Caviar. E. Dichtl / Pixabay.com / 2013 / CC0 1.0
The 18th of July is Caviar Day.
If trying the fish eggs known as caviar is one of those things that’s still on your todo list, today could be the day to take the plunge and try it.
Effusive food writers have called caviar the food of emperors and kings.
It comes in a variety of colours, depending on which sturgeon fish species it came from.
The price range varies wildly, and there is much fraud in the industry, so the price isn’t always a guarantee of what you are getting. To boost your chances of getting the real thing, buy from a reputable source.
Cheap caviar is likely to have come from China.
Caviar is a controlled term. To be called caviar legally, the eggs must be from a species of sturgeon. Many people are unaware of this, or are unscrupulous, and sell fish eggs from other fish as caviar. So it doesn’t hurt to ask point blank what fish it came from.
Wild stocks in the Caspian sea, considered the best source, are now overfished, which raises sustainability concerns. One thing you can do is to look for “No Kill” or “Cruelty-free” caviar. This means the eggs were harvested without killing the fish. Farm-raised caviar is also now being produced.
What do you like your caviar on? Toast points, boiled egg halves, other fish or seafood such as urchin or smoked salmon, blinis Russian style, or steamed fingerling potatoes German style? As a garnish for pasta dishes or in sushi rolls or on a piece of perfectly grilled steak?
And what drink do you like your caviar with? Champagne, or like the Russian nobility of old, ice-cold vodka?
#CaviarDay #NationalCaviarDay
See also: Bottarga, Caviar, Caviar Butter, Poutargue, Vesiga
History
The first print mention CooksInfo is aware of for a Caviar Day being in July occurred in 1997 in The Daily Oklahoman:
“Friday [18th July] is National Caviar Day. Romanoff Caviar, the nation’s largest caviar marketer, reports that caviar bars are beginning to crop up in New York and Los Angeles. Caviar is the roe, or eggs, of certain fish that are washed and lightly salted. — Dowell, Sharon. Culinary Arts Benefit to Help Children. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: The Daily Oklahoman. Wednesday, 16 July 1997. Page 7, col 5.
Sources
Andreades, Veronica. Celebrate National Caviar Day Today. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Style Magazine. 18 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://phillystylemag.com/Celebrate-National-Caviar-Day-Today
Bloem, Adéle. National Caviar Day. Witpoortjie, Gauteng, South Africa: The Roodeport Record. 18 July 2017. Accessed June 2021 at https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2017/07/18/national-caviar-day/
Furniss, Tracey. Celebrate Caviar Day with 9 fascinating facts about these heavenly ‘black pearls’. Hong Kong: South China Morning Post. 18 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2155418/celebrate-caviar-day-9-fascinating-facts-about-these
LBJ. Celebrate National Caviar Day with ‘Cajun Caviar’. New Orleans, LA: WGNO ABC News. 18 July 2018. Accessed June 2021 at https://wgno.com/2018/07/18/celebrate-national-caviar-day-with-cajun-caviar/
Nongrum, Dianne. National Caviar Day 2020: What This Day is All About And Why it is Celebrated. India.com. 17 July 2020. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.india.com/festivals-events/national-caviar-day-2020-what-this-day-is-all-about-and-why-it-is-celebrated-4087979/
Reiley, Laura. Seafood wars ahead? Reflecting on farm-raised fish on National Caviar Day. Tampa Bay, Florida: Tampa Bay Times. 22 July 2016. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/food/dining/seafood-wars-ahead-reflecting-on-farm-raised-fish-on-national-caviar-day/2285734
Saturday is National Caviar Day! Las Vegas, Nevada: KLAS-TV. 18 July 2020. Accessed June 2021 at https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/saturday-is-national-caviar-day/