 Eloquently clustered and perfectly arranged, the mysterious yet captivating roe laid quietly upon thinly prepared pancakes, as if a force attracted each egg together in an enchanted harmony. Mesmerized by the dish that my mother prepared, my entire extended family gathered around the dining table, eagerly awaiting the arrival of my mother’s annual caviar pancakes. Noticing my prolonged and curious gaze, my mother scooped up a generous spoonful of roe out of the yellow tin and glided it onto another warm pancake for me. Due to my young age, my mother never found it appropriate to share caviar with me as a child, for I was not aware of the specialty and would not appreciate the dish as a delicacy. Fortunately, entering my teen years with new adult responsibilities, my mother finally found it suitable to have me attend the family tradition on New Years Eve. I will never forget the first night when I tried caviar; those priceless pearls melted in my mouth with a soft beady sensation that connected me to something primitive yet elusive. I felt a deeply rooted connection with the ocean and I instantly understood the appeal of caviar. However, for me, the caviar itself was not the best part of the night. It was the time spent with family in a classy and mature manor, reflecting over the past year and making promises for the next that helped compliment the caviar ceremony. Yet, I had always wondered where the New Years Eve caviar tradition had started in my family and what it was about caviar that caused it to be so highly coveted. Seeking answers, I investigated the history of caviar, the economic and environmental consequences behind farming it, and its relevance in society at large as a delicacy. It led me to recognize the unfortunate possibility that my family tradition may end one day due to overfishing, but also to a family story that had never been fully revealed to me about the importance of sticking together through tough times. The enjoyment of costly luxuries is usually based upon its rarity, exclusiveness, and festiveness, however in my family, caviar is alluring because of its ability to help my family reflect on past experiences, signify a new beginning, and make my mother stand out. |
To fully appreciate the culture behind caviar, one must
understand its extensive history, the rarity it possesses, and the economics
behind it. To start, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, caviar
is “the roe of the sturgeon and other large fish obtained from lakes
and rivers of the east of Europe, pressed and salted, and eaten as a relish”
(OED). However, this definition conflicts with the cultural belief surrounding
caviar and its extensive history. Culturally, the belief is widely accepted
that for caviar to be considered true caviar, not to be confused with the roe
of any fish, it must specifically come from the sturgeon fish from the Caspian or
Black Sea. There are many common less-expensive replacements for caviar such as
salmon and cuttlefish eggs, but these are not to be confused with true caviar.
Alongside different types of fish roe, all Sturgeon fish are not alike. There
are many different species of the same fish, all of which have different
tasting roe based on their location and breed. There are a few types of common
caviar that everyone should be aware of. Beluga, the notoriously gigantic fish,
has highly prized eggs. Beluga caviar has a subtle, creamy and an oceanic
aftertaste. In most places they aren’t legally farmable and they’re difficult
to buy because of conservation, which dramatically increases the prices to approximately four hundred dollars per ounce. Another caviar, Ossetra, is commonly farmed and has a
nutty aftertaste. Unlike Beluga, Ossetra is cheaper and more easily available to purchase. My family uses Ossetra caviar for our family tradition because my
mother prefers the taste and believes it is more affordable. Sevruga, one of
the smaller breeds, is farmed quickly and the eggs are often preferred because
they’re affordable and have a salty flavor. 
Caviar has been a part of ancient culture for thousands
of years. Investigating the etymology of the word caviar, “the origins of the word are claimed to be from the Greek avyaron, the Italian caviale, or Turkish haviar, but more likely these were corruptions of the Persian: mahi-e-khaveeyar is ‘gravid fish’,
meaning ‘having eggs’”(Fletcher, 16). Although caviar was not as highly
coveted as sturgeon meat was in the ancient world, fish eggs were undoubtedly
eaten. Caviar was not coveted until Aristotle commented on the quality of
sturgeon eggs and until it gained the approval from the Russian and Greek
Orthodox Churches as suitable for fast days. Once sanctioned, caviar became the
soul and icon of Russia and the passion for the priceless pearls progressively spread
around the world. Likewise, after the industrial revolution, the demand
for caviar hit globalization and the survival of the fish came down to supply
and demand. As Minder describes, "Caviar might be perceived as one of the world's most exclusive products, but its production is expanding far and fast"(Minder). Caviar was no longer impossible to ship from the Caspian Sea over
to Europe and America and there was little doubt that more caviar was being
consumed worldwide than ever before. It seemed to raise concerns according to
Inga Saffron, “It was a wonderful fantasy while it lasted. The reality was that
caviar was never meant to be a delicacy for the masses, as easy to obtain as a
box of chocolates” (Saffron, xiii.) She believes that the rarity and reputation
fuels desire and helps make it more of a delicacy. However, I believe that
caviar should be somewhere in the middle. It shouldn’t be available like
chocolate, but families should be able to have it on special occasions such as
we do on New Years Eve.
