeon. You can also get on artificial caviar, made from egg white, gelatin, food colors and flavors.
“When buying black caviar, pay attention to its color, the size of the eggs, which cannot all be the same and perfect in shape,” explained Yaroslav.
Eat so as not to spoil
There are several serving traditions of black caviar: European and Russian.
In Europe and America, caviar was not produced and was of inferior quality, since it took a long time for its delivery. It was served in caviar dishes made of glass, metal or mother-of-pearl, and always placed in a vase on crushed ice. This cooling reduced the fishy odor.
In Russia, black caviar has always stood on the tables of tsars, nobles and aristocrats. Peter I even issued a decree according to which caviar must be on the palace table. According to the Russian tradition, black caviar is served in special dishes, from where it is certainly laid out with a silver spoon.
Black caviar is a product that you want to savor separately. Although the famous chef Olivier added red and black caviar to the salad, which has become a tradition on the New Year’s table, and only pressed caviar. According to the Russian tradition, caviar is washed down with chilled vodka, which goes well with a salty delicacy. But the combination of caviar with champagne came to us from the French. If you are fond of combining caviar with sparkling prosecco, you may have Italian roots.
By itself, caviar is a fairly high-calorie product, so if you follow your figure, then try it with quail eggs and fresh crispy cucumber. Combining hot pancakes with chilled caviar has long been a tradition in Russian cuisine. For those who want to feel like a Rockefeller, a more luxurious serving option is suitable – fresh oysters sprinkled with lemon juice and a spoonful of black caviar.
True fans are strongly against mixing this product with others. To appreciate its taste, gourmets put some caviar on their hand between the thumb and forefinger, eat it and, in silence, with their eyes closed, plunge into the magic of the delicacy.