OSCIETRA CAVIAR – AMBROSIA OR MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD?

OSCIETRA CAVIAR –AMBROSIA OR MIDDLE-OF-THE- ROAD?

Traditionally, the UK caviar market consisted mainly of Beluga, Oscietra and Sevruga, which was priced in that order. Beluga came in red tins, the Oascietra in green and the Sevruga in red – a traditional colour scheme that we are still happy to follow.

So should we view Oscietra caviar as the poor relation to Beluga, or as “Food for the Gods” in its own right?

Oscietra caviar comes from the Oscietra sturgeon, latin name Acipenser Gueldenstaedtii, which I cant pronounce either. It is also known as the Russian Sturgeon, which is rather simpler. It is native to the Caspian Sea, where it is one of the largest sturgeon, but not as big as Beluga. It is thought that they can live as long as 80 years and weigh as much as 600lbs.

They mature at around 12 years of age, and produce dark eggs, with shades of brown and green running through them, not unlike the shades of tobacco. Older fish produce lighter coloured eggs, with very old fish producing the legendary Almas caviar – the diamonds of the Caspian.

Good Oscietra is simply delicious. At first, it may seem slightly subtle on the tip of the tongue, but complex flavours soon ripple around the back of the mouth that can then linger in the mind. Sometimes, after a good Oscietra supper, I can wake in the middle of the night with the flavours still fresh in my mind.

Is Oscietra better than Beluga? Well, each to his own, but it is certainly cheaper. I for one would be very happy to eat twice as much Oscietra caviar as I would Beluga. Good Oscietra, such as ours, is simply fantastic.