I used to eat sturgeon black caviar in Astrakhan, Russia where I was born. Every morning we would have this stuff by the buckets and we didn't think anything of it, it wasn't expensive at all. It was kind of "peasant food". How times have changed! I do love caviar but not at these prices, thanks for the video!
@@coreycannon4511 At one time in the US lobster was considered a punishment. Couldn't be served to prisoners more than once a week because it would be cruel and unusual punishment.
Fish monger here, I really like the salmon caviar, it's a great product for the price and goes great with many things like eggs, rice, garnish for fancy dishes or on blinis with creme fresh. Also if you are able to get whole fish, there is a chance that they will have eggs inside them, and making your own caviar is incredibly easy, just soaking the eggs in salt water brine for a few minutes, Great video Ethan
Totally! I think the alternative fish caviars are slept on. I’d like to explore some different ways to use them in rice bowls, various, garnishes, etc.
There is a large range in the qualities of cured salmon eggs. I've had some that were very nice and others that are just salty, fishy (not spoiled, just that oily funkyness), and poorly textured.
@@EthanChlebowski russian here and I think you must have gotten a brand of red caviar that wasn't so great, there is huge variation in flavor. Some really are phenomenal with notes of sweetness to it. Texturally it's my favorite and is great on a little bit of bread and butter. It's spectacular if you get the right kind.
@@EthanChlebowski I‘m surprised that you hadn’t tasted them before. As a half-Japanese, I LOVE salmon caviar (on Sushi) and any Japanese person will probably tell you the same. Try it out if you can, I‘d imagine you can see how the sweet rice contrasts it beautifully!
I was born in Odessa, Ukraine during the USSR era, and lived there until the age of 5. Caviar was not considered some luxury item back then (the late 80s) and my grandmother used to make me some bread with butter and black caviar every time I stayed with her. It was just fish eggs.
I remember few days before newyear 2024, I was at a supermarket and wanted to buy a jar of caviar. I don't know anything about caviar except that it tastes good. Luckily for me, there were two guys standing near, discussing caviar. Discussing with a sense of knowledge, like they were talking what's good and what's bad about each type. "Good" - I thought, - "They seem to know their way around caviar, I'll use their guidance to buy myself the best one". In the end they bought a specific jar of caviar because it was the cheapest. I did the same.
I love a good whiskey. My friend grew up in an affluent family and was telling me one time about how his dad had a $1500 bottle of Pappy Van Winkle and how on his high school graduation his dad "gifted" him a shot of Pappy. I don't think I've ever spent more than $75 on a bottle of whiskey and I was making over $100k the last two years. Some of the best whiskey I've had is a $25 bottle of Irish single malt whiskey called Sexton. My buddy has one of the best tequilas I've had (I'm not a huge tequila drinker, but I can tell gasoline from good shit) and it was $30.
@jamescheddar4896 I was looking at the bottle earlier because I recommended it to someone else and it's actually single malt whiskey (if you were referring to that). Not sure about the tequila though. Back in May I bought a bottle of Ilegal Mezcal because I couldn't remember if I liked Mezcal or not, it was absolutely terrible. It tastes like paint thinner.
@@Brando56894 As a certified liquor expert, I really respect the Sexton pick, most people would never even give it a chance. But gonna be honest, I just drink Tullamore D.E.W. because I can make it into any cocktail, take it as shots, or drink it on the rocks, just depending on the mood. A whole bookcase full of high end and high quality liquor, and I just drink cheap Irish whiskey by the handle because its easy.
My father went to Azerbaijan to work kinda right after it became independent (mid to late 90s). When he would come back for his breaks, he would bring me each time a Tupperware full of sturgeon caviar (no I'm not joking). It was cheap, even if it was considered a delicacy, and especially cheap in a newly independent and economically highly volatile country. I later also had the chance to taste red and white caviar again thanks to him, and I really enjoy the white one
I worked a wealthy man's party where they served high end caviar. I was offered a taste, both with and without the toast and crème fraiche. I didn't like it either way. Many years later, I was in a conversation where we were talking about over rated foods and I mentioned that I didn't like the taste of caviar, and one person who thought he knew everything said "You must have had the cheap stuff, because nobody admits to disliking the high end stuff!" I can guarantee the stuff I had wasn't cheap! Caviar isn't for everyone!
the one time I had some super expensive truffle pate, I almost threw up at how awful it tasted. I'm pretty sure "luxury" foods are up there with modern art. Pure nonsense.
He may have been onto something on the "nobody _admits_ to disliking high end $$$$ stuff" because you'd feel like an as* who just blew $500 for some salty balls
@@alexia3552I wasn't the one who purchased it, so I lost nothing. A very wealthy man threw a party and everyone else was eating it, so it didn't go to waste. I've tried it different ways and I don't like it.
I can actually confirm that the stuff you had was the expensive one precisely because you didn't like it. Caviar by itself doesn't taste all that good, and black caviar specifically is pretty much tasteless, but they deliberately leave it like that in high end processing to "preserve the taste", which leads to a bland "taste like nothing" expression. I used to live both in the north and on Black Sea, I ate tonns of stuff and I NEVER liked black caviar, and even more, I sincerely doubt anyone could like it because it is literally tasteless. People just pretend to like it - or convince themselves they should - because it is expensive and is considered luxury.
I bought beluga caviar on two occasions and I do like the taste, but it's not something that tastes extraordinarily, and there are things that are much tastier and much cheaper, so I don't think I will buy it again, at least not for a long time.
Agree and I will add that the amount of salt they used was a turn off. I, for some reason, thought the salt was there naturally from the salt water. The fact that this is artificially salted makes me wonder what caviar would taste like if it was un or lightly salted. I know it is probably a preservative or whatever, but now, to me, this is just a canned, salted fish product. Which I don't like in general. Mostly because it's too salty.
@Dr.Kraig_Ren Most mass produced food is just loaded with salt or sugar. There's a big difference between quality food and mass produced processed food. I'm not rich, and I like good, simple food. But I don't buy into this phony populist idea you see all over the internet that all expensive things are a scam and that McDonalds and processed snack cakes are actually superior because more people like them. It is true that more expensive food isn't necessarily better. But I think that's because rich people are paying for a *unique* experience more then just one that's better in some overall sense. And I think there's definitely something to be said for enjoying subtler pleasures- like good bitter tea, for example- rather then just going for super-sweet and super-salty food.
@Dr.Kraig_Ren Most mass produced foods are just loaded with sugar or salt. I do think that people buying more expensive foods are often looking for something *unique*, not something that's "better" in some generic sense. But on the other hand there is definitely something to be said for subtler pleasures, like good, bitter tea, rather then just going for things that are super salty or super sweet. The best things are not necessarily popular or cheap,- obviously McDonalds and processed snack cakes are not great foods just because a lot of people like them. In general I think your premise is completely wrong. A lot of traditional foods are really good. A lot of modern processed food is crap. Modern mass production has not necessarily improved food, at least not in the way that you seem to think.
When I was a kid, in the 60's, we used to have caviar on toast just about every breakfast. There was nothing "special" or "expensive" about it. I cannot recall when it started to be come a thing. And become so expensive.
As Russian person, I ate caviar pretty regularly (several times a year), the red caviar is THE caviar for me. It is not too expensive and for me personally has a better taste than the black caviar. Combo it with fresh bread and some unsalted butter, and you have yourself the perfect snack for special occasions
From someone, who was born and raised in USSR (Volgograd), who had it all… The best caviar you can have is the pike caviar, freshly made. Especially if you caught that pike yourself. The fresher the better.
Are you gonna do lobster? Saffron? This series is wild. Gotta keep going with your evolving takes on healthy, cheap and easy stuff too because the way you balance those are very unique.
As for saffron I think the cost is justified due to the low amount that can be harvested each year, As far as I know there have been many initiatives to grow the species elsewhere but without success
@@ocost3000 That depends, it is so seldom used that not many people outside Spain are really familiar with the fragrance and may not miss it at all if you happen to not use it on a deserving dish. I personally did see an improvement on some dishes but it may just be luxury bias.
@@Wallakazulum Not many people outside Spain? I think you forgot the entire Middle East... But yeah I agree with you that it's worth it. The flavour and fragrance it gives to a dish is unique, and a little of it goes a long way.
Love that you adopted the triangle test after someone in the comments recommended it the other time. Great to see this series grow and evolve even from its already high quality start.
I'm from Russia. My parents ate black caviar by the spoonful (maybe in the mid 80's), and also ate crabs because seafood was easier to get than meat. And fish was cheaper. Since the fish population has been reduced (Because of poachers), the price of caviar has gone up. Now a can of red caviar (about 125 grams) of salmon costs 600-800 rubles/6-8 dollars, black sturgeon caviar costs 8000-10000 rubles/80-100 dollars. Russians like to eat caviar with pancakes and spread it on a buttered sandwich (usually on New Year's Eve)
Im so glad you actually mentioned how devastating and terrible caviar harvesting was on sturgeon populations. A lot of people can't seem to grasp how fishing demolishes ecosystems. Animals that have long maturation periods are some of the most impacted by population swings because they can't replace themselves quick enough. Caviar is a cool dish but we desperately need to prioritize our ecosystems health over letting people enjoy a quick 5 minute meal that could've taken 30 years to end up on that plate.
I'm glad you mentioned this. I volunteer at an aquarium, and we have a white sturgeon that I have to talk about from time to time. It really doesn't make sense to overfish females for their eggs, leaving just males and immature females. Since they are slow to mature, they don't spawn every year once they are mature, and live for a long time (up to 100 years or more, depending on the species), climate change, and in the case of white sturgeon in California, several of their estuaries where the females will return to to spawn are no longer there. White sturgeon have been placed on the California Endangered Species List just this past year, meaning that it's catch and release for local fishing people. Before that, it was legal to catch and keep one a day. Sturgeon are really cool fish, if you ask me. They have no teeth, but have vacuum type mouths to suck in food and spit out the substrate. They just cruise around. They are considered "living dinosaurs". I wouldn't have a problem with caviar if they didn't kill the females to get the eggs.
I grew up in Soviet Union and as much as folks rave about the black caviar, red or salmon caviar is still a much more unique experience, that also comes at a way more reasonable price.
Salmon caviar is too salty for me and I personally like the subtle "melt" sturgeon caviar has over the popping boba texture salmon caviar has, but there's really no reason to shell the big bucks for a tin unless they're already slapping it on a dish at a Michelin restaurant. I'll agree salmon caviar is definitely more unique of an experience and way more distinct for a fraction of the cost
@@travis3571 I completely agree, salmon caviar was just too gooey and salty for me, but for the price it is definitely worth it to try and see if you like it! Although I disagree on your last point, I think every once in a long while, if you can afford it, just get a little tin of the good stuff and really treat yourself. Really savor it and treat it like the amazing experience it is! Having just a little on a nice cracker at home is SO nice, I think it’s easier to really focus on the textures and flavors of the caviar alone. But that’s just me!
Same. Black caviar has a certain delicacy/meatiness to it, but I much prefer red caviar. It also depends on how you serve it. I won't have it unless there's quality fresh bread and good butter. It's crazy how normal it was to munch on caviar in those days. The prices in the US are insane.
I do buy Salmon caviar from time to time when I make deviled eggs or homemade sushi. I like the taste of caviar but don't care enough to pay the exorbitant amount of money they want for the "right" caviar from sturgeons.
Caviar should be priced expensively. It kills a viable breeding fish from a vulnerable species that takes many years to mature. It should not be taken lightly as a cuisine. But in order to continue with funding and conservation efforts humans have to have a way to make profit off this fish because that's how science works in this day and age.
