Caviar

Caviar

Caviar has been considered a luxury since the time of Aristotle and is known for it's subtle, buttery flavour . The finest caviar should taste neither fishy, nor overly salty and should always be served cold.

Caviar is unfertilised sturgeon eggs. Only the eggs from three types of Sturgeon; being Beluga, Osetra and Sevruga, can be called Caviar. Classic caviar originates primarily from Iran or Russia, harvested by commercial fishermen working in the Caspian Sea. Today however, farming caviar has become very popular. This is due to regulations in trade, environmental concerns, prices and the increasing quality of farmed caviar.

• Beluga is the largest Sturgeon and is the rarest of the Sturgeon fish, therefore producing the world's most expensive Caviar. The‘berries’ (proper name for caviar roe) are delicate in texture and are light or dark gray with largish roe. They provide a rich, creamy and mildly sweet flavor of delicate hazelnut. 
• Osetra is golden or dark brown, however it can range to green-grey to dark blue or jet black, and also with large berries, occasionally these are light gold and provides a strong nutty flavor with a mild taste and is slightly firmer than the Beluga.
• Sevruga are the smallest and most abundant of the three sturgeons, this Caviar has the strongest flavour. The berries are dark gray or black in color and provide a strong taste of a mildly fruity flavor.

Storage: Caviar must be stored in the coolest section of your refrigerator, preferably on ice packs. Never freeze Caviar as this ruins the aroma and flavour. Store opened Caviar with a peice of plastic wrap over the berries before placing the lid on the tin. Once opened, Caviar will last 2-3 days.

Serving: There are etiquette rules attached when eating and serving caviar. Caviar should never be served with metal utensils – the sensitive berries can develop a very off-putting metallic taste. Caviar spoons made from bone, mother of pearl or tortoise shell are traditionally used to enjoy caviar. Many caviar purists however insist that the very best way to enjoy caviar is to place the ‘berries’ on your hand (the back of the hand, between the index finger and thumb) and eating it plain from there. Note this method can be frowned upon when at a formal occasion.

When you come to choosing caviar for yourself, one is never better or worse than the other. Each variety of caviar has its own distinct flavour, size and texture. Waimea Trading has the largest selection of caviar in Australia. To learn more about each type of caviar just scroll through the below varieties.

Please note that all caviar is subject to availability, prices attract GST and caviar has a 90 day shelf life from day of arrival in Australia.