Unfortunately, as in almost any economic situation, when
there’s profit to be made, environmental consequences shortly follow. As one critic describes, “It [caviar] is a sad story about man’s rapaciousness
and quest for profit with complete disregard for loss of biological diversity”
(Goldstein). Russian’s
and Middle Easterners quickly learned that there was money to be made by fishing
sturgeon and harvesting caviar. It was an easy business for many people in
Russia and the Middle East because Sturgeon fish are notorious for being placid
creatures. They are very easy to catch and do not struggle when you pick them up. Ironically, they have existed for millions of years. “They
[sturgeon] survived heat and ice that wipe out countless other species, and
coexisted with humans when they emerged two million years ago. But they seem to
have no instinct to escape the clumsiest of fishing systems, and within the
last 150 years, human activities have practically wiped them out” (Fletcher,
11). Although sturgeon are very hardy creatures, overfishing in recent years
has greatly reduced their populations. Thus, my family worries about the
potential of sturgeon becoming extinct in the near future, which would ruin our
family tradition forever.
Even though my family doesn’t have a deeply rooted Russian or Middle
Eastern history, we still use caviar as a delicacy. Every New Years Eve, my entire extended family travels from all across
the country to gather at my grandmother’s house in Florida for the special
occasion. Reminiscing over family stories and bonding over past times, New
Years Eve uniquely marks the time that my entire family reunites and celebrates
the festivities of a new commencement. Gathered around the television,
chattering with half drunken spirits and guided by loud laughter, my family and
I watch the famous New Year’s ball drop on NBC in Times Square. Although most
of the attention around the world is probably on the extravagant ball dropping
in New York City, my family’s attention is distracted by another type of
coveted ball, the beady pearls of the ocean: caviar.
Preparations for the celebration come in the form of competing with
aggressive shoppers scurrying under strict holiday shopping hours. Seafood and
New Year's Eve are a sacred combination, especially in Florida. I always
thought that my mother should buy the caviar a few days ahead of time and forgo
the usual commotion. However, for some reason she believes that the caviar
should be bought on the same day that it is consumed. Fortunately, the only
part of the meal that actually requires cooking is the mini crepe styled
pancakes. Once cooked, the caviar is placed on top of them. They have a very simple recipe of
flour, sugar, baking powder, egg, milk, butter and the perfect pan flip over a
hot stove performed by my mother. To compliment the pancakes, my father and I
are usually assigned to help chop up onions and hard boiled eggs.
 |
| Served w/ mother-of-pearl |
To make the tradition more memorable, lots of time and energy are put into the presentation. “It really is all about the presentation. It is as much a visual
experience as it is a flavorful one,” my mother explained to me. First the
accouterments are delightfully sorted into their appropriate serving dishes. Chopped
onions, chopped hard-boiled eggs, sour cream, and a warming dish for the
pancakes are all neatly prepared before the main serving. The caviar, the
honoree for the evening, is placed in a glass bowl, which is then placed an
even larger glass bowl filled with ice, accompanied by a mother-of-pearl
serving spoon. It is part of the caviar culture to serve the dish with
a mother-of-pearl, bone, or golden dining set. Many people believe that normal silverware destroys the
taste of the caviar and my mother strongly agrees. As it is laid on
the dining table, my mother leads the toast, celebrating the gathering, the
past year, and the strength of our family’s relationships.
Everyone has his or her own choice of beverage to accompany the caviar.
My mother prefers champagne because of the combination of beady and bubbly
texture on the pallet of her mouth. My uncle prefers vodka on the
rocks because it clears the taste from his mouth and allows for a renewing
flavor. Since I’m underage, I prefer to drink sparkling water because I too,
similar to my mother, enjoy the beady and bubbly sensation of the
caviar on my tongue.