Ethan, been watching your vids for a while now and I just gotta say, you’re doing everything right. In the age of intensely obnoxious click bait garbage on youtube, you present things clearly, thoughtfully, transparently and above all: like a normal professional human. No tricks, no gags, no annoying narcissistic influencer me-me-me videos. Just perfectly succinct explanations using the scientific method, all with the goal of making your audience smarter and more informed when shopping. I am generally a cynic when it comes to the actual sincerity of most high view youtubers. Usually they focus on brand building and disguise their own shitty videos as being informative, while donning some phony charismatic persona to generate likes. But you cut through the noise and present your material beautifully. And when you do insert your sponsor content, you dont try to conceal it as if it were a part of your topic. Its cut and dry, “here is ad time… moving on”. Its refreshing to see a successful youruber that actually respects the intelligence of his audience. Last time I felt this way was with Alton Brown 20 years ago. If you werent on youtube, youd make a great teacher. Keep it up, and please never turn into a childish obnoxious click bait ad revenue farmer, like another very popular cooking personality…
I might be confused but what he did was more pseudoscientific. The tests of the cheaper caviar were not truly blind as he had different sized containers and thus could feel and tell what product it was. He also didn't cleanse his pallet between the taste tests and then did back to back taste tests. What's very possible is that he's stacking the flavor of each subsequent test on the previous one. "These are all running the same to me..." Yeah, they're all running the same because he's not really doing a scientific test and taking into account what happens on the tongue, nose, and mouth when you're eating. But hey, this is still fun CONTENT.
Forgot to mention how much of roe are actually (color) dyed. Sometimes its obvious, like bright green, but many times its not! Like black. Doesn't seem to be clearly disclosed, so beware of color tags and the like on eggs that are just dyed (rich red/orange also common)
I'm enjoying how intentional and deliberately meticulous you're being in all your tastings no matter if it's caviar or grilled chicken breasts. You've come a long way as a cook! So fun to watch because quite frankly the way you go about it is on par with those of us that are professionals in the restaurant industry doing the same thing. Kudos brother!
A lot of westerners don’t know even realize that, if you’ve ever been out for good sushi, there’s a VERY high chance that you’ve actually already eaten a type of caviar before! Those tiny little orange dots you get on the exterior surface of many popular types of (uramaki) sushi rolls are actually flying fish roe, called “tobiko.” Also: Salmon roe-the big orange balls in this video-get called “ikura” and star as _the_ topping/filling in a specific kind of (gunkanmaki) sushi.
I forgot to say that I just love these deep dives. They answer so many questions I have about the different foods and condiments that I use all the time. I’m a good home cook and I find cooking a relaxing and creative experience. However, I haven’t got the time or the skill set to taste test the different olive oils, soy sauces or caviars so I really appreciate what you do. Thanks again.
The human element is important in taste. My Russian grandparents gave me black caviar spread on bread the room we were in was dark so I thought it was chocolate spread….boy what a shock that was…. I haven’t had caviar since… lol
I can't believe this content is for free! I'm hooked by this series. It's like a detailed culinary course. I would be interested to see a series where you have your favourite application of cheap to expensive ingredients!
My dad used to serve caviar appetizers at Christmas; I'm sure not high-end, but most likely not the cheap stuff either. My brother and I were talking about it the other day, because we both actually really liked it, and we're thinking about picking some up, but we're not particularly wealthy, so this was a very worthwhile education for me. Thanks, as always. I always learn from you.
This is definitely one of the best videos i've seen in this platform! Extremely informative, clean and pleasant editing, cited sources, performing actual scientific experiments to answer the questions posed, and a proper conclusion (not to mention the very nice host) Great stuff! If only there were more of this type of content
Wait weren't the caviar tins in grams? Which measurement are you talking about? Either way come on, that will take you a moment to look up. I'm fine to comprehend either form really
I’d love to see a follow up about the Japanese/Sushi variants like Masago, Tobiko, Ikura, and some of the variants like black tobiko which is my personal favorite. Black Tobiko is flying fish roe with squid ink to make it black and add umami. I get it on my favorite sushi roll and it’s awesome! I’d also love to see you do a video on the more “processed foods” that are controversial but also have high end versions like Spam, Krab, can Corned Beef… etc. those foods that people either love or hate, and some people refuse to ever try because they’re “so processed”… but I’ve also tasted some expensive 10$ can of corned beef, and expensive Japanese Krab meat and they’re pretty incredible! I just want more people to appreciate the versatility and tastiness of stuff like Spam, vienna sausages and frozen meatballs. They have such a bad reputation but they can be really delicious if shown some love! There’s some real hidden gems out there in the form of premium canned or shelf stable meats and seafood. Just a thought! Loving these deep dives!
agreed. ikura is my absolute favorite sushi. especially with a raw quail egg yolk on top. umami bomb. throw in a piece of sea urchin and its the best bite of food on the planet
@@10010x0x0x01101XX0X1I’m eating Ikura right now🔥😊….I can’t eat a sushi roll without it, now! I already liked Masago, so it wasn’t much for me to be curious about Ikura. I haven’t tried the others, yet. Now I have something to look forward to👍🏾
I am also a tobiko fan, and wondered how you would compare that to the other fish eggs. I've had sturgeon caviar, and i liked it, but i think i like flying fish roe even better. And it's affordable.
You should have added American Bowfin, American Paddlefish, and Black Lumpfish caviars, all a more affordable alternative to sturgeon caviar. That are also more similar in size and texture to sturgeon caviar, so better when doing a blind taste test.
yeah but if u do champagne u kinda compare it to its main rivals, nothing against US caviar,I mean sure instead of white fish and salmon but again those are much cheaper than bowfina nd lumpfish eggs no?
In the State of Oklahoma, if you catch a paddle fish, you must turn it over to the state. The fish meat will be returned to you. But the eggs will be sold to pay for the paddle fish program.
@@hammaam23 maybe I tried a bad example but it’s texture was too slimy to the point I never tried it again. Also the name ‘lumpfish’ is kind of disgusting.
It reminds me a bit of when I moved from Chicago to Boston and people were paying upwards of 30 bucks for a lobster roll, which to me was basically akin to tuna salad but with lobster. I couldn’t figure out what the deal was until I saw another UA-cam video on how plentiful lobster used to be and how it was mostly a “poor man’s food.” Then I realized that a lobster roll was not created for luxury but simply for living.
Yeah, you go back 100 years or so and there are complaints from Prisoners in Achetraz complaining about the inhumane nature of being fed lobster more than twice a week..
@@SilvaDreamswhen the oceans get depleted by overfishing tilapia and carp and other trashy fish will be a rare luxury good of the rich. Get it while you can.🎉
I'm a bit of a food snob and I love caviar; however, I've also concluded that white sturgeon caviar is at most times superior to ossetra or other caspian species. The white sturgeon caviar that I purchase almost has a melon note to it that I thoroughly enjoy over the buttery, nutty brine flavor of more exclusive caviars Great video!
Absolutely, I work for a Company that makes ice cream. We had a taste test recently and it was recommended that we use crackers and water between taste tests
This is my first video of yours and I'm watching and I must say it's my first of many. Fun content and presented extremely well as well as educational. I'll probably show this to my kids
I loved this deep dive and the blind taste tests -- I've been curious about caviar for a while now and this literally answers all of my questions. I really appreciate you put in the time to do this
Dude, yknow what a great video would be? Comparing pre paid meal plans like factor 75, hello fresh, Marley spoon, etc. I would LOVE your educated input on stuff like that
I just tried Factor and canceled after one box. The food was tasty but, holy cow, I had not read the nutrition labels before ordering. Most meals had more than 30g of fat and half of that was saturated fat. I got a variety so some of these were keto (44g/25g saturated) but even the non-keto ones were extremely high in fat and saturated fat.
@@radben951 People that are trained or thin eat a lot of fats especially saturated fats. People that have overweight lack these fats so their body tries to compensate for it by turning sugars for example into fat.
Important thing to note about the red caviar is that unlike black caviar it's not usually eaten by itself because of its strong flavour snd saltiness. In Russia its mostly consumed as a spread on top of a white bread with some butter and is considered one of the New Year (Christmas) foods. Also to note is that the red caviar too has several subtypes which are different in size and flavor, the best in my opinion being kizhutch (coho salmon) and gorbusha (pink salmon).
Is red caviar prepared differently from the ikura (salmon eggs) that I've had with Japanese food? In my experience, they're not salty at all and have a delicate, fatty flavour with notes of seafood. I image the name 'cavier' means they've been cured with salt and the Japanese style doesn't do that?
Cod roe caviar cost $10/kg in Sweden. It's different from the caviars Ethan tested, the roe eggs are tiny and the caviars is mixed with oil, sugar, tomato puree. Nonetheless, it has a lot of umami and salt flavor and works great as a sandwich spread topped with a boiled egg. Btw, seaweed roe is a thing that would have been fun to compare with fish roe.
I had to google that. I didn't have time to deep dive, though. Have you compared them? Does it really taste like caviar? Or like so many vegan alternatives, is it something that looks similar enough to stick a label on, but doesn't actually taste anything at all like the original?
Same in Norway; roe "caviar" is a staple on many breakfast tables and is eaten on a slice of buttered bread. Some also contain mayo to some degree to make the taste milder for esp. kids. Have you every tried the Norwegian "Svolværpostei"? Sold in a small tin. This is in my opinion the best variation of kaviar. It is a drier, much more smoked variant, and contains a bit of cod liver. It has an amazing flavor - however you have to finish the tin once open as it does react quickly with air and becomes "fishy".
@@brucetidwell7715 I've only eaten seaweed roe a couple of times, but I'd say it tastes pretty similar. It has the umami and salty flavor and the texture is pretty similar too, tasted good on a blini with sour cream and red onion, so I'd say it's a pretty good substitute, way cheaper too. Having said that, I'm not a caviar connoisseur, I've only had beluga caviar once.
@@brucetidwell7715 I have tried some caviar, but my Love is still Kalles (formerly Kalles Caviar) which is a caviar paste on cod, salt and more. It did change it's name from Kalles Caviar to just Kalles because all other types of Caviar... which I cannot understand since it is pretty easy to understand the difference. Like Kalles and all store specific ones are the common caviar, all other caviar goes by their actual name. Kalles do have a vegan version from 2016
I am consistently impressed by the quality of these videos, the ways in which you explore, the brief history lessons - it all comes together in a way that I get super excited for learning about these foods and often will start expanding what I try and what I look for when shopping as a result. I really like the pivot you've done in your content from exploratory home cook to impartial authority on debunking culinary confusion.
Came upon this channel by accident…watched, then immediately subscribed. I really appreciated how you designed and produced this content…excellently done
This series is actually extremely useful for cooking. From the Chicken egg video to this and the other ones youve done, feels like im actually able to buy stuff without getting caught up in the marketing.
I was raised in USSR and then Russia. I loved red caviar in my childhood and still love it, especially with sourdough bread and butter. It wasn't expensive back then, so I don't associate it with luxury foods. Even now I find ways to buy it inexpensively in other countries (also there is a large variety in taste, not all of it is the same). I tried black caviar for the first time when I was around 30 years old. I liked it, too. It had a milder taste than red caviar, so I would never put it on anything or mix with anything else.
The way I eat caviar is so important. I can't just have it without anything. It is an occasion. So I have toested white bread, not blinis. Then I have cremme fraish on top of that and then some raw charlotte onion. Then the caviar and a small squeeze of lemon on top. This is simply divine. But it is simply more the ritual than the taste (even though I love the taste).
Keep in mind china produces more than all the other countries combined since they use non killing methods now, so the difference is minor between lets say poland or uganda since its all farmed
He got trolled by some source or just googled for 2 minutes before making the video. Uganda makes VANILLA caviar. Thins of pure vanilla bean pods that they call caviar because it looks like it but it just vanilla.
Lots of caviar comes from freshwater sturgeon. Sturgeon can live in both salt and fresh waters. Same with salmon, obviously. So its possible to have freshwater ca iar farms and olenty of caviar from the US is freshwater farmed.
i'm not lying when i say i paid $45 for 50 grams of imperial beluga today in tehran. if i bought beluga in canada where i live, i had to pay like $274 in USD. and when i was checking the prices on the website of the caviar brand, it cost ONLY $10 BUCKS OFR OSETRA. PPL IN THE STATES PAY LIKE $150 FOR THE SAME 50 GRAMS.
As someone fortunate enough to grow up with various sturgeon caviars available, I still, oddly enough, prefer the salmon roe. I should try the white fish one you also featured, mostly for its color...
