Osetra caviar is literally one of the most expensive foods in the world, along with beluga caviar and Sevruga caviar. This is the kind of caviar that is said to have the maximum variety in terms of flavour, size and colour. The reported cause of this happens to be that the fish Osetra is a bottom feeder, thus the eggs tend to adapt to the flavour of whatever it eats. If someone tries to open several Osetra caviar tin cans and sample them one by one, each one would have a different flavour, appearance and smell than the other.
In order to get an idea of why Russian osetra caviar is so valued, it is important to know the origin of the eggs, i.e. the fish.
About the Osetra Sturgeon
The osetra sturgeon is one of the oldest animal breeds that exist today because they date back from the time of the dinosaurs. It actually is a native of the Caspian Sea. They are a prehistoric race of animals whose appearance never really changed over time. They can even grow up to 2m and can weigh up to 200kg. the colour of the fish ranges from brown to dark gray, with a body with bony plates instead of the usual scales. Their age of maturity is 12 to 15 years, and they have the ability to live up to 60 to 80 years. In several cases, the fish may even reach up to 120 years.
Moreover, there are some roes that are albino white in colour. The Osetra sturgeon is smaller in comparison to its slightly expensive sister the Beluga, and its eggs are much firmer in comparison to the delicate Beluga caviar. The rarest form of osetra caviar is the one which is golden yellow in colour, with a very rich nutty flavour.
The term caviar did not hail from Russia, contrary to popular belief, since caviar is well-known as a Russian delicacy. It appeared in the English lexicon during the 16th century, most probably acquired from the Italian or French, and borrowed from the Turkish word havyar. If you take a look at etymological history, khyah is the Persian word for egg.
Serving the Osetra caviar
Like the other caviar varieties, the osetra caviar can also be enjoyed with many items. Traditionally, it is only served with blinis, or toasted points along with butter and onions. Sour cream and cheese creams are the popular alternatives. Chefs from around thr world use caviar to stuff a lot of seafood dishes and even from some meat preparations, although the inexpensive caviar kinds are usually used for this. You may even serve salads with caviar.
The most common caviar recipes used by chefs include caviar pie, caviar eggs, caviar mold, crème de caviar, and caviar spread.
You cannot eat caviar in an ordinary way. You need to serve and eat it in a special way to help retain its most sought-after taste.
Also, caviar is traditionally consumed with chilled Russian vodka, but it can also be paired with dry champagne.
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