Once upon a time, red caviar was not at all a delicacy. Even poor people could eat it every day. Now this product is far from everyday and not cheap. Therefore, when buying a jar of this tasty and healthy product, you really do not want to buy a low-quality product or, even more so, a fake.
Instructions
Step 1
Caviar on the shelves can be found in various containers. It can be a tin or glass jar. Caviar is also sold by weight quite often.
The advantage of a metal can is the tightness of the package. But you only have to guess about the quality of the content. You can only shake the jar. If the contents gurgle and splash, then there is more brine than the caviar itself.
Read the information on the packaging carefully. It is desirable that the product conforms to GOST. Choose caviar of the first grade. In such a jar, only fish caviar of the same type. The seeds are the same size and color. Caviar of the second grade is a mixture of products from different fish. Eggs vary in size, which, of course, looks less presentable.
Naturally, the composition must be indicated on the bank. As a rule, these are caviar, salt and preservatives. You cannot do without the latter - otherwise the caviar will not last longer than two months. But if sorbic acid (E200) is permissible, then urotropin (E239) should be avoided - in Europe and the United States, this antiseptic is recognized as toxic. Salt should be no more than 5%.
Pay attention to the dates indicated on the jar. On the lid in two rows, the date of manufacture and the expiration date must be pressed from the inside. But if the dates are squeezed out on the outside, this is one hundred percent fake.
Step 2
The ideal option is caviar in a glass jar. The content can be clearly seen and its appearance can tell a lot. The color of the eggs should be uniform reddish. The exception is caviar of sockeye salmon and coho salmon. If the product is in Class I, the size must be the same. Lopants and blood clots should not be. The seeds should be whole and not wrinkled. Shake the jar - the mass should not dangle in an excessive amount of brine, but immobility is by no means a positive sign. Such caviar is too dry.
Step 3
Caviar sold by weight may turn out to be a "pig in a poke". If you decide to purchase just such a product, then do it only in stores, preferably specialized ones. You should not take loose red caviar from the market. Here, no one will give you a guarantee of caviar freshness, not to mention quality. In an unverified place, you can easily come across the prey of poachers, which is transported and packaged in conditions far from sanitary standards. Or you will be slipped artificial caviar at the natural price.
Step 4
However, the weighed version also has an advantage - caviar can be assessed not only visually, but, in addition, to smell and taste.
Good caviar is crumbly. Eggs should not stick to the scapula. If you have a shapeless sticky mass in front of you - do not buy. Such caviar is either salted or not too fresh. The shell should not be tight, but it should not burst either. Should not be in caviar mass and blood clots
The caviar should taste moderately salted, not bitter. If the caviar is somewhat spicy or sour, then most likely it was kept warm. In this case, lactic acid is formed, and if its amount in the caviar exceeds 0.5%, an unpleasant taste and smell appears.
The smell of silt and grass is acceptable. After all, fish live on muddy soil and feed on vegetation.
Step 5
Artificial caviar can be recognized by the perfectly round shape of the eggs, the sharp herring smell and the absence of eyes. When bitten, these grains burst and stick to the teeth.
Pay attention to the price too. Of course, the high price does not give guarantees of excellent quality, but if a 150-gram jar costs less than 100 rubles, then something is clearly wrong.