I, like many norwegians, have been eating caviar (from cod) our whole lives. We commonly put it on egg on a slice of bread. Its as cheap as any other bread topping
are there "cheap" versions and "expensive" versions at norweigian stores? like the higher end one you get for special occasions? and what kind of fish is it from? oh also is sushi popular in Norway or no? lol
@@Zach-h2l the common caviar is from cod. Yeah you can find fancy pants caviars in regular grocery stores that come in tiny jars like in this video if you hate money. Afaik modern sushi is a product of a norwegian sales campaign of salmon to japan. Still it's not massively popular but it's getting decently common nowadays
I'm familiar with the Cod Roe Paste Kalles Kaviar which they used to sell at Ikea. Quite delicious on finger sandwiches with some cucumber and cream cheese. Definitely inexpensive, but also a very different experience.
When I was a kid, my mom had access to caviar that wasn't being sold, so I just ate it at a ridiculous low margin price as the ones we would get would expire in a day or 2, which never happened cause we just ate it. I can honestly say that my childhood contained more caviar sandwiches than peanut butter sandwiches. When I grew up and found out how much they cost, I stopped eating it, but if someone offers it to me, I'll gladly eat my childhood sandwiches again. BTW, small note: as a teenager I heard from a documentary (by Heston Blulmenthal, no idea what the name of the series was but it was something about exploring flavors) that caviar goes well with white chocolate and I just ate that. No idea if it was my mom's face, but something about the combination of white Belgian chocolate with caviar on top eaten with my mom looking at me like I was committing the worst crime in the world, made it not only the most memorable experience, but gave it a truly heavenly flavor
I'm so impressed by your approach. You're aware of every form of bias that can influence test results. Every aspect of this tasting, you've constructed it just as I would have. Very scientific, even when it comes to assessing a taste experience. Currently, I know of no UA-camr who approaches it better!
As an American living in Russia, I personally like he salmon (red) caviar the best. Keep in mind when my wife servers caviar you don't just eat it straight up. She basically cuts a small pieces of white bread, typically from a baton, puts butter on them and then puts the caviar on top. I've seen this at numerous parties. Any beluga caviar just costs stupid money IMO, and isn't worth it. I've only had it at weddings and stuff like that and I would rather have been eating the red stuff.
it would be great if you could add metric units to your videos, as its a hassle to always roughly convert units, just in the corner a litte text that for example says (15°c | 59°f) or (23'7" | 718 cm), these videos are really informative and it would elevate the experience, thanks in advance
@@lookoutforchris yeah, thats my point. it distracts from the video and you only do it roughly instead of accurately. also its more second nature to americans to convert to metric, as only 3 countries use imperial while the rest of the world uses metric units. it would be akin to using the "doppelzentner" or "morgen" or even the "ell", yeah, you can convert these no problem, but its a hassle.
@@ElGrandeIngenio Trust me, as an American (and a math teacher), it is most definitely not second nature for Americans to convert to metric. There is absolutely no reason to convert to metric in everyday life here because most products are labeled with both imperial and metric weight/volume (ergo no need to do the mental math). As the USA has the largest native English speaking population, most media we consume caters to us. We don't convert regularly because it's simply not necessary. Others do it for us.
@@AngieBee-uz1tw "no reason to convert to metric in everyday life here because most products are labeled with both imperial and metric weight/volume" - yeah, thats why im suggesting it.... its easier, also native english speakers are the minority when it comes to speaking english
I have always felt the exact same way about caviar. I've never tried it but knowing about the species of sturgeon and a bit of the history of the fish I understood that sturgeon caviar is expensive because the fish is endangered and takes a lot of time and resources to grow and mature. Not because the fish produces something amazingly unique and delicious.
Not really? Just form the first few minutes I can spot some mistakes like lumping in salmon roes with caviar and then building on that wrong foundation to suggest salmon roes have the same sort of utilities as sturgeon caviar, whe salmon roes have always been accessible as part of Japanese and Russian cuisine without them ever being considered luxury food.
I've searched for basically this exact video before, but always felt like the tests were marred by bias and the weird cultural expectations around caviar. Really appreciate your more scientific approach to taste testing, always feel like you're never looking for a particular outcome
You don't think this was marred by his bias of never eating or even liking caviar? He concludes it's not worth buying. ....yeah, because he doesn't like it.
@@promontorium all things have bias I guess, but he seemed open-minded and he did actually end up liking caviar! But is it worth the cost to someone who's never eaten it before? It's a useful question to explore
I just realized something. Your videos are litterally essays (i know right?!) with a thesis, research question, and nicely partitioned into sections with evidence and analysis and the whole deal. You make it seem so effortless and fun to write these essays and do the research for your video-compared to the essays we are required to write at school.
I highly recommend just writing an essay about something you're interested in. Essays can be quite fun if you're doing them out of a genuine interest in the topic rather than an obligation.
When I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan, the volunteers stationed on the Caspian Sea coast told stories of how they were were able to buy caviar cheap enough to have it for breakfast daily - on a monthly salary of $125.00. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly legally harvested.
I grew up in Russia and the taste of caviar is something that comes with the memories from the childhood. My both kids grew up in US. Son loves black caviar, but my daughter likes red. I introduced them to caviar when they were kids. Americans in general don't like it. It's like buckwheat... and lots of foods you grew up with...
I was born in Ukraine - and was very young and went to a trip to Russian in Early 90s with my family - me being under 10 years old. I ate Sturgeoun black caviar by spoonsful - like it was cereal. Good times :)
I’ve loved caviar since I was a teenager and got to try it at a fancy party my parents took me to for one of their friends book launch. However, I’ve never seen the point to paying a lot for it since the whitefish roe I’ve had is just fine for me. For a special dinner party I’ve bought the white sturgeon caviar but since I mostly serve it either on tiny baked potatoes with sour cream and chives or on blini with grate egg yolks and chives the subtle flavor differences get lost and its mostly about the texture and saltiness.
I used to work in the caviar room at a fish processing plant, and at least for salmon roe we would literally pick out any imperfections or bits of membrane with tweezers before packing, after pressing. Also salmon roe over white rice is amazing!
Can't forget the fact that during a Discord Chat about Vegetarianism someone brought up Caviar or specifically Salmon Egg which I, someone who often eat Vegetarian Food said weren't Vegetarian because you need to kill the fish. Without anyone knowing a conversation about Vegetarianism turned into how Fishes don't Menstruate as they only let out the egg when mating.
Hi, since you are doing an informative and educational video, I would like to correct some mistakes. The origin of soy sauce is not from Japan, but China. Below is a text from Kikkoman's website, the brand of soy sauce you showed in this video at 7:50 . "In ancient China, preserved foods and their seasonings were known as jiang - perhaps the forerunner to what we now know as soy sauce. Different types of jiang were produced from meat, seafood, vegetables, and grain. Of these ingredients, grain was the most easily available and manageable, so the jiang made from soybeans and wheat developed more rapidly. The process of making this “grain jiang” eventually spread from China into Japan and other neighbouring countries."
@@Akira42at 7:53 he asserts that soy sauce is from Japan. This statement would still be untrue even if we took the generous assumption that he meant that the best soy sauces are associated with Japan (e.g. how prosciutto is associated with Parma, Bourbon Whiskey must meet requirements to be labelled as Bourbon, etc.) simply because neither the best nor most iconic soy sauces are from Japan, alongside how the invention of soy sauce in China predates Japan’s existence
As always, Ethan, you have done a magnificent job. I would love to see a little more analysis and comparison with other types of fish eggs--such as tobiko (flying fish roe, common on sushi), paddlefish caviar, capelin, hackleback, lumpfish and so forth. Also, I think the French are using Snail eggs to provide some similarity.....? Keep up the great work!
Snail eggs seems a bit problematic considering the parasitism risks involved. That aside, I too would like to have seen that, especially considering my own love/hate relationship with tobiko (love their taste, hate their texture which feels gritty like dirt in the mouth to me).
I’ve grown up in a region where red caviar was a really common and cheap delicacy, until the prices skyrocketed due to bans. It’s definitely just yet another thing people won’t understand, if you’re not familiar with it early on. I’ve seen plenty of “adults” make faces at avocado and raw fish too
Nah. The taste is most definitely not for everyone and I don't think it's even an acquired taste. You either like fishy taste or you don't. Avocado is super mild in comparison. Raw fish is an entire category and depending on the fish very similar to caviar.
@@42ZaphodB42 Every taste is an acquired taste. You can even learn to like foods that you dont like, just by eating them many times. Ive done this to many foods and when i find a new food i don't like, i keep tasting it until i like it.
@@42ZaphodB42It’s funny that you talk about a fishy taste, because most raw fish and the only caviar (real caviar) I’ve eaten have had pretty much no fishy taste to them. I understand if people still don’t like them, but it’s not necessarily because they taste fishy.
The first time I tried caviar I thought it tasted just like tinned sardines 😅 Aka, it just tastes like whatever liquid is in the tin/jar it's packaged in.
i personally think that, esp. if salted, the beluga caviar is ruined. it loses so much of its inherent flavor.. thats why i prefer lightly salted salmon or other eggs. not only are they p...retty cheap, they are most of the times less salted and you get actually more of a fishy, earthy flavor.
Right? I would have expected the cheaper caviars to be more heavily salted, to hide the fact that they are not "the real deal". Adding so much salt to such an expensive product seems very wasteful in a way.
In Sweden you have smoked and heavily salted cod roe as a sandwich spread. It's labeled as caviar, but nobody would mistake it for this type of caviar. It's just a cheap every day sandwich spread that you can buy in any grocery store for $2 for a tube.
I love caviar. A friend brought me Osetra from Russia in the 80’s. I still have a picture of my son eating from a pearl spoon in his high chair. Crazy 80’s! Perhaps I associate the time and place as a particularly wonderful time in my life and therefore it was amazing, but I have subbed out less expensive and more sustainable options. Not as good but every Christmas this is my favorite gift. Homemade blinis. Oh my goodness. Mouth watering.
Hey, I actually grew up in a rich french family and ate a lot of caviar, I was excited to see your test pop up. The size of the eggs and "melting on the tongue" are considered to be the main differences, to the point we don't consider salmon and white surgeon eggs aren't considered caviar at all. The difference, to me, between the rest of the high priced foods you tested before is that you don't eat fish eggs on a regular basis, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and wagyu all have frequently eaten equivalents. For someone who eats salmon eggs everyday, beluga or ossetra caviar does make a big difference. Nice video !
Honestly, I’m about 1/3 of the way in, but it strikes me how much research and effort has gone into this video. Making a comment to boost you, bc you deserve the recognition. Let’s see how the video pans out. Another comment may be forthcoming.
Fab video. I have been making caviar on my fishing trips for a while now. Wanted to utilise the roe when harvesting trout. Your video was so comprehensive and fascinating, I learned a much. Thank you
Salmon roe is used a lot in Japanese food. It was interesting that he said it was very salty, in my experience, ikura (salmon eggs) has a fatty, almost sweet, flavour, with seafood notes, but not fishy if fresh, with a plesent popping sensation. For sure one of my favourite things to have on fusion sushi, even if it is a little more expensive. I do notice in the video that the salmon cavier is homogenous in colour. The salmon eggs I've had have a very visible deeper red dot inside that will float to the top of the egg, kind of like a yolk. So maybe the ones I've had aren't cured in salt, which would explain the difference.
Soy sauce has wheat in it too. In Japan, they often use tamari, which is basically wheat/gluten-free soy sauce. I prefer the flavor of soy sauce, but I know many who prefer the tamari.
Great video. This one really exposes the human element of taste; that part where you're brain is telling you the cheaper caviar tastes better is such a great example. I didn't really have any interest in caviar in the first place, but at least now I know I'm not just missing out. Too bad we can have a taste test between farm raised and wild caviar; curious if there's a big difference.
