Introducing new webshop
December 22, 2009
Some weeks back I revealed the upcoming new webshop. Now it is my pleasure to inform you that ZwyerCaviar made its next international move – in the web. Our clients can now order their favorite caviar conveniently from our webshop. Delivered to your home or hotel anywhere in Europe – finally! After establishing our selfs successfully within the European Union through branch offices in Paris and Berlin, it is only logic to follow up with international delivery options.
I guess this is great news for some, as unfortunately we had to turn down many orders coming from outside of Switzerland.
I invite you to check out our ZwyerCaviarShop (for deliveries within Switzerland -> zwyercaviarshop.ch; for deliveries within France -> zwyercaviarshop.fr; for the rest -> zwyercaviarshop.com).
The Caviarist wishes a Merry Christmas!
Caviar substitute(s)
September 21, 2009
While legal wild black caviar is increasingly difficult to find, the market came up with several alternatives. Some of which might be pretty well known today. Others are still existing in the shadow.
Travelers to Italy might have got in touch with Bottarga, which is made from tuna/mullet roe. The French are betting on their snail caviar (De Jaeger). The Southeners in the US have their “Cajun caviar” made from bowfin roe. The Japanese sell their sushi often with Masago (made from the smeltfish/capelin roe), Tobiko (made from fly fish roe) or Keta (made from salmon roe or). And very well known, especially in times when home economics are under pressure, is the ”poor man’s caviar”, which is made from eggplants.
Other, but not so popular substitutes to ‘the real thing’ are for example Avruga caviar, which is made from herring roe, Onuga (made from herring and seaweed), sea urchin roe, Lobsviar (made from lobster roe), Tarama (carp or codfish roe) and Cavianne (or Cavi*art).
The latter is a decade old invention by Japanese food scientist Susumu Mikami. His company Hokuyu Foods Co Ltd. (in the city of Aomori, some 600km north of Tokyo) produces about 4tons annually of this imitation caviar, made from an unlikely mix of ingredients – squid ink, pectin from apples, extract of sea urchin, oyster and scallop as well as a type of gum derived from kelp. This production volume is about 20% of the estimated annual consumption of real black caviar in Japan, according to Mikami.
Few Japanese know the name Cavianne, because the fake caviar has been sold mostly for wholesale for use at restaurants and hotels.
Its price is a blessing for all caviarists with a tightening belt: A 50-gram jar of Cavianne goes over the counter for about 11USD. But don’t expect our palate cheering up…
Worlds most expensive (caviar) curry!
June 2, 2009
A London curry house has celebrated the DVD launch of Slumdog Millionaire by creating a curry that costs more than $4′000 a plate.
Bombay Brasserie is defying the credit crunch with the release of its Samundari Khazana, or Seafood Treasure – a mix of caviar, abalone and a whole lobster.
More than $2000 worth of edible gold pressed onto the skin of cherry tomatoes and scattered throughout the meal helps keep the bill at a premium.
“There are still people out there with money to spend and this curry is a real experience,” head chef Prahlad Hegde told The Sun.
The Sun watched as one cook coated a $170 Scottish lobster with gold while another hollowed out quail’s eggs in order to refill them with $800 worth of caviar.
“The idea is from a basic Indian recipe I got from my mum but we are using the finest ingredients in the world,” Mr Hegde said.
Original article taken from The Daily Telegraph
Harrods gift basket for 7′500USD
March 18, 2009
The world famous luxury store Harrods offers only 8 of these premium so called Chairman’s Choice hampers. And they are filled with lots of fun!
For (only) 7′500USD there will be (first things first!) beluga caviar, competing with smoked salmon, truffle ham, Stilton cheese, brie, a 30-year old Macallan single malt, a bottle of Krug champagne, Hennessy cognac, several bottles of wine, including the famous Chateau d’Yquem! (weeping allowed…)
Remember: the magic number is not 7′500 but 8. So, hurry up!
Related article on luxist.com
Snail caviar
March 17, 2009
And who’s to blame? The french, of course!
While the classic wild caviar due to poaching, overfishing and pollution of the Caspian Sea, is getting harder to find each day, alternatives show up. Of course, farmed caviar (from sturgeon roe) being the best ’substitute’ for the wild thing (and in some farms even surpassing the quality of wild!). Besides farmed caviar there is today a wide offer of other fish eggs that try to get into the luxury dimension. Tobiko, Tarama, Bottarga, Bowin, Lobsviar (roe from Lobster), etc. seem to get their share – altough not on the top of the quality and price pyramid.
Now, the one that really gets tickling my curiousity are the roe from snails – or better ’escargots’ (Hélix Aspera Maxima).
The french company De Jaegers after a period of extensive research has a stock of about 60′000 snails (= 200kg. for the worldmarket). These slippery little bastards (for the ones who saw Pretty Woman) seem to produce some very tasty, pink-white looking eggs. Ok, the truth to be told, I doubt that the above image shows the roe and not some shiny tinny plastic balls…
The snails lay about 100 eggs once a year, which gives aprox. 4gramms of snail caviar. So, about 260 snails are needed to get to 1kg. (!!!).
De Jaeger promises a ‘sensation of a walk in the forest after the rain, mushrooms and oak leaf flavours, the scent of humid moss peat’. And the price range reflects this effort and promise. A 250grm. tin goes over the counter for about 1′000USD. Well, that’s the deal if you want to stay in your cozy home but walk in the forest at the same time.
Related article on luxuo.com
Caviarteria: kitsch or kingly?
March 16, 2009
Check out this new caviarteria, which comes in a (kind of) sturgeon form and with its ridge open for the caviar. This presentoir is made of sterling silver and its interior has a 24k guilded interior. Supposedly it is handycrafted from italian silversmiths and it takes about 6 months to create one. So, orders with anticipation might be advisable…
If interested, ask for a Mr. Kelvin Sasha (Tel: 0062-61-7687310 ).
Others doing the talk: a visit at ZwyerCaviar LLC
February 4, 2009
Last December the swiss wine-dealer Yvonne Kunz stepped by to visit the office of ZwyerCaviar LLC in Teufen, Switzerland. The following link leads to an article of her, reflecting the hospitality of the Zwyer brothers and of course her impression regarding our premium caviar.
Fischerzunft: more pix
January 23, 2009
Fischerzunft: The sight of this makes my mouth water
January 22, 2009
2-Michelin star chef André Jaeger from the Fischerzunft never shows off. When he plays his unique tone it’s only to seduce his guests completely. Taking possession of all our five senses. His objective of course: a debauchery of (g)astronomical proportions.
Lookings at his creations I feel like one of Pavlov’s dogs. Mouth watering. But then again: being on autopilot never made that much fun!
Hail to the chef!
(more pictures will follow…)
Dinner starter with ZwyerCaviar at the Restaurant Schoren
December 22, 2008
Last week Jean-Marc Kohler offered to his guest his very own imagination of how ZwyerCaviar could be accompanied with other gourmet essences. Moving forward, but while showing his respect to the traditional ‘egg style’: Poached quail egg on a Champagne sauce.
For the brave hearted ones: If you ask for it, there might be a chance that the chef shows himself benevolent…
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