Anybody ever eat caviar?
#22
Boost Pope
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I ******* love foie gras.
Actually, just about any member of the pâté / wurst family is OK in my book. Braunschweiger, in particular, is something that every meat-eater must experience.
I know- it's all horrid and disgusting in many ways. The liver itself is basically just a biological filter, and there's the whole gavage / animal cruelty issue. Given the level of deliciousness involved, I find it difficult to care.
And it's funny, because growing up, the only form of liver I was ever exposed to involved onions and rancid gravy. Like tuna, it was many years before I discovered that it could actually be not merely tasty, but downright delicious if properly prepared.
On the subject of caviar, it's not necessary to pay $500 an ounce. Just as with wine, price varies disproportionately with quality. Sure, you can pay $500 a bottle for good wine if you want to. But you can just as easily pay $10 for a bottle which, to all but the most sophisticated (read: snobbish) consumer is 90% as good.
My personal favorite? Tobiko. It's a sushi preparation topped with a generous spoonful of the roe of the Flying Fish (parexocoetus brachypterus). They're slightly salty and pop when you chew them.
Actually, just about any member of the pâté / wurst family is OK in my book. Braunschweiger, in particular, is something that every meat-eater must experience.
I know- it's all horrid and disgusting in many ways. The liver itself is basically just a biological filter, and there's the whole gavage / animal cruelty issue. Given the level of deliciousness involved, I find it difficult to care.
And it's funny, because growing up, the only form of liver I was ever exposed to involved onions and rancid gravy. Like tuna, it was many years before I discovered that it could actually be not merely tasty, but downright delicious if properly prepared.
On the subject of caviar, it's not necessary to pay $500 an ounce. Just as with wine, price varies disproportionately with quality. Sure, you can pay $500 a bottle for good wine if you want to. But you can just as easily pay $10 for a bottle which, to all but the most sophisticated (read: snobbish) consumer is 90% as good.
My personal favorite? Tobiko. It's a sushi preparation topped with a generous spoonful of the roe of the Flying Fish (parexocoetus brachypterus). They're slightly salty and pop when you chew them.
#23
In Russia, both salmon roe and sturgeon roe is called caviar. Red and Black caviar accordingly. So I find it hilarious that somehow the westerners consider only black caviar to be "real caviar", a delicacy, and the salmon stuff is just fish eggs.
Salmon roe is like $40 a pound. I used to eat it virtually every day.
http://www.mastercaviar.com/caviar/a...r-2.2-lb..html
$90 for 2.2lb....
edit: should probably mention that I don't know anyone to eat caviar straight up. Most common way is bread, butter, red caviar. And copious amounts of alcohol.
Salmon roe is like $40 a pound. I used to eat it virtually every day.
http://www.mastercaviar.com/caviar/a...r-2.2-lb..html
$90 for 2.2lb....
edit: should probably mention that I don't know anyone to eat caviar straight up. Most common way is bread, butter, red caviar. And copious amounts of alcohol.
Last edited by soviet; 12-12-2011 at 07:07 PM.
#24
Hey Joe -
Since you like caviar..
If you're still in NY and want to check out old-school caviar - check out Petrossian(restaurant, not retail shop), about a block south of Carnegie Hall. They still have the real deal - somehow Lenin let the Petrossian family keep the caviar-export business instead of sending them for cultural re-alignment. Real Russian caviar, won't be TOO much if you're careful.
I love the scene in "BIG" where Tom Hanks tries caviar, tries to spit it out and scrape it off his tongue on the sly..... sort of like my first taste.
Since you like caviar..
If you're still in NY and want to check out old-school caviar - check out Petrossian(restaurant, not retail shop), about a block south of Carnegie Hall. They still have the real deal - somehow Lenin let the Petrossian family keep the caviar-export business instead of sending them for cultural re-alignment. Real Russian caviar, won't be TOO much if you're careful.
I love the scene in "BIG" where Tom Hanks tries caviar, tries to spit it out and scrape it off his tongue on the sly..... sort of like my first taste.