Caviar is just wonderful on the pallet to say the least. When extracted correctly as well as cleaned/ stored. 😩 SO savory and can enhance apps and sushi brilliantly. Salmon roe is cool but can be too fishy and salty. Osetra is my go to when serving up and me personally enjoying. If you haven’t tried it or think it’s not your thing, just try it. It should not be salty, fishy or held at room temperature. You won’t regret it. A suggestion, thin and crisp chicken skins, dill creme, caviar and fresh dill to garnish. Lite sprinkles of old bay and or a Alepo seasoning. Your welcome ! ❤😊
@@robertsaget6918 Made up for the video? No, this is literally how they farm cavier... They stun the fish, cut it open while it's still alive, then send it off for processing (the meat is considered delicious). And a lot of people care about the food they eat and don't want it to come from suffering, even if it's just a fish. Seafood overall has some of the most cruel methods of slaughter, if you believe that the animals experience pain. Lobster is boiled alive, or has it's brain stabbed, crab is often just ripped in half or boiled alive, squid is literally ripped in half and flayed alive, a lot of shellfish are eaten raw. Some Japanese sashimi involves flaying the live fish into slices and serving while the fish is still alive on the plate. And in Korea, a very popular dish is live octopus, which has been known to choke people with it's tenticles as it's eaten, even though the beak and other internal organs have been removed by the chef. If you don't have a problem with this, that's fine. It's personal opinion and everyone is entitled to one. But understand that others do have a problem, and not just vegetarians. Seems you hate people that have the opinion that fish can suffer just for expensive food.
How do you know if everyone needed this video? Most people I know hate caviar and certainly don't need it. These attention seeking comments with their platitudes.
3:48 Hol' up, what's that beautiful mother of pearl spoon???????? *instantly starts googling to see if they are available, or affordable* (such a pretty white shaded one, too.)
These spoons are made expressly for caviar, because metal will corrode when in contact with caviar and both get ruined, as well as ruin the caviar. Mother of pearl is the norm for caviar. In land foods where the same issue exists, bone is the norm.
I live in Europe and sometimes I just go to the supermarket and buy some low cost caviar (around 15-20 bugs per jar (same size as in the video)) and I just eat it with a spoon like a snack. Of course it's usually not sturgeon caviar but I still just like the taste so much I actually don't care. I think fish eggs just taste good. Am I weird, because of that?
no, but as taster of different kind of caviar, sturgeon one is the least appealing. It is not that good and price isn't worth it. Salmon (or other red fish) caviar is better. It is fat, salty and have nice additional umami taste. There are different types of such caviar, such as trout or other salmons. And structure is different too. So it is not weird. People who didn't eat it as delicacy maybe won't understand it. But oysters are also not that expensive for small portion and they are not for anybody as well, regardless how you prepare it (which plays big role).
If you can include kg for weight and m for length it would be very helpful. Most of the world use the metric system to measure, so if you include both metric and the "weird" system, then everyone understand what you mean.
Totally agree. I understand that American are use to so called freedom units but it’s more like Failed units😅. When you consider the world as a whole it is small minority that uses it. I always do appreciate it when videos have subtitles showing measurements in metric.
@@jamesanyang2980 there are two types of countries in the world: those use the metric system, and those who landed somebody on the moon. Deal with it. The imperial system is much better.
@@Ludvigvanamadeus Probably metric. So? Plenty of people speak English to me even though it's not their native language. That just makes them smart. What's your point?
I find your videos fascinating. My husband and I did purchase (what we thought was) high end caviar when we were in our 20's....I even purchased the little glass bowl that you put shaved ice in with the V-shaped glass that you put the caviar in. Of course, it came with the special spoon which I think was mother of pearl or something like that? Can't remember. The price points were slightly less given that I'm OLD, LOL...about to turn 60, so it was somewhere in the 1990's. I think we paid about $80 for probably the middle of your "top line". We did the whole thing with the various toppings and of course had expensive champagne to go with it all. The bottom line was that we both realized that we DON'T like caviar, LOL. Maybe we got ripped off and it was crummy product? I'm not willing to try again but I respect those that want to spend the money and enjoy.
the only caviar i like, if this even counts lol, is the bright orange stuff they put on the outside of sushi sometimes. it's a pop of energizing color, makes the roll look extra good... AND it doesn't give the creep factor of the big eggs. (or read like eggs at all.) (i'm sure there's a word for this, but you know the trichtophobia or whatever they call getting squicked out by a bunch of holes or like.. let's say a lotus pod, or honeycomb, or uglier things with huge porous holes. WELL, surely there's a name for things like glop of eggs, egg sacks, etc. after i had a freshwater snail laying eggs in the tank that was hard like a barnacle or a finger of coral, and removing them from the lid and even through paper towel it was the most GODAWFUL texture. knobby and would delicately crunch like frail coral and my whole body is cringing even writing this. i have total ptsd, didn't realize i had a thing with this AT ALL, but after the snail (RIP. but also, thank god.) now anything that's like egg clusters makes me hurk.)
If the balls are salty its probably some type of fish roe (Tobiko - flying fish; Masago - smelt fish; Ikura - salmon roe) . Pretty popular in sushi restaurants in the west. If its sweet, its not a fish egg at all, instead its droplets of orange juice, grape juice, apple juice or vegetable juice dropped into cold oil that coagulate into spheres as they hit & sink into the cold oil.
First time to the channel, I love the content and I will subscribe, can’t wait to watch the eggs from chickens. I am the guy who typically buys the most expensive because usually more expensive equals better. Taste better quality control, so I can’t wait to find out if I’ve been wasting money all this time, I’ve eaten caviar a few times in my life at fancy restaurants and always wondered what the hell it was besides being just fish eggs. So thank you for the incredible education that you have provided here. I think I will go out and try that $50 can in the future From what you were describing your taste buds sound very similar to what I would enjoy. Since were so many different varieties and the cost was so high I just never pursued having these. Plus I do not know the actual benefits now that I do maybe I will implement that Into a random diet.
Hi there from St Petersburg, Russia. Ironically I never tried proper good quality black caviar. I only tried something that was insultingly salty and didn't resembled anything of value based on how unpleasantly salty it was :(
@@f_c_k_o_f_f horrible, as any normal people. Was able to participate in the anti-war protest at the beginning of the war, but as a single person there's very little I can do.
@@blusafe1 idk it was an ad-stand where some company sold canned caviar like ready-to-eat one, and it was a known company if I remember correctly and the prices was quite expensive, like you normally expect black caviar to cost in Russia, but it was in 2018 or 2019 I don't remember, or even earlier.
We, with much cheaper caviar (the only benefit from being close to Russia), just eat it on a baguette slice and butter. It was a special holiday treat for some time, especially in USSR, but now it's generally more accessible. Far from being mega luxury it is in more western countries. That's mostly about red one, black is still pretty expencive and exclusive, but still quite cheaper than "abroad". Tbf I only know one person who loves caviar so much that they can eat it without any condiments/additions, most just really eat it like a canapé. Favourite post soviet canapé, the caviar baguette w/ butter, yea...
People in Europe have no idea what size that big one was because you used imperial units. And you started with grams/kilograms... Use both metric/imperial please.
In fact, people in THE WORLD have no idea what he was talking about. It's only that country and some random african one the ones that use that crappy system
I’ve had a variety of caviars and I can honestly say some of the higher end ones are amazingly delicious. But honestly around $50 which is still a lot you can get an amazing caviar.
An audio recommendation, try a pop filter for your voiceovers with the MX7. The built-in wind screen helps with breath, wind, etc, but isn’t enough to mitigate plosives from your P’s, D’s, T’s, etc. They make some low profile ones that may work for you on camera. It may be hard to hear if you’re editing on headphones or speakers without a subwoofer, but it’s easy for a lot of undesirable sound energy to be picked up. Barring a filter, an easy fix can be putting a hi-pass cutoff filter on just your voice channel. Most of the ‘body’ of a male voice comes from ~100hertz and up, so rolling off everything below ~70hertz will remove the muddy low and sub audible frequencies that don’t actually improve the tone. Anyways, love the content. Keep it up!
I used to eat sturgeon black caviar in Astrakhan, Russia where I was born. Every morning we would have this stuff by the buckets and we didn't think anything of it, it wasn't expensive at all. It was kind of "peasant food". How times have changed! I do love caviar but not at these prices, thanks for the video!
A former employee (retired) a Russian immigrant told me the same thing. Grew up in a poor fishing village and it was a staple. Nutritious and cheap.
Lobster used to be the same in Newfoundland. It’s what you ate. If you had to.
@@coreycannon4511 At one time in the US lobster was considered a punishment. Couldn't be served to prisoners more than once a week because it would be cruel and unusual punishment.
How much money do you send back home to Putin now ?
Putin
Fish monger here, I really like the salmon caviar, it's a great product for the price and goes great with many things like eggs, rice, garnish for fancy dishes or on blinis with creme fresh. Also if you are able to get whole fish, there is a chance that they will have eggs inside them, and making your own caviar is incredibly easy, just soaking the eggs in salt water brine for a few minutes, Great video Ethan
Totally! I think the alternative fish caviars are slept on. I’d like to explore some different ways to use them in rice bowls, various, garnishes, etc.
There is a large range in the qualities of cured salmon eggs. I've had some that were very nice and others that are just salty, fishy (not spoiled, just that oily funkyness), and poorly textured.
@@EthanChlebowski russian here and I think you must have gotten a brand of red caviar that wasn't so great, there is huge variation in flavor. Some really are phenomenal with notes of sweetness to it. Texturally it's my favorite and is great on a little bit of bread and butter. It's spectacular if you get the right kind.
@@EthanChlebowski I‘m surprised that you hadn’t tasted them before. As a half-Japanese, I LOVE salmon caviar (on Sushi) and any Japanese person will probably tell you the same. Try it out if you can, I‘d imagine you can see how the sweet rice contrasts it beautifully!
I love salmon roe! I just go to all you can eat sushi restaurants that serve it and get my fill.
I was born in Odessa, Ukraine during the USSR era, and lived there until the age of 5. Caviar was not considered some luxury item back then (the late 80s) and my grandmother used to make me some bread with butter and black caviar every time I stayed with her. It was just fish eggs.
Greetings from Zhytomyr! 👋🏻❣
I mean it still is. The only hard thing about getting caviar is doing so sustainably.
Yeah--I didn't realize it was considered to be such a luxurious food item until I moved to the US.
it used to be a peasants food in early britania
Yes because there was no export market , now it all goes to China.
I remember few days before newyear 2024, I was at a supermarket and wanted to buy a jar of caviar. I don't know anything about caviar except that it tastes good. Luckily for me, there were two guys standing near, discussing caviar. Discussing with a sense of knowledge, like they were talking what's good and what's bad about each type. "Good" - I thought, - "They seem to know their way around caviar, I'll use their guidance to buy myself the best one".
In the end they bought a specific jar of caviar because it was the cheapest.
I did the same.
and now you're an expert, too!
I love a good whiskey. My friend grew up in an affluent family and was telling me one time about how his dad had a $1500 bottle of Pappy Van Winkle and how on his high school graduation his dad "gifted" him a shot of Pappy. I don't think I've ever spent more than $75 on a bottle of whiskey and I was making over $100k the last two years. Some of the best whiskey I've had is a $25 bottle of Irish single malt whiskey called Sexton. My buddy has one of the best tequilas I've had (I'm not a huge tequila drinker, but I can tell gasoline from good shit) and it was $30.
@@Brando56894can vouch for the Sexton
@jamescheddar4896 I was looking at the bottle earlier because I recommended it to someone else and it's actually single malt whiskey (if you were referring to that). Not sure about the tequila though. Back in May I bought a bottle of Ilegal Mezcal because I couldn't remember if I liked Mezcal or not, it was absolutely terrible. It tastes like paint thinner.
@@Brando56894 As a certified liquor expert, I really respect the Sexton pick, most people would never even give it a chance. But gonna be honest, I just drink Tullamore D.E.W. because I can make it into any cocktail, take it as shots, or drink it on the rocks, just depending on the mood. A whole bookcase full of high end and high quality liquor, and I just drink cheap Irish whiskey by the handle because its easy.
Caviar is just pop rocks for rich people
Just get skittles and smoked salty seaweed I guess.
I first thought it was poop rocks 😂
LOL!
The ultimate flex lol.
Please keep thinking that.
My father went to Azerbaijan to work kinda right after it became independent (mid to late 90s). When he would come back for his breaks, he would bring me each time a Tupperware full of sturgeon caviar (no I'm not joking). It was cheap, even if it was considered a delicacy, and especially cheap in a newly independent and economically highly volatile country. I later also had the chance to taste red and white caviar again thanks to him, and I really enjoy the white one
yea bro it's cheap as hell here i used to eat it every morning as breakfast, i quit though its bland and kinda boring after a while.
