You might have had experienced seafood and would have drawn yourself into a curiosity of trying its further variety. Or you have joined any cooking class, Or have read a magazine with seafood highlights and would have come across the name “Caviar” or let’s say an egg roe. And you would have wondered what it actually is! To me, when I heard this for the first time, it was something new to me, but when I searched more about it, it occurred to me that I was missing something very big throughout my life!
It is something very special about these egg roes as they are so pricey and at the same time worth eating! Besides its other beneficial characteristics, it possesses a beautiful and smooth texture of glistening globules giving a vision of pearls. These gastronomic pearls are none other than the eggs of the Sturgeon fish, captured and processed from the Caspian Sea.
Irani Caviar
Among the other types of Caviar, the one that has earned much popularity around the world is Iranian Caviars that are drawn from the Sturgeon of the Caspian Sea. This type of fish has five wonderful species living in the Caspian Sea that includes the Beluga sturgeon, the Starry sturgeon, the Persian sturgeon, the Blastard sturgeon, and the Sterlet. Interestingly, sturgeon’s meat is not valued as much as its eggs, which make these species so valuable. With their eggs, different kinds of caviars are made, with the hues of black, red, and goldish. Iranian Beluga Caviar is the costliest of the Caviars, costing between 200$ to 300$ for just one ounce. Besides, Almas Caviar is the rarest among all as it takes a fish to pass 60 to 100 years when they become completely mature and ready for further processing.
Harvesting of Irani Caviar
Fish caviars have been loved and consumed from the past centuries where rulers and shahs used to enjoy this food. The evidence of these caviars can be traced back from centuries. In historical times, there was a different way of harvesting the eggs of Sturgeon. The rubber mallet was used for the protection of fish from the movement of their tails. But nowadays, as the number of fishes is diminishing, a cesarean operation is performed in order to remove the eggs from the belly of the fish. During this process, some of the eggs are left within the fish belly to allow them for spawning later. For the period of three months, fish are separated into the special pools, from where they are shifted to sea after making up for a certain period. A single fish can go through this process for about 6 times.
Moreover, it is not only just about fish! But one has to check its gender which unfortunately can’t be decided by their physical appearance. It requires an analysis, which is performed by the ultrasound technique to confirm their gender (either testes or ovaries). When it is confirmed, the female fishes are then worked upon. After a period of time (that differs per each species), a fewer number of eggs from the abdomen of the fish are pulled out technically to check whether they have reached any maturity level or are still supposed to be kept for some more time. The extracted eggs are judged with their texture, size, and color. If they seem to be small, uneven, or whitish, they are immature, and hence need some more time. Conversely, if the eggs turn out even, firm, bigger in size (as per the standard), they are good to go with!
However, this is quite an interesting process and worth learning about. At the same time, it is so satisfying to know that the whole process is being done to make the Caviars, which are of value worth more than gold! Simply, the work required to reach the final product is worth this price. If you live somewhere far from Iran and tend to think that where to buy Caviar? There are online sources that provide you with great quality of Caviar. Besides, it gives an unbelievable taste and aroma by which one can feel its magical delicacy while masticating in the mouth.
