Caviar is a delicacy and sensual food that must be treated as such. It’s got such a unique flavor profile that there’s a proper way to eat caviar, and it makes the experience even more enjoyable.
For those who have never had the pleasure of trying caviar, here are a few tips on how to properly eat and enjoy your first bite of caviar.
To start, there is a correct way to eat caviar: you’re supposed to eat it off the back of your hand, between your index finger and thumb.
John Knierim, vice president of Calvisius Caviar, is our caviar connoisseur and partner, said people began eating caviar this way in order to test out what they were buying before they purchased a tin of caviar.
“If you eat something off of your hand, your brain automatically says that there is no flavor profile or texture coming off the back of your hand,” Knierim said. “But if you eat something off a spoon, your brain tells you that a spoon has a taste and a texture to it.
“But people realized there were bacteria being passed along by the palm of the hand, but the back of the hand was the purest form because they could actually put caviar on the back of the hand and not pass the disease along from one person to the next,” he said. “They would actually taste the caviar off the back and if they liked it, they would take that tin. If they didn’t like it, they would open up another tin and let the customer choose which one they wanted.
So below we broke down the etiquette on how to eat caviar.
Step 1: Get it on your hand
To properly assess the quality of caviar, take a small amount (3-5 g/ 0.10-0.17 oz) with a mother-of-pearl spoon (bone or horn), and place it on the back of the hand between the index finger and thumb. Gently move the caviar and tilt your fist towards the light, ensuring the round perfection of the eggs while appreciating the color and sheen of the product.
Step 2: Smell it
After a few seconds on the hand, caviar warms slightly and the evaporation of aromatic molecules, otherwise hardly detectable at 0 ° C, intensifies.
Bring your fist under your nose to evaluate the fragrance; this has to be almost absent, vaguely evoking the sea, but no flavor should be associated with that of preserved fish.
Even after the caviar has been tasted, the hand shouldn’t have a strong fish odor.
Step 3: Taste it
Once caviar is in your mouth, let the fish eggs rest on your palate and appreciate their smooth, tender texture and the amazing explosion of flavors. Only then can the complexity, intensity, and persistence of the incredible flavor of great caviar be truly appreciated.
Caviar purveyors have eaten the delicacy this way for years. But it’s taken other people a little longer to catch on.
Even though it might look foolish to eat caviar like this, it actually helps get a “cleaner flavor” of the caviar, according to Knierim. And the uncomfortableness associated with eating it like this will fade. While most times in restaurants people are going to put it on a toast point or a blini because of decorum, don’t be afraid to try this method in public. Only true connoisseurs will understand.
“I think getting people to try it for the first time like that is really important. When somebody’s never had good caviar it really makes a huge difference,” Knierim said. “Most people don’t know how to smell caviar [the correct way], and if it has a smell to it, you don’t want to eat it. If it’s on the back of your hand, you can smell the difference [between good or bad] right away. But if you must take your caviar with something, Knierim said his favorite way to eat it off-the-hand is on a buckwheat blini with nothing else on it.
How to Serve Caviar With the Best Pairings
The best complement to caviar is dry sparkling wine. These help the flow of aromas and merge its aromatic complexity with that of caviar with often surprising effects.
Some caviars are more suitable to be used in the kitchen or served with strictly cold or lukewarm pasta, rice or potato.
Almost raw egg yolk, light crème fraîche or sour cream, soft bread or blini are suitable to meet the texture of the roe, while others can only be fully appreciated simply by themselves.
For special occasions, serve caviar chilled in its tin or on a small bed of ice with mother-of-pearl or nonmetallic accessories to avoid a metallic taste. Keep the presentation simple so the finest caviar can shine.
What is the most popular way to eat caviar?
The most popular way to eat caviar is simply on its own, with a mother-of-pearl spoon or the back of your hand, so you can taste the caviar’s clean flavor without distraction.
Are you supposed to chew caviar or just swallow it?
You should gently let caviar rest on your palate and then lightly chew the fish eggs to release the flavor and texture before swallowing.