Are Other Roes Caviar?

The extensive fishing of the sturgeon has practically driven the fish to extinction. There have been attempts to find substitutes. Roe from other fish can now be found on the market: salmon roe, trout roe, and pike roe. 

There is even a rather new product on the market: snail roe. Can we call them substitutes? Not exactly, since they each have their own taste and their right to be. They hold an important role in Scandinavian cuisine. Most of these roes are orangey and will add a nice colored touch to your appetizers. The snail roe is more of a white to light blue color with a somewhat licorice taste. I use to make a dish called “Garden morning dew, scrambled eggs” on one of my breakfast menus. It is less common and more difficult to find. 

The true admirers of caviar have always known that nothing is better than “real” sturgeon caviar. Technically the term caviar is only used for the sturgeon roe, but in common parlance, people talk about salmon caviar, snail caviar, and so on.