I worked a wealthy man's party where they served high end caviar. I was offered a taste, both with and without the toast and crème fraiche. I didn't like it either way. Many years later, I was in a conversation where we were talking about over rated foods and I mentioned that I didn't like the taste of caviar, and one person who thought he knew everything said "You must have had the cheap stuff, because nobody admits to disliking the high end stuff!" I can guarantee the stuff I had wasn't cheap! Caviar isn't for everyone!
the one time I had some super expensive truffle pate, I almost threw up at how awful it tasted. I'm pretty sure "luxury" foods are up there with modern art. Pure nonsense.
@@moonashapate tastes like dog food, and I would consider myself to have a pretty great palate
He may have been onto something on the "nobody _admits_ to disliking high end $$$$ stuff" because you'd feel like an as* who just blew $500 for some salty balls
@@alexia3552I wasn't the one who purchased it, so I lost nothing. A very wealthy man threw a party and everyone else was eating it, so it didn't go to waste. I've tried it different ways and I don't like it.
I can actually confirm that the stuff you had was the expensive one precisely because you didn't like it. Caviar by itself doesn't taste all that good, and black caviar specifically is pretty much tasteless, but they deliberately leave it like that in high end processing to "preserve the taste", which leads to a bland "taste like nothing" expression.
I used to live both in the north and on Black Sea, I ate tonns of stuff and I NEVER liked black caviar, and even more, I sincerely doubt anyone could like it because it is literally tasteless. People just pretend to like it - or convince themselves they should - because it is expensive and is considered luxury.
I bought beluga caviar on two occasions and I do like the taste, but it's not something that tastes extraordinarily, and there are things that are much tastier and much cheaper, so I don't think I will buy it again, at least not for a long time.
ty for this truly helpful review, i might buy it to try but i have a feeling ill think the same thing you do
Agree and I will add that the amount of salt they used was a turn off. I, for some reason, thought the salt was there naturally from the salt water. The fact that this is artificially salted makes me wonder what caviar would taste like if it was un or lightly salted. I know it is probably a preservative or whatever, but now, to me, this is just a canned, salted fish product. Which I don't like in general. Mostly because it's too salty.
@Dr.Kraig_Ren Most mass produced food is just loaded with salt or sugar. There's a big difference between quality food and mass produced processed food. I'm not rich, and I like good, simple food. But I don't buy into this phony populist idea you see all over the internet that all expensive things are a scam and that McDonalds and processed snack cakes are actually superior because more people like them.
It is true that more expensive food isn't necessarily better. But I think that's because rich people are paying for a *unique* experience more then just one that's better in some overall sense. And I think there's definitely something to be said for enjoying subtler pleasures- like good bitter tea, for example- rather then just going for super-sweet and super-salty food.
@Dr.Kraig_Ren Most mass produced foods are just loaded with sugar or salt. I do think that people buying more expensive foods are often looking for something *unique*, not something that's "better" in some generic sense. But on the other hand there is definitely something to be said for subtler pleasures, like good, bitter tea, rather then just going for things that are super salty or super sweet. The best things are not necessarily popular or cheap,- obviously McDonalds and processed snack cakes are not great foods just because a lot of people like them.
In general I think your premise is completely wrong. A lot of traditional foods are really good. A lot of modern processed food is crap. Modern mass production has not necessarily improved food, at least not in the way that you seem to think.
there's is a definitely a difference between cheap and pricey caviar.
When I was a kid, in the 60's, we used to have caviar on toast just about every breakfast. There was nothing "special" or "expensive" about it. I cannot recall when it started to be come a thing. And become so expensive.
I fished for years, you ain't foolin nobody selling your fancy people snacks i can get at the bait shop.
@SanityTV_Last_Sane_Man_AliveI agree that caviar is a needlessly expensive product but fish roe is definitely not a waste product
human psychology is a hell of a drug
@SanityTV_Last_Sane_Man_Alive Are chicken eggs a waste product by that logic?
@SanityTV_Last_Sane_Man_Alivelol, they throw away the rest of the fish after harvesting the roe/caviar
As Russian person, I ate caviar pretty regularly (several times a year), the red caviar is THE caviar for me. It is not too expensive and for me personally has a better taste than the black caviar. Combo it with fresh bread and some unsalted butter, and you have yourself the perfect snack for special occasions
Reminds me of the buttered toast with nori often eaten in japan as a breakfast item.
Love it myself and wish to have it more often.
Im finna pick me up some honestly.
Red caviar sounds cool.
And a small vodka on the side. Perfect
From someone, who was born and raised in USSR (Volgograd), who had it all… The best caviar you can have is the pike caviar, freshly made. Especially if you caught that pike yourself.
The fresher the better.
thank god it's not expensive. But it's a gread caviar, approve
Thank you for the advice. I will probably try a tin of Russian pike caviar one day.
Are you gonna do lobster? Saffron? This series is wild. Gotta keep going with your evolving takes on healthy, cheap and easy stuff too because the way you balance those are very unique.
As for saffron I think the cost is justified due to the low amount that can be harvested each year, As far as I know there have been many initiatives to grow the species elsewhere but without success
@@Wallakazulum The question is less if it is justified, but if it's worth it
@@ocost3000 That depends, it is so seldom used that not many people outside Spain are really familiar with the fragrance and may not miss it at all if you happen to not use it on a deserving dish. I personally did see an improvement on some dishes but it may just be luxury bias.
Saffron is not worth the money
@@Wallakazulum Not many people outside Spain? I think you forgot the entire Middle East... But yeah I agree with you that it's worth it. The flavour and fragrance it gives to a dish is unique, and a little of it goes a long way.
Love that you adopted the triangle test after someone in the comments recommended it the other time. Great to see this series grow and evolve even from its already high quality start.
I'm from Russia. My parents ate black caviar by the spoonful (maybe in the mid 80's), and also ate crabs because seafood was easier to get than meat. And fish was cheaper.
Since the fish population has been reduced (Because of poachers), the price of caviar has gone up.
Now a can of red caviar (about 125 grams) of salmon costs 600-800 rubles/6-8 dollars, black sturgeon caviar costs 8000-10000 rubles/80-100 dollars.
Russians like to eat caviar with pancakes and spread it on a buttered sandwich (usually on New Year's Eve)
Im so glad you actually mentioned how devastating and terrible caviar harvesting was on sturgeon populations. A lot of people can't seem to grasp how fishing demolishes ecosystems. Animals that have long maturation periods are some of the most impacted by population swings because they can't replace themselves quick enough. Caviar is a cool dish but we desperately need to prioritize our ecosystems health over letting people enjoy a quick 5 minute meal that could've taken 30 years to end up on that plate.
I'm glad you mentioned this. I volunteer at an aquarium, and we have a white sturgeon that I have to talk about from time to time. It really doesn't make sense to overfish females for their eggs, leaving just males and immature females. Since they are slow to mature, they don't spawn every year once they are mature, and live for a long time (up to 100 years or more, depending on the species), climate change, and in the case of white sturgeon in California, several of their estuaries where the females will return to to spawn are no longer there. White sturgeon have been placed on the California Endangered Species List just this past year, meaning that it's catch and release for local fishing people. Before that, it was legal to catch and keep one a day. Sturgeon are really cool fish, if you ask me. They have no teeth, but have vacuum type mouths to suck in food and spit out the substrate. They just cruise around. They are considered "living dinosaurs". I wouldn't have a problem with caviar if they didn't kill the females to get the eggs.
I grew up in Soviet Union and as much as folks rave about the black caviar, red or salmon caviar is still a much more unique experience, that also comes at a way more reasonable price.
I agree. Salmon caviar is amazing
Salmon caviar is too salty for me and I personally like the subtle "melt" sturgeon caviar has over the popping boba texture salmon caviar has, but there's really no reason to shell the big bucks for a tin unless they're already slapping it on a dish at a Michelin restaurant. I'll agree salmon caviar is definitely more unique of an experience and way more distinct for a fraction of the cost
@@travis3571you can get salmon caviar that’s low in salt
@@travis3571 I completely agree, salmon caviar was just too gooey and salty for me, but for the price it is definitely worth it to try and see if you like it! Although I disagree on your last point, I think every once in a long while, if you can afford it, just get a little tin of the good stuff and really treat yourself. Really savor it and treat it like the amazing experience it is! Having just a little on a nice cracker at home is SO nice, I think it’s easier to really focus on the textures and flavors of the caviar alone. But that’s just me!
Same. Black caviar has a certain delicacy/meatiness to it, but I much prefer red caviar. It also depends on how you serve it. I won't have it unless there's quality fresh bread and good butter. It's crazy how normal it was to munch on caviar in those days. The prices in the US are insane.
I do buy Salmon caviar from time to time when I make deviled eggs or homemade sushi. I like the taste of caviar but don't care enough to pay the exorbitant amount of money they want for the "right" caviar from sturgeons.
I love salmon roe. The briny umami bursts are so delicious.
I use salmon roe for fishing.
I've been doing fancy deviled eggs like this for decades. Always a big hit.
Oh I'm gonna put this on deviled eggs now, thanks for the idea!
Caviar should be priced expensively. It kills a viable breeding fish from a vulnerable species that takes many years to mature. It should not be taken lightly as a cuisine. But in order to continue with funding and conservation efforts humans have to have a way to make profit off this fish because that's how science works in this day and age.
Ethan, been watching your vids for a while now and I just gotta say, you’re doing everything right. In the age of intensely obnoxious click bait garbage on youtube, you present things clearly, thoughtfully, transparently and above all: like a normal professional human. No tricks, no gags, no annoying narcissistic influencer me-me-me videos. Just perfectly succinct explanations using the scientific method, all with the goal of making your audience smarter and more informed when shopping.
I am generally a cynic when it comes to the actual sincerity of most high view youtubers. Usually they focus on brand building and disguise their own shitty videos as being informative, while donning some phony charismatic persona to generate likes. But you cut through the noise and present your material beautifully. And when you do insert your sponsor content, you dont try to conceal it as if it were a part of your topic. Its cut and dry, “here is ad time… moving on”. Its refreshing to see a successful youruber that actually respects the intelligence of his audience. Last time I felt this way was with Alton Brown 20 years ago.
If you werent on youtube, youd make a great teacher. Keep it up, and please never turn into a childish obnoxious click bait ad revenue farmer, like another very popular cooking personality…
i agree!
"another very popular cooking personality" - who, may I ask?
I might be confused but what he did was more pseudoscientific.
The tests of the cheaper caviar were not truly blind as he had different sized containers and thus could feel and tell what product it was.
He also didn't cleanse his pallet between the taste tests and then did back to back taste tests. What's very possible is that he's stacking the flavor of each subsequent test on the previous one.
"These are all running the same to me..." Yeah, they're all running the same because he's not really doing a scientific test and taking into account what happens on the tongue, nose, and mouth when you're eating.
But hey, this is still fun CONTENT.
@@lukepev5459 joshua weissman would certainly fit the description
Agree
Forgot to mention how much of roe are actually (color) dyed. Sometimes its obvious, like bright green, but many times its not! Like black. Doesn't seem to be clearly disclosed, so beware of color tags and the like on eggs that are just dyed (rich red/orange also common)
I'm enjoying how intentional and deliberately meticulous you're being in all your tastings no matter if it's caviar or grilled chicken breasts. You've come a long way as a cook! So fun to watch because quite frankly the way you go about it is on par with those of us that are professionals in the restaurant industry doing the same thing. Kudos brother!
A lot of westerners don’t know even realize that, if you’ve ever been out for good sushi, there’s a VERY high chance that you’ve actually already eaten a type of caviar before! Those tiny little orange dots you get on the exterior surface of many popular types of (uramaki) sushi rolls are actually flying fish roe, called “tobiko.”
Also: Salmon roe-the big orange balls in this video-get called “ikura” and star as _the_ topping/filling in a specific kind of (gunkanmaki) sushi.
Flying fish roe sushi is one of my favorites!
