Caviar is the roe or eggs of a sturgeon. This ancient species of fish has remained virtually unchanged for over 100 million years. Sturgeon, are a primitive fish of the northern regions of Europe, Asia & North America. Unlike evolutionarily advanced fishes, it has a fine-grained hide, without many scales. The skeleton is mostly cartilaginous. The upturned tail fins & a mouth set well back on the underside of the head make this fish distinctive in appearance. Sturgeon also have widely separated rows of heavy guard scales & 4 barbels or feelers that hang below the head that help locate food & a gas bladder from which isinglass is made. Sturgeon feed by sucking in their food, such as, crayfish, snails, larvae, small fishes & fish eggs of other species from the bottom through their small, toothless, fleshy-lipped mouths. The largest species is the Russian sturgeon, or beluga ( A. huso ), of the Caspian & Black seas as well as the Sea of Azov; it reaches a length of 13 ft (396 cm) & a weight of up to a ton (900 kg).
Actually only the roe of sturgeon from the Caspian Sea is actually called caviar. Caviar (kav́eär) or caviare is actually an Iranian word. In the Rus caviar is called Ikra. It is the roe (eggs) of various species of sturgeon prepared to be served as a table delicacy, most especially in Russia a & Iran. The ovaries of the fish are beaten to loosen the eggs. These are then freed from the fat and membrane by being passed through a sieve. The liquid is pressed off & the eggs are mildly salted then sealed in small jars, tins or kegs. Fresh caviar, the unripe roe, is made in winter from high-grade eggs & is very scarce so it is subsequently the most expensive. Less choice varieties are cured with 10% - 15% salt. The eggs, black, green, brown, and the rare yellow or gray, may be tiny grains or the size of peas. The caviar in Russia and Eastern Europe comes chiefly from the Black and Caspian seas and from the rivers that flow into them.
We are discussing here only Russian ikra(caviar). Russian ikra is rich & exquisite morsels that capture the essence of the sea. The Russian method of processing sturgeon roe into caviar has been handed down through many generations of ancesters who not only caught & processed roe, but also developed a national taste for it.
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