Finding Real Caviar

Eaten as a delicacy, caviar is basically processed roe of certain species of fish. Famous in two forms namely red caviar and black caviar, these two types of caviar are taken from sturgeon and salmon species. Commercially available in grocery stores as spreads, caviar is also used by many fine dining restaurants as a garnish to their dishes.

While you may be a diehard lover of caviar, will you be able to tell the difference between genuine Russian caviar and the domestic one? While differentiating between black and red caviar is as easy as it gets, unless you have really acquired a taste for each and every type of caviar there is, you will never be able to guess the difference between many types of caviar. Danish black colored lumpsucker caviar that is sold throughout Europe in glass jars and is often mistaken in United States as black caviar! Also available in red color, lumpsucker caviar is not only famous but is also a good imitation of some of the most famous caviar.

While there is no harm in eating imitation caviar, having caviar that is not certified by food and health organizations can be a serious threat to your health. Like many other food items available in the market, US Food and Drug Administration laws are used for governing the certification of caviar. Only after proper examination of caviar, the certificate of an eatable good is given by the authority. Governing procedures like the labeling of caviar, government does what it can to prevent events of mislabeling to prevent caviar eaters from mishaps.

While many other forms of caviar are also labeled as caviar, only sturgeon roe has the true sense of being labeled just caviar. If you see a caviar jar that is simply labeled as caviar but does not contain black sturgeon caviar, you will easily get to know that the caviar is not from a reputed company or is not from a good batch of products. Roe from any other type of fish should have the name of the fish whose roe is sold as caviar. If this is not the case, it is indicative of the fact that proper labeling procedures have not been followed and the product may be of low quality. You are advised not to opt for such a product as it can even lead to food poisoning.

While caviar from sturgeon fish is definitely known to have a great taste, it is also a popular target for fake caviar. You are advised to buy caviar only from reputed shops and establishments. If you still want to buy caviar, you can look for other types namely, salmon caviar (red), lumpfish caviar and also whitefish caviar that has a taste of its own. Some other types that you may come across are American sturgeon and choupique caviar. While the American sturgeon is actually paddlefish found in Mississippi, it is called so because of its close resemblance to sturgeon fish.