Dominion (2018)
Most westerners that eat sushi realize that lol
Interesting! In Poland we have 2 words for caviar - kawior and ikra. I didn't realise the latter had connotations with Japan
I mean my three year old doesn’t know what it is, he just eats it. But I doubt there’s any adult eating roe that doesn’t know what it is. 😂
I forgot to say that I just love these deep dives. They answer so many questions I have about the different foods and condiments that I use all the time. I’m a good home cook and I find cooking a relaxing and creative experience. However, I haven’t got the time or the skill set to taste test the different olive oils, soy sauces or caviars so I really appreciate what you do. Thanks again.
The human element is important in taste. My Russian grandparents gave me black caviar spread on bread the room we were in was dark so I thought it was chocolate spread….boy what a shock that was…. I haven’t had caviar since… lol
I can't believe this content is for free!
I'm hooked by this series. It's like a detailed culinary course.
I would be interested to see a series where you have your favourite application of cheap to expensive ingredients!
My dad used to serve caviar appetizers at Christmas; I'm sure not high-end, but most likely not the cheap stuff either. My brother and I were talking about it the other day, because we both actually really liked it, and we're thinking about picking some up, but we're not particularly wealthy, so this was a very worthwhile education for me. Thanks, as always. I always learn from you.
This is definitely one of the best videos i've seen in this platform! Extremely informative, clean and pleasant editing, cited sources, performing actual scientific experiments to answer the questions posed, and a proper conclusion (not to mention the very nice host)
Great stuff! If only there were more of this type of content
For an international channel, it’s surprising to see you don’t add metric units to measurements.
Wait weren't the caviar tins in grams? Which measurement are you talking about? Either way come on, that will take you a moment to look up. I'm fine to comprehend either form really
I’d love to see a follow up about the Japanese/Sushi variants like Masago, Tobiko, Ikura, and some of the variants like black tobiko which is my personal favorite. Black Tobiko is flying fish roe with squid ink to make it black and add umami. I get it on my favorite sushi roll and it’s awesome!
I’d also love to see you do a video on the more “processed foods” that are controversial but also have high end versions like Spam, Krab, can Corned Beef… etc. those foods that people either love or hate, and some people refuse to ever try because they’re “so processed”… but I’ve also tasted some expensive 10$ can of corned beef, and expensive Japanese Krab meat and they’re pretty incredible! I just want more people to appreciate the versatility and tastiness of stuff like Spam, vienna sausages and frozen meatballs. They have such a bad reputation but they can be really delicious if shown some love! There’s some real hidden gems out there in the form of premium canned or shelf stable meats and seafood.
Just a thought! Loving these deep dives!
I was wondering the same about sushi Masago, Tobiko ect.. how are they different from Caviar
agreed. ikura is my absolute favorite sushi. especially with a raw quail egg yolk on top. umami bomb. throw in a piece of sea urchin and its the best bite of food on the planet
Mmm yes I love tobiko, mostly for the amazing texture
@@10010x0x0x01101XX0X1I’m eating Ikura right now🔥😊….I can’t eat a sushi roll without it, now! I already liked Masago, so it wasn’t much for me to be curious about Ikura. I haven’t tried the others, yet. Now I have something to look forward to👍🏾
I am also a tobiko fan, and wondered how you would compare that to the other fish eggs. I've had sturgeon caviar, and i liked it, but i think i like flying fish roe even better. And it's affordable.
You should have added American Bowfin, American Paddlefish, and Black Lumpfish caviars, all a more affordable alternative to sturgeon caviar. That are also more similar in size and texture to sturgeon caviar, so better when doing a blind taste test.
yeah but if u do champagne u kinda compare it to its main rivals, nothing against US caviar,I mean sure instead of white fish and salmon but again those are much cheaper than bowfina nd lumpfish eggs no?
lumpfish tastes like feces, dont bother. paddlefish is fine
In the State of Oklahoma, if you catch a paddle fish, you must turn it over to the state. The fish meat will be returned to you. But the eggs will be sold to pay for the paddle fish program.
All caviars are good except for lumpfish.
@@hammaam23 maybe I tried a bad example but it’s texture was too slimy to the point I never tried it again. Also the name ‘lumpfish’ is kind of disgusting.
As a Bulgarian it was my surprise to find out that Bulgaria is also producing it. I never in my life tested it.
Was common food along Danube up to 1940. Morun was fished every year in the Black Sea.
It reminds me a bit of when I moved from Chicago to Boston and people were paying upwards of 30 bucks for a lobster roll, which to me was basically akin to tuna salad but with lobster. I couldn’t figure out what the deal was until I saw another UA-cam video on how plentiful lobster used to be and how it was mostly a “poor man’s food.” Then I realized that a lobster roll was not created for luxury but simply for living.
I don't understand lobster, either. Obviously, they are not the same but, given the price difference, I'm perfectly happy with shrimp, which I love.
Yeah, you go back 100 years or so and there are complaints from Prisoners in Achetraz complaining about the inhumane nature of being fed lobster more than twice a week..
Lobster was considered a bottom feeding sea bug. Basically a giant ocean cockroach. I mean look at them 😂😂😂
@@SilvaDreamswhen the oceans get depleted by overfishing tilapia and carp and other trashy fish will be a rare luxury good of the rich. Get it while you can.🎉
I had my first lobster roll a couple weeks ago in Ohio. It was dripping butter sauce when I bit into it. It was also friggin delicious and not $30 😂.
I'm a bit of a food snob and I love caviar; however, I've also concluded that white sturgeon caviar is at most times superior to ossetra or other caspian species.
The white sturgeon caviar that I purchase almost has a melon note to it that I thoroughly enjoy over the buttery, nutty brine flavor of more exclusive caviars
Great video!
I'd probably incorporate some kind of palate cleanser for future blind tests, especially for something with such a powerful and yet subtle taste.
he had water, but yea....i doubt it would change much.
You shouldn't need one if the difference matters in any significant way.
@@Rokiriko If you taste food for the purpose of tasting and expressing the flavour, then, yes, you do need to clense. -That's the point of it.
Absolutely, I work for a Company that makes ice cream. We had a taste test recently and it was recommended that we use crackers and water between taste tests
He had water next to him and was clearly cleaning out his mouth between each bite. It's just cut out.
This is my first video of yours and I'm watching and I must say it's my first of many. Fun content and presented extremely well as well as educational. I'll probably show this to my kids
I loved this deep dive and the blind taste tests -- I've been curious about caviar for a while now and this literally answers all of my questions. I really appreciate you put in the time to do this
Dude, yknow what a great video would be? Comparing pre paid meal plans like factor 75, hello fresh, Marley spoon, etc. I would LOVE your educated input on stuff like that
UA-camrs aren't going go fuck the money up like this.
@@TokyoJuul8008 Especially since they're all over-hyped.
I just tried Factor and canceled after one box. The food was tasty but, holy cow, I had not read the nutrition labels before ordering. Most meals had more than 30g of fat and half of that was saturated fat. I got a variety so some of these were keto (44g/25g saturated) but even the non-keto ones were extremely high in fat and saturated fat.
@@radben951 People that are trained or thin eat a lot of fats especially saturated fats.
People that have overweight lack these fats so their body tries to compensate for it by turning sugars for example into fat.
lmao he actually said educated.....XD hahahaha
Please make a video on salts - table, kosher, sea, Himalayan, vulcanic(black), etc. Sugars/Sweeteners would be cool too.
Better not, theres a max amount of salt recomended and im pretty sure it less tha 10 g per day 😮
@@valentinacastillo4491 doesn't matter to most people
Thanks!
Important thing to note about the red caviar is that unlike black caviar it's not usually eaten by itself because of its strong flavour snd saltiness. In Russia its mostly consumed as a spread on top of a white bread with some butter and is considered one of the New Year (Christmas) foods. Also to note is that the red caviar too has several subtypes which are different in size and flavor, the best in my opinion being kizhutch (coho salmon) and gorbusha (pink salmon).
Is red caviar prepared differently from the ikura (salmon eggs) that I've had with Japanese food? In my experience, they're not salty at all and have a delicate, fatty flavour with notes of seafood. I image the name 'cavier' means they've been cured with salt and the Japanese style doesn't do that?
@@Xorthis
ikura comes from the russian word "ikra", so its probably the same
its like hottodoggu or hamburgeru
@@Specificify Yep, but I'm asking if it's a different product...
@@Specificifyhamburgeru isn’t a real word they use hambagu
Eh, it's mostly offered as a spread. Black caviar, red caviar... eggplant caviar.
I honestly don't care a whole lot about caviar but I will watch anything Ethan puts out these days - these deep dives never fail to fascinate me!
Cod roe caviar cost $10/kg in Sweden. It's different from the caviars Ethan tested, the roe eggs are tiny and the caviars is mixed with oil, sugar, tomato puree. Nonetheless, it has a lot of umami and salt flavor and works great as a sandwich spread topped with a boiled egg. Btw, seaweed roe is a thing that would have been fun to compare with fish roe.
I had to google that. I didn't have time to deep dive, though. Have you compared them? Does it really taste like caviar? Or like so many vegan alternatives, is it something that looks similar enough to stick a label on, but doesn't actually taste anything at all like the original?
Same in Norway; roe "caviar" is a staple on many breakfast tables and is eaten on a slice of buttered bread. Some also contain mayo to some degree to make the taste milder for esp. kids.
Have you every tried the Norwegian "Svolværpostei"? Sold in a small tin. This is in my opinion the best variation of kaviar. It is a drier, much more smoked variant, and contains a bit of cod liver. It has an amazing flavor - however you have to finish the tin once open as it does react quickly with air and becomes "fishy".
@@brucetidwell7715 I've only eaten seaweed roe a couple of times, but I'd say it tastes pretty similar. It has the umami and salty flavor and the texture is pretty similar too, tasted good on a blini with sour cream and red onion, so I'd say it's a pretty good substitute, way cheaper too. Having said that, I'm not a caviar connoisseur, I've only had beluga caviar once.
@@brucetidwell7715 I have tried some caviar, but my Love is still Kalles (formerly Kalles Caviar) which is a caviar paste on cod, salt and more. It did change it's name from Kalles Caviar to just Kalles because all other types of Caviar... which I cannot understand since it is pretty easy to understand the difference. Like Kalles and all store specific ones are the common caviar, all other caviar goes by their actual name. Kalles do have a vegan version from 2016
Is seaweed roe the same thing as umibudo?
Thank you. I've always wondered about this. Today you have finally answered the question that's in my mind for a long time
I am consistently impressed by the quality of these videos, the ways in which you explore, the brief history lessons - it all comes together in a way that I get super excited for learning about these foods and often will start expanding what I try and what I look for when shopping as a result. I really like the pivot you've done in your content from exploratory home cook to impartial authority on debunking culinary confusion.
Came upon this channel by accident…watched, then immediately subscribed. I really appreciated how you designed and produced this content…excellently done
This series is actually extremely useful for cooking. From the Chicken egg video to this and the other ones youve done, feels like im actually able to buy stuff without getting caught up in the marketing.
I was raised in USSR and then Russia. I loved red caviar in my childhood and still love it, especially with sourdough bread and butter. It wasn't expensive back then, so I don't associate it with luxury foods. Even now I find ways to buy it inexpensively in other countries (also there is a large variety in taste, not all of it is the same). I tried black caviar for the first time when I was around 30 years old. I liked it, too. It had a milder taste than red caviar, so I would never put it on anything or mix with anything else.
The way I eat caviar is so important. I can't just have it without anything. It is an occasion. So I have toested white bread, not blinis. Then I have cremme fraish on top of that and then some raw charlotte onion. Then the caviar and a small squeeze of lemon on top. This is simply divine. But it is simply more the ritual than the taste (even though I love the taste).
Uganda being in the top 5 producers surprised me, especially since they are landlocked. Brilliant content as always, am gonna savour it.
Keep in mind china produces more than all the other countries combined since they use non killing methods now, so the difference is minor between lets say poland or uganda since its all farmed
He got trolled by some source or just googled for 2 minutes before making the video. Uganda makes VANILLA caviar. Thins of pure vanilla bean pods that they call caviar because it looks like it but it just vanilla.
Lots of caviar comes from freshwater sturgeon. Sturgeon can live in both salt and fresh waters. Same with salmon, obviously. So its possible to have freshwater ca iar farms and olenty of caviar from the US is freshwater farmed.
