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Kelp Caviar
If you happen to be vegetarian, but also like to rub elbows with the elite, there is a caviar made just for you. . .kelp caviar.
It is a relatively new industry in the United States, introduced by a husband and wife from Russia. Instead of roe, or fish eggs, the couple makes kelp into a similar eating experience and it is much less expensive, and very healthy, but no one has to know.
Tatiana and Ouran Tchoukanova, the owners of Fierte Inc., presented the vegetarian version of caviar to Canada, when they immigrated from Kazakhstan in 1995. Tatiana wanted people to know that in Russia, they had caviar in vending machines. Now regular sturgeon roe could not keep for that long, so Fierte, Inc. had found a way to make kelp caviar which has a much longer shelf life, and looks and tastes very similar to regular roe.They wanted to create a healthier alternative to the traditional caviar, so they experimented two years with egg whites and gelatins, and settled on kelp. They invented the machinery to process kelp from the Gaspe region and the British Columbia coast.
Kelp, which is usually called interchangeably seaweed or algae, is full of nutrients, and available in abundance.
It is fat free, all natural, has no cholesterol, and is a rich source of natural vitamins and minerals. Kelp has iodine for glandular function and metabolism, iron, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Vitamins found in kelp are A, B1, B2, C, D, E, and amino acids, which all contribute to good health, and the natural form of the vitamins and nutrients are easily assimilated in the body.Kelp caviar is made by harvesting the kelp, drying it naturally, and then grinding it into a powder form.
Next, salt and citric acid are added along with a natural flavoring in a liquid form. It is then mixed for one hour until it is a thick and gelatinous liquid and it is then connected to an extrusion machine which pumps the thick liquid through something similar to a shower head, squeezing droplets or pearls into a coagulation solution, so that the pearls have a soft landing.The coagulation solution helps the droplets or pearls retain their shape, so that they can then be put into a sieve to insure uniform size and shape. The sieve retains the like shaped pearls, and the others drop through. The quantity of kelp caviar is measured and weighed, a stabilizer is mixed in to maintain their texture and shape, and they are dropped into glass jars and sealed for marketing.
Because kelp is plentiful, growing at a rate of as much as two feet per day, it is very inexpensive.
There are many simulated flavors of kelp caviar such as sturgeon, salmon, spicy chili, and truffle. Kelp caviar also comes in different sizes and colors to simulate the more expensive beluga roe. It is pasteurized, so it stores longer, and the health benefits are enormous. It is served in many Gourmet restaurants, and you can buy it on line and in gourmet stores.Thirty grams of beluga caviar is priced at three-hundred dollars, and one-hundred grams of kelp caviar can be purchased for just seven dollars! It looks the same, and has the same texture, only it is healthier and much less expensive. Who has to know that you did not spend a fortune?