Royal Fish
It’s not clear where the name caviar comes from. Some say that the derivation is “Cav-Jar” (dish of joy) used by an Iranian tribe that lived by the Caspian Sea, or possibly a little less symbolically from the central Persian “Khag-viar” meaning “small black fish egg”. We know which explanation we prefer…but whichever is the right answer we know that there is something magical about this “black gold” that has for centuries been a culinary highlight in many cultures.
It is a little-known fact that all sturgeon that are found in the coastal waters of the United Kingdom are deemed to be the property of the monarch. This decree dates back to 1324, when King Edward II declared them to be of “superior excellence that makes them uniquely suited for the monarch’s use”.
The main challenge with the production of caviar is that they are a long-lived and late-maturing fish, which means that traditional caviar, in which the fish is killed to harvest the eggs doesn’t make it a very sustainable foodstuff… Which is why we were delighted to be introduced to Kasperskian Caviar, who farm the fish in the pure waters of the Rhône, in the heart of the Swiss Alps, who have developed a way of harvesting caviar without killing the fish.
We added “Caviar with Life” to our menu a month or so ago, and it has quickly become our top selling caviar. We are delighted to invite Konstantin Sidorov, the owner of Kasperskian to guide us through a presentation about caviar and a comparison of “Caviar with Life” alongside traditional caviar.
The next big question that needs to be answered is what to drink with caviar? Is the traditional tipple of a premium vodka the way to go, or is it best served with a vintage Champagne? The pretenders to the throne as the beverage of choice are a Savennières (a French dry white wine made from Chenin Blanc), or even a Pinot Blanc; though we have also heard it said that a super-premium Cognac (like Louis XIII) or even a Manzanilla sherry fit the bill perfectly! To answer this question, we will serve you a glass of each and we will let your taste-buds decide.
We will taste:
40 grams Kasperskian “Caviar with Life”
10 grams Kasperskian Traditional Oscietra
Accompanied by a glass of
2004 Louis Roederer Cristal
Remy Martin, Louis XIII NV
Stolichnaya Elit
2007 Savennières, Clos du Papillon, Domaine des Baumard
2013 Pinot Blanc ‘Mise Du Printemps’, Josmeyer
La Bota No 58, Amontillado, Equipo Navazos Sherry, Equipo Navazos