You should do a deep dive on butter next.
i'm not lying when i say i paid $45 for 50 grams of imperial beluga today in tehran. if i bought beluga in canada where i live, i had to pay like $274 in USD. and when i was checking the prices on the website of the caviar brand, it cost ONLY $10 BUCKS OFR OSETRA. PPL IN THE STATES PAY LIKE $150 FOR THE SAME 50 GRAMS.
As someone fortunate enough to grow up with various sturgeon caviars available, I still, oddly enough, prefer the salmon roe. I should try the white fish one you also featured, mostly for its color...
Norwegian kaviar is an everyday item for sandwiches. Cheap, affordable and tasty with eggs and/or cheese. We use cod roe.
The places where caviar is a luxury items are where beef and chicken are the staple foods, namely the interior of the US
I, like many norwegians, have been eating caviar (from cod) our whole lives. We commonly put it on egg on a slice of bread. Its as cheap as any other bread topping
are there "cheap" versions and "expensive" versions at norweigian stores? like the higher end one you get for special occasions? and what kind of fish is it from? oh also is sushi popular in Norway or no? lol
@@Zach-h2l the common caviar is from cod. Yeah you can find fancy pants caviars in regular grocery stores that come in tiny jars like in this video if you hate money. Afaik modern sushi is a product of a norwegian sales campaign of salmon to japan. Still it's not massively popular but it's getting decently common nowadays
I'm familiar with the Cod Roe Paste Kalles Kaviar which they used to sell at Ikea. Quite delicious on finger sandwiches with some cucumber and cream cheese. Definitely inexpensive, but also a very different experience.
Eggs from avians and aquatics on the same bread is mad decadent 😂😂😂
@@Kaaxe Easy there cowboy, it's only the _salmon_ sushi that Norway can take some credit for
When I was a kid, my mom had access to caviar that wasn't being sold, so I just ate it at a ridiculous low margin price as the ones we would get would expire in a day or 2, which never happened cause we just ate it. I can honestly say that my childhood contained more caviar sandwiches than peanut butter sandwiches.
When I grew up and found out how much they cost, I stopped eating it, but if someone offers it to me, I'll gladly eat my childhood sandwiches again.
BTW, small note: as a teenager I heard from a documentary (by Heston Blulmenthal, no idea what the name of the series was but it was something about exploring flavors) that caviar goes well with white chocolate and I just ate that. No idea if it was my mom's face, but something about the combination of white Belgian chocolate with caviar on top eaten with my mom looking at me like I was committing the worst crime in the world, made it not only the most memorable experience, but gave it a truly heavenly flavor
I'm so impressed by your approach. You're aware of every form of bias that can influence test results. Every aspect of this tasting, you've constructed it just as I would have. Very scientific, even when it comes to assessing a taste experience. Currently, I know of no UA-camr who approaches it better!
As an American living in Russia, I personally like he salmon (red) caviar the best. Keep in mind when my wife servers caviar you don't just eat it straight up. She basically cuts a small pieces of white bread, typically from a baton, puts butter on them and then puts the caviar on top. I've seen this at numerous parties. Any beluga caviar just costs stupid money IMO, and isn't worth it. I've only had it at weddings and stuff like that and I would rather have been eating the red stuff.
it would be great if you could add metric units to your videos, as its a hassle to always roughly convert units, just in the corner a litte text that for example says (15°c | 59°f) or (23'7" | 718 cm), these videos are really informative and it would elevate the experience, thanks in advance
The conversion is simple math. The biggest sturgeon in this video for instance was a little more than 1,500kg.
@@lookoutforchris yeah, thats my point. it distracts from the video and you only do it roughly instead of accurately. also its more second nature to americans to convert to metric, as only 3 countries use imperial while the rest of the world uses metric units. it would be akin to using the "doppelzentner" or "morgen" or even the "ell", yeah, you can convert these no problem, but its a hassle.
@@ElGrandeIngenio Trust me, as an American (and a math teacher), it is most definitely not second nature for Americans to convert to metric. There is absolutely no reason to convert to metric in everyday life here because most products are labeled with both imperial and metric weight/volume (ergo no need to do the mental math). As the USA has the largest native English speaking population, most media we consume caters to us. We don't convert regularly because it's simply not necessary. Others do it for us.
@@AngieBee-uz1tw "no reason to convert to metric in everyday life here because most products are labeled with both imperial and metric weight/volume" - yeah, thats why im suggesting it.... its easier, also native english speakers are the minority when it comes to speaking english
I have always felt the exact same way about caviar. I've never tried it but knowing about the species of sturgeon and a bit of the history of the fish I understood that sturgeon caviar is expensive because the fish is endangered and takes a lot of time and resources to grow and mature. Not because the fish produces something amazingly unique and delicious.
I must say that the quality of your videos is as good or better than many shows on TV. Very well researched, very well done.
Not really? Just form the first few minutes I can spot some mistakes like lumping in salmon roes with caviar and then building on that wrong foundation to suggest salmon roes have the same sort of utilities as sturgeon caviar, whe salmon roes have always been accessible as part of Japanese and Russian cuisine without them ever being considered luxury food.
I've searched for basically this exact video before, but always felt like the tests were marred by bias and the weird cultural expectations around caviar. Really appreciate your more scientific approach to taste testing, always feel like you're never looking for a particular outcome
You don't think this was marred by his bias of never eating or even liking caviar? He concludes it's not worth buying. ....yeah, because he doesn't like it.
@@promontorium all things have bias I guess, but he seemed open-minded and he did actually end up liking caviar! But is it worth the cost to someone who's never eaten it before? It's a useful question to explore
I just realized something. Your videos are litterally essays (i know right?!) with a thesis, research question, and nicely partitioned into sections with evidence and analysis and the whole deal. You make it seem so effortless and fun to write these essays and do the research for your video-compared to the essays we are required to write at school.
I guess today you learned why they are called "video essays".
I highly recommend just writing an essay about something you're interested in. Essays can be quite fun if you're doing them out of a genuine interest in the topic rather than an obligation.
When I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan, the volunteers stationed on the Caspian Sea coast told stories of how they were were able to buy caviar cheap enough to have it for breakfast daily - on a monthly salary of $125.00. Needless to say, it wasn’t exactly legally harvested.
I grew up in Russia and the taste of caviar is something that comes with the memories from the childhood. My both kids grew up in US. Son loves black caviar, but my daughter likes red. I introduced them to caviar when they were kids. Americans in general don't like it. It's like buckwheat... and lots of foods you grew up with...
I was born in Ukraine - and was very young and went to a trip to Russian in Early 90s with my family - me being under 10 years old. I ate Sturgeoun black caviar by spoonsful - like it was cereal. Good times :)
I’ve loved caviar since I was a teenager and got to try it at a fancy party my parents took me to for one of their friends book launch. However, I’ve never seen the point to paying a lot for it since the whitefish roe I’ve had is just fine for me. For a special dinner party I’ve bought the white sturgeon caviar but since I mostly serve it either on tiny baked potatoes with sour cream and chives or on blini with grate egg yolks and chives the subtle flavor differences get lost and its mostly about the texture and saltiness.
I used to work in the caviar room at a fish processing plant, and at least for salmon roe we would literally pick out any imperfections or bits of membrane with tweezers before packing, after pressing.
Also salmon roe over white rice is amazing!
& nori
Can't forget the fact that during a Discord Chat about Vegetarianism someone brought up Caviar or specifically Salmon Egg which I, someone who often eat Vegetarian Food said weren't Vegetarian because you need to kill the fish.
Without anyone knowing a conversation about Vegetarianism turned into how Fishes don't Menstruate as they only let out the egg when mating.
Hi, since you are doing an informative and educational video, I would like to correct some mistakes. The origin of soy sauce is not from Japan, but China. Below is a text from Kikkoman's website, the brand of soy sauce you showed in this video at 7:50 . "In ancient China, preserved foods and their seasonings were known as jiang - perhaps the forerunner to what we now know as soy sauce. Different types of jiang were produced from meat, seafood, vegetables, and grain. Of these ingredients, grain was the most easily available and manageable, so the jiang made from soybeans and wheat developed more rapidly. The process of making this “grain jiang” eventually spread from China into Japan and other neighbouring countries."
yes that's correct soy sauce is from China. @EthanChlebowski please update with the correction
I'm confused why you wouldn't post this on the relevant video, but one that is completely unrelated?
Soy sauce is from china. The white man is spreading false information. I wonder what other facts he states is wrong in the video .@@Akira42
@@Akira42
I was thinking the exact same thing.
Caviar.....?...... Soy sauce... ?
I don't see the connection. 😅
@@Akira42at 7:53 he asserts that soy sauce is from Japan. This statement would still be untrue even if we took the generous assumption that he meant that the best soy sauces are associated with Japan (e.g. how prosciutto is associated with Parma, Bourbon Whiskey must meet requirements to be labelled as Bourbon, etc.) simply because neither the best nor most iconic soy sauces are from Japan, alongside how the invention of soy sauce in China predates Japan’s existence
As always, Ethan, you have done a magnificent job.
I would love to see a little more analysis and comparison with other types of fish eggs--such as tobiko (flying fish roe, common on sushi), paddlefish caviar, capelin, hackleback, lumpfish and so forth. Also, I think the French are using Snail eggs to provide some similarity.....?
Keep up the great work!
Just the thought of snail eggs makes bile rise up in my throat. However, do snails actual produce enough eggs to be practical?
Snail eggs seems a bit problematic considering the parasitism risks involved.
That aside, I too would like to have seen that, especially considering my own love/hate relationship with tobiko (love their taste, hate their texture which feels gritty like dirt in the mouth to me).
Gotta say personally I love a bagel with cream cheese and lumpfish caviar on it. Shit's delicious and a jar cost $5 near me.
I’ve grown up in a region where red caviar was a really common and cheap delicacy, until the prices skyrocketed due to bans. It’s definitely just yet another thing people won’t understand, if you’re not familiar with it early on. I’ve seen plenty of “adults” make faces at avocado and raw fish too
Some people grow up to become tall children.
Nah. The taste is most definitely not for everyone and I don't think it's even an acquired taste. You either like fishy taste or you don't. Avocado is super mild in comparison. Raw fish is an entire category and depending on the fish very similar to caviar.
Growing up in backwater holes where they eat actual feces isnt something to be boastful about
Most fish is absolutely rancid
@@42ZaphodB42 Every taste is an acquired taste. You can even learn to like foods that you dont like, just by eating them many times. Ive done this to many foods and when i find a new food i don't like, i keep tasting it until i like it.
@@42ZaphodB42It’s funny that you talk about a fishy taste, because most raw fish and the only caviar (real caviar) I’ve eaten have had pretty much no fishy taste to them. I understand if people still don’t like them, but it’s not necessarily because they taste fishy.
Dude, this video was amazing: entertaining, functional and educative. Good work!
I'll just get a burger, thanks
🤔 burger day…
Not like caviar day is it. Good idea.
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊@@j_freed
@@iridium8341Crackers are good for fish eggs. I put tobiko on it.
i wonder if anyone makes like, a fish sandwich with caviar on it
Agree😂 just a classic burger
The first time I tried caviar I thought it tasted just like tinned sardines 😅 Aka, it just tastes like whatever liquid is in the tin/jar it's packaged in.
i personally think that, esp. if salted, the beluga caviar is ruined. it loses so much of its inherent flavor.. thats why i prefer lightly salted salmon or other eggs. not only are they p...retty cheap, they are most of the times less salted and you get actually more of a fishy, earthy flavor.
Right? I would have expected the cheaper caviars to be more heavily salted, to hide the fact that they are not "the real deal". Adding so much salt to such an expensive product seems very wasteful in a way.
In Sweden you have smoked and heavily salted cod roe as a sandwich spread. It's labeled as caviar, but nobody would mistake it for this type of caviar. It's just a cheap every day sandwich spread that you can buy in any grocery store for $2 for a tube.
Every single one of your videos I watch is always so well written and well produced.
