Does color affect the taste of the caviar?
No. Caviar is a natural product, and natural products vary in color, texture and consistency. Among Beluga, Sevruga, and Osetra, for example, colors can range from silver gray to brown to black; although Beluga is generally more gray and Osetra more black. There are rare golden Osetras (coming from albino fish, the roe is actually yellow, and extremely costly due to the rarity). But the color of the roe is an appearance quality only, and does not affect the flavor. Q. I’ve seen the terms “manufactured” and “produced.” Don’t the fish produce the caviar? There is a simple but crucial manufacturing process. The tissue bearing the roe is removed from the fish and set on a frame (a grohotka) where it is punched to separate the eggs, or grains, from the connecting substance. The grains are washed out, reset on a sieve, and weighed; and the necessary quantity of fine, dry table salt (a percent of weight, no more than 5% for fine caviar—malossol is 3.5%—though prepacked commercial barrel cavia
