Caviar For Commoners...and Vegans
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01.21.06
The roe of the common Carp makes a reasonably good caviar and can be bought from large US sources, such as Stoller Fisheries in Spirit Lake Iowa. Some report that carp caviar taste nearly as good as Russian or "Beluga" caviar. We're not sure of this but would welcome a comment from anyone who has been in a position to compare. Note: The commercial labeling of roe from whitefish, carp, and paddlefish as "caviar" is reportedly disallowed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, carp roe are sold salted, just as sturgeon caviar are. The processing is the same; only the species are different.
Carp roe are not black like sturgeon roe. Carp roe will be a yellow-orange color, as shown here. The sustainability of Carp caviar is associated with the fact that there is an almost endless supply of highly invasive, non-native carp that have spread into ecosystems where they truly do not belong, and where they are destroying water quality and native fisheries through their aggressive feeding behavior. We will never run out (unfortunately) and supporting the market for carp eggs is a good thing from an ecosystems viewpoint.
This good news builds on the fact that the various Sturgeon, the source of what is officially labeled "caviars," are rapidly being made extinct, primarily by excessive commercial harvesting and poaching. Anything to help shift market interest to a more sustainable alternative is helping to protect the Beluga and other endangered roe fish such as the Paddlefish.
There is an important caveat to this good news story, however. Carp do well in warm, slow-flowing, or still waters, and are pollution tolerant, which means they often inhabit urban rivers and lakes. They feed upon shallow, muddy shoals, comsuming aquatic weeds, insect larvae, snails, young fish, and so on. If the mud they consume with these items is contaminated, they may be ingesting the contamination directly. Therefore, for the time being, it would be adviseable to avoid eating carp eggs harvested from the well known " PCB hotspots", such as the various "Areas of Concern" in the Great Lakes Basin. Instead of this being a reason to despair, it is one more reason to support USEPA mandated, as well as voluntary, PCB cleanup or harbor restoration projects.
Little Known and Wondrous Caviar Facts:
For Greek cuisine, the delicate roe of carp are naturally cured and aged over one year to become Tarama. Tarama can be blended with oil, lemon juice and chopped onions to make Taramosalata, a caviar spread.
A vegan caviar product known as Cavi*Art is available from the UK. As they offer several "varieties" and do not seem to have the obnoxious labeling restrictions as FDA has imposed in the US, the presentation is pretty interesting. Let us know if you have tried them!
Why does the title read "... and Vegans"? That is patently absurd.
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Read the last paragraph and follow the link to seaweed based imitation caviar source.
Real caviar is currently banned by the UN due to disagreements on quotas. Only Salmon cavier is still available. Maybe this will be a good substitute.
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There are other sources of "fake" caviar. Usually this involves dying the eggs of another oceanic species with non-approved analine coloring agents. WHen people say they dislike caviar it is often because they have gotten some of the bad imitation caviar.
Last paragraph! Hiding the pearl deep in the oyster I see... Anyone have a personal connection to this vegan-happy caviar? Would be awesome to have some for ICI-nyc
How does "sustainable" and "vegan" equate? Eat eggs created by an animal (either chicken or fish) doesn't really fit the held understanding of "vegan".
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Please read the last paragraph, which includes link to seaweed based faux caviar supplier. Unless I am missing something (do they add chicken eggs to the product?) this ascribes to what is generally "held".
I found a vegan caviar being sold at Erewhon in Los Angeles--I thought I'd seen everything, but the soy kaviar was pretty funny. It had a nice beady texture, but also "dissolved" unless it was kept chilled. It's been a while since I've eaten the real thing, so I was impressed by the verisimilitude (namely salty, oily, vaguely "fishy"). But it does lack the all important "egg membrane" texture which is probably difficult to replicate.
Also note: carp are a dominant aquaculture species in China--they are important for sustainable rice farming, as they provide "natural fertilizer" for the rice plants.
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Thanks for comment. Perhaps there are two faux caviar sources?
Seeing the word Erewhon took me back. Originally the title of an anti-romanticism novel and a sort of anagram for the term "no where". Tedious reading, but it is now a brand name also for a soy sauce I think.
I have a jar of the Cavi*art that I picked up at a closeout/discount store a while back. I always intended to serve it at a party, but never did. I really don't want to try it... Please don't make me!
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Perhaps a reckless commentor will decide to "egg him on".
Though I personally have no interest in caviar as food, I do have a passing interest in the fishery itself as it realates to sustainable (and un-sustainable as the case may be) resource use, and so I clicked on the story wondering where you were going with the vegan angle. That any self respecting vegan would be interested in a politically correct knock-off of a pompous 'snack food' that has traditionaly had much more to do with status than nutrition is totally beyond me. Next we'll hear about cosmetic mods for hybrids that make them look just like bentleys and hummers.
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Fish eggs were traditionally dried and/or brined for consumption when protein laden food got scarce in winter. Similar to smoking and drying fish flesh. The egg eating tradition is from a time when most of the fish was consumed by those who caught them. Reflecting that tradtion, even broth made from the bones and head, for example, is still a staple in bouiabasse (I forget the spelling), a fish and shellfish stew. Selling as much of the whole fish as possible does seem like a positive act when consumption is local. It is the commoditization of rare and special parts that makes it seem perverse.
""but it is now a brand name also for a soy sauce I think.""
Hey! The Hawken founded Erewhon! (the start of his "natural capitalism"?) Props!
go on Turil, do it!!
John I think there's another (yuk) fake cavier, the equivalent of fish sticks and gelatine prawns, it seems to be from fish or fish flavoured gelo-gunk dyed deathly black or bold red.
as a side note, that brand you picture at the top is notorious for its use of fish from the so-called "areas of concern". Perhaps because of that, it is highly regarded in some underground art circles for its "mind-expansion" properties.
Just seconding that note from chrisweagel...I've been familiar with that brand of Carp Caviar for some time now, and I always recommend it to friends when they get writer's block.