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The fishy caviar topping the canapés of the rich and famous The fishy caviar topping the canapés of the rich and famous
(4 months later)
Is fine dining having its Apollo 13 moment? I know it's not on the same scale as "Houston, we have a problem," but when Laura King had to call Fortnum & Mason and Harrods to say, "There might be a problem with the sevruga," it can't have been her easiest day at the office.Is fine dining having its Apollo 13 moment? I know it's not on the same scale as "Houston, we have a problem," but when Laura King had to call Fortnum & Mason and Harrods to say, "There might be a problem with the sevruga," it can't have been her easiest day at the office.
King is the founder and co-owner of the eponymous King's Fine Foods, the UK's largest supplier of caviar with a client list that includes Buckingham Palace, the Groucho Club and Claridge's, as well as the nation's poshest grocers.King is the founder and co-owner of the eponymous King's Fine Foods, the UK's largest supplier of caviar with a client list that includes Buckingham Palace, the Groucho Club and Claridge's, as well as the nation's poshest grocers.
Random DNA tests taken back in October at King's premises in Richmond have revealed that what was labelled as top-grade sevruga, the eggs from Acipenser stellatus sturgeon, was actually the roe of Acipenser ruthenus, considered considerably less fine by those who know and care about these things.Random DNA tests taken back in October at King's premises in Richmond have revealed that what was labelled as top-grade sevruga, the eggs from Acipenser stellatus sturgeon, was actually the roe of Acipenser ruthenus, considered considerably less fine by those who know and care about these things.
But the most astonishing part of this story is that this less-than-stellar caviar has apparently been gracing the canapés of the well-heeled for several months. And no one noticed. Cocktail parties continued. Tables in the nation's finest restaurants remained unturned. Oligarchs slept soundly on their goose-down pillows.But the most astonishing part of this story is that this less-than-stellar caviar has apparently been gracing the canapés of the well-heeled for several months. And no one noticed. Cocktail parties continued. Tables in the nation's finest restaurants remained unturned. Oligarchs slept soundly on their goose-down pillows.
Deliciously, some of those who may have sneered at people scarfing down eight burgers for a pound only to find they were horsemeat rather than prime beef, might as well have spent 40 quid a kilo on lumpfish roe rather than the eye-watering £1,280 that King's charge for a kilo of sevruga.Deliciously, some of those who may have sneered at people scarfing down eight burgers for a pound only to find they were horsemeat rather than prime beef, might as well have spent 40 quid a kilo on lumpfish roe rather than the eye-watering £1,280 that King's charge for a kilo of sevruga.
In truth, there are probably only a handful of people in the world who could tell the difference between stellatus and poor old ruthenus on taste alone. And while we can all enjoy the pomposity-pricking, falling-on-a-banana-skin fabulousness of it all – just as we do when the cava trumps premier cru in blind tastings – it does raise the question: when we spend a mortgage payment on what is essentially a snack, perhaps we are predisposed to think it's wonderful? As our wallets get lighter, do our tastebuds become less discerning?In truth, there are probably only a handful of people in the world who could tell the difference between stellatus and poor old ruthenus on taste alone. And while we can all enjoy the pomposity-pricking, falling-on-a-banana-skin fabulousness of it all – just as we do when the cava trumps premier cru in blind tastings – it does raise the question: when we spend a mortgage payment on what is essentially a snack, perhaps we are predisposed to think it's wonderful? As our wallets get lighter, do our tastebuds become less discerning?
Twenty years ago, I lived in Russia. I often exchanged grubby dollars or packets of Marlboro for tins of caviar from slightly sinister gold-toothed charmers. One day a fellow expat's son, on seeing us pile sparkling mounds of tiny black eggs onto blinis, asked "Is that the beluga or the sevruga, cos I only like the sevruga." I still wonder a bit how that kid got on when his family went back to England. But I do think it was probably the last time I heard an honest opinion about caviar, his seven-year-old tastebuds unblunted by the champagne show-offy-ness that's often served up with the world's most glamorous eggs.Twenty years ago, I lived in Russia. I often exchanged grubby dollars or packets of Marlboro for tins of caviar from slightly sinister gold-toothed charmers. One day a fellow expat's son, on seeing us pile sparkling mounds of tiny black eggs onto blinis, asked "Is that the beluga or the sevruga, cos I only like the sevruga." I still wonder a bit how that kid got on when his family went back to England. But I do think it was probably the last time I heard an honest opinion about caviar, his seven-year-old tastebuds unblunted by the champagne show-offy-ness that's often served up with the world's most glamorous eggs.
To my mind, a fresh hen's egg, with its richly golden yolk and firm albumen, trumps a dodgy fish egg any day. A ball of fresh mozzarella, a slice of good ham or a loaf of great bread – you don't need a person in a lab coat to tell you these are the best of their kind. You know they are from looking at them, tasting them. Personally, I'd rather leave the DNA tests to Jeremy Kyle and trust my own judgment when it comes to my dinner.To my mind, a fresh hen's egg, with its richly golden yolk and firm albumen, trumps a dodgy fish egg any day. A ball of fresh mozzarella, a slice of good ham or a loaf of great bread – you don't need a person in a lab coat to tell you these are the best of their kind. You know they are from looking at them, tasting them. Personally, I'd rather leave the DNA tests to Jeremy Kyle and trust my own judgment when it comes to my dinner.
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