caviar

[victor steinbok]

The main entry for "caviar" is 1.a.--that's the one that is based on
sturgeon eggs.

> 1.a. The roe of the sturgeon and other large fish obtained from lakes and rivers of the east of Europe, pressed and salted, and eaten as a relish.

I have a bit of a problem with this. I have never heard of caviar
that's been "pressed". A bit of digging identified "pressed
caviar"--at least when it comes to sturgeon--as "payusnaya". I found
this somewhat odd, as I have never thought of this kind of caviar as
"pressed". To me, this was the caviar runt--grains/eggs that have been
crushed during processing and did not make the cut for the top-quality
preservation. In my memory, this type of caviar was shipped packed in
wooden crates and sold in bulk, being scooped directly out of the
crates. Some samples came with the egg-sack membrane mixed in with the
intensely flavored dark-gray "paste". I suppose, one could call it
"pressed" if the actual meaning was "crushed". When I saw "pressed", I
expected something more akin to bottarga, which is a dried, pressed
roe of tuna or red mullet, or it's Egyptian sun-dried cousin (whose
name I do not recall). But if they want to call "payusnaya" caviar
"pressed", I'll defer to their better judgment.

Still, the terminology appears to be rather restricted. What passes
for "caviar" today is largely any fish roe preserved pickled/salted as
individual grains that maintain it's semi-gelatinous texture. Aside
from sturgeon, the most common type is Russian red caviar, from
salmon. Less pricey are caviars made from lumpfish, capelin, carp, and
other roe. Most of these fish are not particularly large and the
corresponding eggs are substantially smaller than the two traditional
types. These were first introduced as traditional foods in Scandinavia
and only acquired the "caviar" moniker more recently, as the
availability of sturgeon caviar declined and the price became
prohibitive. But the essential quality that all fish "caviars" share
is the salt curing that preserves the shape and graininess of
individual eggs. Pastes and dried blocks are usually labeled as "roe"
and not "caviar", although in some languages (e.g., Russian) there
would be no distinction between the two.

So the definition is still wrong--"caviar" is not "pressed and
salted". It's salted (preserved) and only occasionally (for some
types) pressed.

I am also wondering if "eaten as a relish" is entirely correct. Caviar
certainly appears as a condiment in cooking, particularly in the more
extravagant gourmet dishes. But, at least in more recent history, it
tends to become the center of attention when it is served (much to the
chagrin of many who detest it). I suppose, given that it is usually
sold and consumed in fairly small quantities, at least one of many
different definitions of "relish" (but not n.2 5.b.) might apply.

This, however, still leaves one more opening. Russians use the word
"ikra" to describe all fish eggs--in whatever condition they may be
found. Obviously, that's translated as "roe" in most cases and as
"caviar" only in exceptional cases (see above). But Russians also
started using the same word ("ikra") for other preparations that do
not contain roe or even resemble it in any way. Three of the most
common types (although not exhaustive) are made from mushrooms,
eggplant and summer squash, respectively. Other vegetables and, less
frequently, meat also occasionally serve as a base. These also share
something in common--they are usually cooked and finely chopped (in
either order)--or processed--and combined with some sort of a binding
liquid (e.g., cream or lemon juice) and spices to produce a fairly
pungent paste. Some of these have resulted in English calques as
"eggplant caviar", "mushroom caviar", "carrot caviar", etc. Oddly
enough, I am yet to see a "squash caviar", which is, by far, the most
common of Russian "ikra" made from vegetables. This has gone well
beyond translation of Russian food names. These names now routinely
appear in cookbooks and on packages of prepared food. As such, it
would be appropriate to devote a new subentry (1.c.) to this type of
product.

Finally, a faux "caviar" is becoming much more common as a product of
molecular gastronomy. There are two types, one made with gelatin and
formed in oil and another made with a particular combination of
chemicals, resulting in more realistic caviar texture (i.e.,
gelatinous spherical enclosure with a soft or liquid middle). The
process has become so common that restaurant supply stores now sell
"caviar makers"--a rectangular container with 40-100 squeeze tips
lined up as a matrix and a syringe-like plunger attached on one side
to force the forming liquid through. The products thus obtained
resemble salmon (red) caviar in shape and texture more than any other.
But the flavor profile depends entirely on the liquid used to produce
it--from apple juice and balsamic vinegar to tomato juice and yak milk
(anything other than oil). In restaurants and cookbooks these items
appear as "caviar", e.g., "tuna tartare with balsamic caviar". This
certainly deserves attention, although I am not sure it's worthy of a
full subentry or simply a modification of the existing one to include
transfered meaning.

Note that the molecular gastronomy caviar and the vegetable caviar
pick up on completely different properties of the original caviar, so
they don't belong together--there is simply no logically consistent
description that could combine them into a single entry (other than a
generic "transf." that completely ignores the differences in origin,
preparation and texture).

VS-)

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