The world of caviar
What is caviar?
At its simplest, caviar is salt-cured sturgeon roe.
Roe is the general term for fish eggs. However, the term caviar is more specifically used for roe from one of the 27 species in the sturgeon family, or a hybrid between them, that has been carefully separated, cleaned, and then aged with salt, a process called curing.
So all caviar is roe, but not all roe is caviar.
The distinction is much like Champagne. All Champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is Champagne. Champagne is defined by where and how it is produced. Caviar is defined by the fish from which it comes and how the roe is prepared.
Salt is what transforms fresh sturgeon roe into caviar. It preserves the delicate pearls while developing their flavor and texture. The amount must be carefully judged. Too much can overwhelm the caviar’s natural character, while too little can compromise its balance and preservation.
Common language, however, is shaped by culture and uses broader terms than technical definitions. You may hear expressions such as “red caviar” or “salmon caviar.” They reflect an established informal use of the word, but not its precise definition: true caviar comes from sturgeon.
This is much like using “silver” to describe a metal’s color without claiming that the metal itself is silver. In some languages, the word caviar is used more broadly to refer to roe, making the distinction less explicit than in English.
At The Dapper Swede, when using the word caviar, we mean salt-cured sturgeon roe. Every selection comes from the sturgeon family and is chosen for its flavor, texture, and finish.
All caviar is roe, but not all roe is caviar.