Mishertt
ArchivesWhat is bottarga?Known as ‘Mediterranean caviar’, bottarga can be thought of as the truffle of the sea, as it is commonly grated over dishes, just like the fungus, adding its unique aroma and flavour to many recipes. The salted and cured fish roe was all but unheard of outside the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia until relatively recently, but is now becoming popular all over the world. Originating from the Arabic word battarikh, this is an ancient product first created by fishermen not willing to waste any part of the fish they caught. To conserve the delicious and delicate eggs, they used that most ancient and common of preservatives: salt. Due to its unique taste and the laborious, time-consuming process needed to create it, bottarga quickly became a precious and refined product that was quite hard to find far from where it was produced (at least until the 1950s) and was often given as a valuable gift. There are some regional differences when it comes to making bottarga. The fish used can vary from grey mullet and tuna to swordfish or other similar species. In Sicily and the small Sardinian island of Carloforte – where the old tonnara, the traditional system of fishing nets and boats to catch tuna, still exists – bottarga is usually made with tuna roe. This variety is usually darker and has a stronger taste than grey mullet roe, and requires a longer processing time – up to thirty days – involving washings and salt baths to remove any blood. It has quite a solid texture, an even, dark red colour and a squared-off shape due to being dried under heavy presses. It is usually made once the tuna season ends in May. In the salt lakes of Cabras (Sardinia) and in the lagoon areas near Orbetello (Tuscany), bottarga is mostly made with the roe of grey mullet. This is the most refined and expensive one and, due to its golden or amber colour, is often called ‘Sardinia's gold’. In Sardinia, 150 tonnes of bottarga is consumed every year and it takes 2,300 tonnes of grey mullet to make this much, meaning some of the fish are shipped in from other parts of Italy. Its shape is looser and more natural than the tuna variety and it is slightly chewy when eaten. Usually made in September, it has an intense and elegant flavour, with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste. by Mishertt on 2023-08-01 11:56:08 |