#25
Cpt. Slow
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Damn, still spelled it wrong, thanks Joe.
I never said I didn't know how they were made. I've seen the videos, but after tasting it as you down a wine that would cost $60 stateside and you bought for 6, it's hard to care.
I never said I didn't know how they were made. I've seen the videos, but after tasting it as you down a wine that would cost $60 stateside and you bought for 6, it's hard to care.
#30
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Studies exist to both prove and disprove the various allegations that this process is cruel, painful, harmful to the animal, etc. I find it difficult to care, given how tasty it is.
#32
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If I recall correctly, there's an on going debate in the foie gras region about the issue of cruelty, and there are some brands labeled as "humane". Couldn't tell a big difference myself, but the locals were snobs about it (aka: french) and only ate the cruel stuff.
#33
Well, they remove the corn from the cob first and process it into mash, but essentially, yes. Ducks and geese whose livers are intended for foie gras have a funnel shoved down their throat several times a day, to be force-fed.
Studies exist to both prove and disprove the various allegations that this process is cruel, painful, harmful to the animal, etc. I find it difficult to care, given how tasty it is.
Studies exist to both prove and disprove the various allegations that this process is cruel, painful, harmful to the animal, etc. I find it difficult to care, given how tasty it is.
I consider myself a foodie, but I still cannot handle cavier, foie gras, or any of that mashed up liver nonsense. It may taste great, but I just cannot get my mind around what it is that i'm eating.
#34
Boost Pope
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This makes me hate living on this planet: http://www.beverlyhillscaviar.com/go...ryfoodforpets/
Yes, for only $50 / 4oz, you can buy caviar specifically intended for your dog or cat.
Seriously? We're talking about animals that find their own ******* to be a delicious treat.
What some people will do...
Yes, for only $50 / 4oz, you can buy caviar specifically intended for your dog or cat.
Your dog will surely love you forever after dining on this generous gourmet feast. Throughout history royalty have fed this elitist food to their loved dogs.
Seriously? We're talking about animals that find their own ******* to be a delicious treat.
What some people will do...
#39
I'm Italian, and as you know we eat almost everything that moves (except for cats and dogs, of course!!)
I was astonished while living in Chicago that my US friends were not used to eat rabbits (very common here), horses (not common, very expensive), oysters (once it was very cheap and it tastes almost like horse, now is very expensive too) and a lot of other non-common animals.
I live in a country where food is one of the biggest resources: without moving from cows, over here different cows has different testes (depending on area where they grew, type, feeding, etc) and every type of cow is specific for a different type of dish, so for me is usual to see even in supermarkets a huge variety of different meats/stuff
Returning IT, caviar IMHO is too expensive, but good.
Keep talking about strange fish-related food, I don't know how many of you had octopus (you should try it! In Mediterrean countries it's kind of common).
Everywhere I travel around the world I try to eat typical food, that means also "strange" animals...... sometime it's really "strange", but at the end I always liked everything
I was astonished while living in Chicago that my US friends were not used to eat rabbits (very common here), horses (not common, very expensive), oysters (once it was very cheap and it tastes almost like horse, now is very expensive too) and a lot of other non-common animals.
I live in a country where food is one of the biggest resources: without moving from cows, over here different cows has different testes (depending on area where they grew, type, feeding, etc) and every type of cow is specific for a different type of dish, so for me is usual to see even in supermarkets a huge variety of different meats/stuff
Returning IT, caviar IMHO is too expensive, but good.
Keep talking about strange fish-related food, I don't know how many of you had octopus (you should try it! In Mediterrean countries it's kind of common).
Everywhere I travel around the world I try to eat typical food, that means also "strange" animals...... sometime it's really "strange", but at the end I always liked everything
#40
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I've had octopus. Very similar to clams as I remember.
I've never had a meat or cheese that I didn't like, with the sole exception being some turtle jerky, but that may have just been how it was prepared.
I've never had a meat or cheese that I didn't like, with the sole exception being some turtle jerky, but that may have just been how it was prepared.