Caviar

Seven types of caviar

Sandwich with hard-boiled eggs and cod roe caviar from a tube

Caviar is the processed, salted roe of certain species of fish, most notably the sturgeon (black caviar) and the salmon (red caviar). It is commercially marketed worldwide as a delicacy and is eaten as a garnish or a spread; for example, with hors d'œuvres.

Alternatives

In Scandinavia, a significantly cheaper version of caviar, made from mashed and smoked cod roe (smorgaskaviar or sandwichcaviar), sold in tubes as a sandwich filling. When sold outside Scandinavia, the product is referred to as creamed smoked roe.

An obvious sturgeon caviar imitation is Danish black coloured lumpsucker caviar, which is sold throughout Europe in small glass jars. It can also be found red coloured. A more expensive sturgeon caviar alternative, sold in Sweden and Finland, is the caviar from the vendace. In Finland caviars from the burbot and the common whitefish are also sold.