There’s more to caviar than one might expect. It’s a
delicacy and a critical part of the festiveness, but I wanted to understand why
else the tradition was deeply rooted in my own family history. As I looked into
caviar, I believe it was chosen because the roe itself symbolizes a new
beginning that has yet to unfold. To me, the shinny shell resembles good
fortunes, desire, and overall wellness. The gooey inside reminds me to sometimes
take problems light heartedly. Additionally, the round but individual shapes
represent the personal attachment and individuality each person has in my
family.
However, after talking with my mother about the history of the
tradition, I have come to learn that caviar has much more of a symbolic meaning
for her than it will ever have for me. In my mother’s late teens, her parents
went through a rough divorce, resulting with the separation of my mother from
her father. My mother’s father, to this day, has unknown whereabouts and has
not kept in touch with any part of the family since the divorce over 40 years
ago. As a maturing teenager, it was a difficult time for my mother to
experience such a hardship. She explained that the year of the divorce was the
first time she had ever felt lonely and that she wanted a new beginning. She
figured that New Years Eve would be the perfect opportunity to start a new
beginning and chose to celebrate the night by eating a small tin of caviar with the remainder of her family.
My mother and her sisters pocketed enough money to buy a little
tin of caviar to celebrate the New Year. “We splurged on purchasing just a
small tin,” my mother explained. The tradition started the year after the divorce.
My mother emotionally described, “At a time that most people would stop
celebrating, my family decided to embrace the divorce and to use the caviar to
help signify and strengthen our relationships with each other for years to come.”
I was perplexed with my mother’s words. I never realized how deeply meaningful
caviar was to her because she had never explained how the tradition had started.
To me, it was something partially symbolic to help signify a new beginning, but
to her it meant staying together as a family.
My mothers words lead me to the question, “Why caviar?” I
asked. The whole mystery still was not coming full circle for me. She explained
that there’s something about caviar that found a unique place within her family
after the divorce and that I too should find my own meaning with the tradition.
Although she didn’t explain exactly why she chose caviar, I was lead to believe
that my mother and her sisters embodied the nature of it. My mother was
separated from her father before maturing, just as the caviar was separated abruptly
from the sturgeon fish. My mother’s family also stuck tightly together in a
strong willed force with each other throughout the pursuing hardships, just as
caviar clusters and sticks together naturally in a tin can and as you spread it across a pancake.
The eggs symbolized a new beginning yet to come and encouraged her family to
support each other just like the 200 million year old Jurassic sturgeon roe did
to survive their own hardships such as the Ice Age. Even though my mother’s
family was struggling financially and caviar is usually associated with tsars
and popes, she felt that she too deserved the royalty and delicacy that those
people experienced, at least once a year. All the different factors woven
together created a tradition that would help keep the family together through
good years and bad, and to her, that was something worth celebrating.
Recipe / How to prepare caviar pancakes
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 ounce tin of caviar, chilled
(Optional) 1 chopped hard boiled egg, sour cream, chopped onion
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and the eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium to high heat. Pour or scoop the bater onto the griddle using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
3. Cook the pancake for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side.
4. Let pancake cool to warmth and gently, using a wooden or mother-of-pearl spoon, slide a heaping spoon full of caviar onto pancake.
5. (Optional) Add sour cream, chopped onions, or hardboiled eggs to top of pancake alongside caviar.
6. Keep caviar chilled in a bowl with ice surrounding the exterior of the bowl. Easiest way to do this is to have a smaller bowl containing caviar, inside a larger bowl containing ice and the smaller bowl.
Works Cited
"Caviar." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. e-reference ed. 2000.
Online.
Dillinger, Karen. Personal Interview. 12 Apr 2012.
Fletcher, Nichola. Caviar A Global History. London: Reaktion Books, 2010. Print.
Goldstein, Darra. Review: Review of Caviar: The Strange History and Uncertain Future of
the World's Most Coveted Delicacy. Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture,
Vol. 3, No.4; pp. 104-105. 2003
the World's Most Coveted Delicacy. Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture,
Vol. 3, No.4; pp. 104-105. 2003
Minder, Raphael. "Caviar Migrates Beyond The Caspian Region." New York Times 17 Dec
2011: p30p. Print.
Saffron, Inga. Caviar: The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World's Most
Coveted Delicacy. New York: Broadway Books, 2002. Print.