I love caviar. A friend brought me Osetra from Russia in the 80’s. I still have a picture of my son eating from a pearl spoon in his high chair. Crazy 80’s! Perhaps I associate the time and place as a particularly wonderful time in my life and therefore it was amazing, but I have subbed out less expensive and more sustainable options. Not as good but every Christmas this is my favorite gift. Homemade blinis. Oh my goodness. Mouth watering.
Hey, I actually grew up in a rich french family and ate a lot of caviar, I was excited to see your test pop up.
The size of the eggs and "melting on the tongue" are considered to be the main differences, to the point we don't consider salmon and white surgeon eggs aren't considered caviar at all.
The difference, to me, between the rest of the high priced foods you tested before is that you don't eat fish eggs on a regular basis, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and wagyu all have frequently eaten equivalents.
For someone who eats salmon eggs everyday, beluga or ossetra caviar does make a big difference.
Nice video !
Share some of that wealth 😢
Salmon eggs go great on oysters!
Honestly, I’m about 1/3 of the way in, but it strikes me how much research and effort has gone into this video. Making a comment to boost you, bc you deserve the recognition. Let’s see how the video pans out. Another comment may be forthcoming.
Fab video. I have been making caviar on my fishing trips for a while now. Wanted to utilise the roe when harvesting trout. Your video was so comprehensive and fascinating, I learned a much. Thank you
"3463 lbs" How much is that in baby elephants or football fields?
Btw. the fish was 7.2m long, weighing 1,571kg.
Thank the USA for allowing you to state such a brutish comment.
Thanks , now it makes sense
Thank you sir
Thanks, this comment should be pinned
3463 lbs is already an actual measurement
00:06:50
Small correction; 4th century >BC< and "4th century" are two very different things I believe ;-)
i thought i imagined i heard two different dates there lol
Salmon roe is used a lot in Japanese food. It was interesting that he said it was very salty, in my experience, ikura (salmon eggs) has a fatty, almost sweet, flavour, with seafood notes, but not fishy if fresh, with a plesent popping sensation. For sure one of my favourite things to have on fusion sushi, even if it is a little more expensive.
I do notice in the video that the salmon cavier is homogenous in colour. The salmon eggs I've had have a very visible deeper red dot inside that will float to the top of the egg, kind of like a yolk. So maybe the ones I've had aren't cured in salt, which would explain the difference.
A zip of caviar being $700 is CRAZY
You sell drugs.. mmmh bad boy I’m telling your mother
$1,000 per 100g of jar? Craziest of the crazies.
CORRECTION: Soy sauce originated in China and came relatively late to Japan.
True. But Japan made it world famous.
@@TheFANROCKER😂 you’re funny
nah, he’s right, Japanese soy sauce is superior
Soy sauce has wheat in it too. In Japan, they often use tamari, which is basically wheat/gluten-free soy sauce. I prefer the flavor of soy sauce, but I know many who prefer the tamari.
Great video. This one really exposes the human element of taste; that part where you're brain is telling you the cheaper caviar tastes better is such a great example.
I didn't really have any interest in caviar in the first place, but at least now I know I'm not just missing out. Too bad we can have a taste test between farm raised and wild caviar; curious if there's a big difference.
Caviar is just wonderful on the pallet to say the least. When extracted correctly as well as cleaned/ stored. 😩 SO savory and can enhance apps and sushi brilliantly. Salmon roe is cool but can be too fishy and salty. Osetra is my go to when serving up and me personally enjoying. If you haven’t tried it or think it’s not your thing, just try it. It should not be salty, fishy or held at room temperature. You won’t regret it. A suggestion, thin and crisp chicken skins, dill creme, caviar and fresh dill to garnish. Lite sprinkles of old bay and or a Alepo seasoning. Your welcome ! ❤😊
It was painful to watch the fish writhing as it was pinned down and having its belly slashed.
who care it just made up for video
@@robertsaget6918 Made up for the video? No, this is literally how they farm cavier... They stun the fish, cut it open while it's still alive, then send it off for processing (the meat is considered delicious). And a lot of people care about the food they eat and don't want it to come from suffering, even if it's just a fish.
Seafood overall has some of the most cruel methods of slaughter, if you believe that the animals experience pain. Lobster is boiled alive, or has it's brain stabbed, crab is often just ripped in half or boiled alive, squid is literally ripped in half and flayed alive, a lot of shellfish are eaten raw. Some Japanese sashimi involves flaying the live fish into slices and serving while the fish is still alive on the plate. And in Korea, a very popular dish is live octopus, which has been known to choke people with it's tenticles as it's eaten, even though the beak and other internal organs have been removed by the chef.
If you don't have a problem with this, that's fine. It's personal opinion and everyone is entitled to one. But understand that others do have a problem, and not just vegetarians. Seems you hate people that have the opinion that fish can suffer just for expensive food.
@@Xorthis Oh boy wait till you figure out what any hungry animal would do to another.
@@RedRavenX1 surprised pikachu face
Sheltered first world vegetarian alert.
We all needed this video ! I personally have a love/hate relationship with caviar
Thanks Ethan !
How do you know if everyone needed this video? Most people I know hate caviar and certainly don't need it. These attention seeking comments with their platitudes.
@@42ZaphodB42eat your caviar and shut your hole
@@42ZaphodB42You must be fun at parties
3:48 Hol' up, what's that beautiful mother of pearl spoon???????? *instantly starts googling to see if they are available, or affordable* (such a pretty white shaded one, too.)
This one was $15, I'm sure there are more or less expensive ones though! Agreed they look beautiful.
These spoons are made expressly for caviar, because metal will corrode when in contact with caviar and both get ruined, as well as ruin the caviar. Mother of pearl is the norm for caviar. In land foods where the same issue exists, bone is the norm.
most metals will impart their own taste as you taste the caviar, so
Horn can be used too - much cheaper!
I live in Europe and sometimes I just go to the supermarket and buy some low cost caviar (around 15-20 bugs per jar (same size as in the video)) and I just eat it with a spoon like a snack.
Of course it's usually not sturgeon caviar but I still just like the taste so much I actually don't care. I think fish eggs just taste good.
Am I weird, because of that?
no, but as taster of different kind of caviar, sturgeon one is the least appealing. It is not that good and price isn't worth it. Salmon (or other red fish) caviar is better. It is fat, salty and have nice additional umami taste. There are different types of such caviar, such as trout or other salmons. And structure is different too. So it is not weird. People who didn't eat it as delicacy maybe won't understand it. But oysters are also not that expensive for small portion and they are not for anybody as well, regardless how you prepare it (which plays big role).
If you can include kg for weight and m for length it would be very helpful. Most of the world use the metric system to measure, so if you include both metric and the "weird" system, then everyone understand what you mean.
BACK TO BACK WORLD CHAMPS FREEDOM UNITS FOR EVER
Totally agree. I understand that American are use to so called freedom units but it’s more like Failed units😅.
When you consider the world as a whole it is small minority that uses it. I always do appreciate it when videos have subtitles showing measurements in metric.
@@jamesanyang2980 there are two types of countries in the world: those use the metric system, and those who landed somebody on the moon. Deal with it. The imperial system is much better.
@@hashtagunderscore3173 guess which units were used by the engineers and scientists that actually put said man on the moon?
@@Ludvigvanamadeus Probably metric. So? Plenty of people speak English to me even though it's not their native language. That just makes them smart. What's your point?
I find your videos fascinating. My husband and I did purchase (what we thought was) high end caviar when we were in our 20's....I even purchased the little glass bowl that you put shaved ice in with the V-shaped glass that you put the caviar in. Of course, it came with the special spoon which I think was mother of pearl or something like that? Can't remember. The price points were slightly less given that I'm OLD, LOL...about to turn 60, so it was somewhere in the 1990's. I think we paid about $80 for probably the middle of your "top line". We did the whole thing with the various toppings and of course had expensive champagne to go with it all. The bottom line was that we both realized that we DON'T like caviar, LOL. Maybe we got ripped off and it was crummy product? I'm not willing to try again but I respect those that want to spend the money and enjoy.
the only caviar i like, if this even counts lol, is the bright orange stuff they put on the outside of sushi sometimes. it's a pop of energizing color, makes the roll look extra good... AND it doesn't give the creep factor of the big eggs. (or read like eggs at all.)
(i'm sure there's a word for this, but you know the trichtophobia or whatever they call getting squicked out by a bunch of holes or like.. let's say a lotus pod, or honeycomb, or uglier things with huge porous holes. WELL, surely there's a name for things like glop of eggs, egg sacks, etc. after i had a freshwater snail laying eggs in the tank that was hard like a barnacle or a finger of coral, and removing them from the lid and even through paper towel it was the most GODAWFUL texture. knobby and would delicately crunch like frail coral and my whole body is cringing even writing this. i have total ptsd, didn't realize i had a thing with this AT ALL, but after the snail (RIP. but also, thank god.) now anything that's like egg clusters makes me hurk.)
If the balls are salty its probably some type of fish roe (Tobiko - flying fish; Masago - smelt fish; Ikura - salmon roe) . Pretty popular in sushi restaurants in the west. If its sweet, its not a fish egg at all, instead its droplets of orange juice, grape juice, apple juice or vegetable juice dropped into cold oil that coagulate into spheres as they hit & sink into the cold oil.
I kinda like how you wrote that. Very descriptive with the snail eggs
First time to the channel, I love the content and I will subscribe, can’t wait to watch the eggs from chickens. I am the guy who typically buys the most expensive because usually more expensive equals better. Taste better quality control, so I can’t wait to find out if I’ve been wasting money all this time, I’ve eaten caviar a few times in my life at fancy restaurants and always wondered what the hell it was besides being just fish eggs. So thank you for the incredible education that you have provided here. I think I will go out and try that $50 can in the future From what you were describing your taste buds sound very similar to what I would enjoy. Since were so many different varieties and the cost was so high I just never pursued having these. Plus I do not know the actual benefits now that I do maybe I will implement that Into a random diet.
Hi there from St Petersburg, Russia. Ironically I never tried proper good quality black caviar. I only tried something that was insultingly salty and didn't resembled anything of value based on how unpleasantly salty it was :(
I think you're supposed to rinse it before eating.
How do you feel about Russian war crimes in Ukraine?
@@f_c_k_o_f_f horrible, as any normal people. Was able to participate in the anti-war protest at the beginning of the war, but as a single person there's very little I can do.
@@blusafe1 idk it was an ad-stand where some company sold canned caviar like ready-to-eat one, and it was a known company if I remember correctly and the prices was quite expensive, like you normally expect black caviar to cost in Russia, but it was in 2018 or 2019 I don't remember, or even earlier.
We, with much cheaper caviar (the only benefit from being close to Russia), just eat it on a baguette slice and butter. It was a special holiday treat for some time, especially in USSR, but now it's generally more accessible. Far from being mega luxury it is in more western countries. That's mostly about red one, black is still pretty expencive and exclusive, but still quite cheaper than "abroad". Tbf I only know one person who loves caviar so much that they can eat it without any condiments/additions, most just really eat it like a canapé. Favourite post soviet canapé, the caviar baguette w/ butter, yea...
We can thank the rise of China for the greater availability of caviar, not so much the illegal dissolution of the USSR
People in Europe have no idea what size that big one was because you used imperial units. And you started with grams/kilograms... Use both metric/imperial please.
In fact, people in THE WORLD have no idea what he was talking about. It's only that country and some random african one the ones that use that crappy system
I’ve had a variety of caviars and I can honestly say some of the higher end ones are amazingly delicious. But honestly around $50 which is still a lot you can get an amazing caviar.
An audio recommendation, try a pop filter for your voiceovers with the MX7. The built-in wind screen helps with breath, wind, etc, but isn’t enough to mitigate plosives from your P’s, D’s, T’s, etc. They make some low profile ones that may work for you on camera.
It may be hard to hear if you’re editing on headphones or speakers without a subwoofer, but it’s easy for a lot of undesirable sound energy to be picked up.
Barring a filter, an easy fix can be putting a hi-pass cutoff filter on just your voice channel. Most of the ‘body’ of a male voice comes from ~100hertz and up, so rolling off everything below ~70hertz will remove the muddy low and sub audible frequencies that don’t actually improve the tone.
Anyways, love the content. Keep it up!
Ethan please make these enhancements! I kept meaning to mention this, just never got around to it.