The benefits and harms of caviar

Caviar is called a specially processed and then salted eggs of different types of fish. Everyone has tried this product at least once in their life. Some people consider caviar a delicacy, while others are indifferent to it.

Types of caviar

It is customary to subdivide such a product as caviar into three types:

• Black caviar is produced from sturgeon fish species. These include stellate sturgeon, sturgeon, sterlet and beluga. The caviar obtained from different sturgeon breeds differs in appearance and taste.
• White caviar is a product that is obtained from small fish species. These fish include cod, whitefish, and also herring fish. Despite the name, white caviar is not white at all. It can be light pink or light orange. There is also a bright orange caviar. Similar caviar in Japan is sometimes dyed with cuttlefish ink.

• Red caviar is made from salmon fish. These include sockeye salmon, chum salmon, coho salmon, salmon, chinook salmon, salmon, pink salmon and catfish. Like black caviar, salmon caviar has different tastes and looks.
• There is also a special caviar - this is golden caviar from sturgeon fish. Such albino fish are very rare and the cost of a jar of such a treat can be tens of thousands of dollars.

The benefits of caviar

This product contains a lot of useful and valuable substances - here and protein, and fats, and vitamins, and microelements. In general, approximately 30% of caviar is protein with a special structure. Thanks to this, caviar protein is perfectly perceived by the human body. The components of caviar include folic acid, almost all vitamins, lecithin, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and other trace elements. Caviar contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, or, more simply, omega-3, which are very valuable for the body. They are useful for normalizing cholesterol, have a good effect on the work of the heart and the state of the central nervous system.

The iron contained in caviar has an easily assimilated form by the human body, which makes caviar important from the point of view of preventing anemia. Vitamins A, D and E contained in caviar are good for removing radionuclides, help to strengthen muscles and bone tissue, and can improve vision and has a beneficial effect on skin health. Caviar also has aphrodisiac properties, so its use is useful for increasing libido.

Caviar harm

Compared to the beneficial properties, the harm of caviar is minimal. But it would be wrong to keep silent about him. The method of preparing caviar is salting. Therefore, due to the high salt content, people with kidney or genitourinary system diseases should not eat caviar in large quantities.

Caviar should be used with caution for people with a tendency to manifestations of allergies. It is also better to refrain from eating butter and caviar sandwiches for obese people.

What do they eat caviar with?

In Russia, caviar was not considered some kind of delicacy. Even a simple peasant could afford it. Caviar was harvested for future use, served with pancakes, added to soups. In the Far East, they even fed dogs with caviar. Now everything is different. Salmon and even more sturgeon fish have become a rarity. In this regard, caviar has risen in price significantly.

According to the established tradition, caviar was served in small caviar dishes, which were placed on a tray with ice. It was customary to eat the product, they used exclusively silver small spoons, so you could feel its special taste. And the tradition of making sandwiches with butter and caviar appeared only in the last century. This way of eating destroys all the valuable properties of caviar. For the human body, it is most correct to eat caviar with vegetables in boiled or fresh form, as well as with egg white. From this point of view, boiled potatoes and fresh cucumber are ideal for caviar.

Nowadays, caviar is mainly a decoration of the banquet table. Therefore, it can be served with pancakes, using caviar for the filling and adding herbs and soft cream cheese. Caviar is simply placed on top of pancakes or pancakes. It is used for stuffing small eggs and cooking salads with seafood.

The basis for serving caviar is unleavened baked goods - toasts, tartlets, chips, crackers, volovan or baskets. Soft cream cheese is used as a filler, and fresh vegetables are used for decoration.

How to store caviar

This product is very capricious to storage conditions and can be hopelessly spoiled if not observed. Caviar does not tolerate freezing, this loses its appearance, taste, and even more useful properties. Tin cans with caviar should be placed in the refrigerator on the coldest shelf. For black caviar, the optimum temperature is -4 degrees, and for red caviar it is -6 degrees. After opening the jar, the caviar must be eaten in 4 days. Storing this product for longer may result in poisoning.

If you bought caviar by weight, then store it in a glass jar with the same lid. The fact is that metal, like plastic, gives caviar a specific taste, so it is better not to use them during storage. Good quality caviar in a glass container is able to retain its taste properties for a long time in the refrigerator.

How to choose caviar

There are many ways to choose quality caviar. In most cases, caviar is sold in sealed cans, so when buying, you have to focus solely on its packaging. It can be tin or glass. In glass jars, you can immediately see the product and appreciate the appearance of caviar.

Pay attention to the price of caviar when buying. If it is too low, then the caviar may be spoiled or made from an artificial substitute. Consider the weight of caviar in the jar as well. The product must completely fill the container. Therefore, before buying, you can shake the jar - the contents in it should not dangle.

Be sure to read the information on the packaging. The country of origin is most often Russia. Although caviar is also produced in many other countries. Check product composition and release date. It is best to buy caviar, which is packaged in July or August, during spawning. Pay attention to the quality of the numbers indicating the production date. They can be extruded or painted.

The quality of caviar can also be assessed by its appearance. Eggs in the jar should be snug against each other. They should be roughly the same size. When pressed, the eggs should burst. In a quality product, the eggs effortlessly move away from each other.

There should be no pieces of caviar film in the jar. Eggs should not stick to teeth. The caviar should taste salty, but not too salty. In some cases, caviar can be slightly bitter if it is obtained from sockeye salmon or pink salmon. But if the product has obvious bitterness or sourness, then it is spoiled.