PRUNIER HERITAGE OSCIETRE RAREST FINEST FRENCH CAVIAR 30gr

Caviar House & Prunier: Three Centuries of Timeless Art de Vivre

The Prunier story dates back to the 19th century and includes the longest list of innovations in the history of French gastronomy. Prunier was first company to prepare and sell French caviar, it invented the oyster bar, champagne by the glass and home delivery by bicycle in Paris. Since 1872, French pioneers and visionaries have been at the head of Prunier. 100 years later, Pierre Bergé, visionary impresario and patron of the arts, would once again establish the Prunier as part of the art and fashion worlds alongside Bernard Buffet and Yves Saint-Laurent respectively. The arts come together to create a world dedicated to "Everything that comes from the sea."

The Prunier workshop is located in a unique, unspoilt ecosystem, in the heart of several hectares of nature. Ideally situated on the banks of a tributary of the Dordogne, the source of which is located in the Massif Central, at an altitude of 375 metres.

Having lived through the Roaring Twenties, two World Wars and crossed the Channel to open in London, Prunier is now expanding into Japan, making 40 outlets worldwide.

Prunier Caviar Manufacture

When the sturgeons arrive they are about fingerlong midgits that grow to become 1.5 metres long, steel grey giants, which lazily glide through the water. In contrast to closed pond systems, which circumvent nature by using temperate water and therefore are able to produce continuously, this system only ”harvests” twice year. In spring and autumn.

Normally the Prunier sturgeons will grow to 140 cm and weigh 8 to 10 kilograms. About a tenth of the weight consists of the valuable roe which is one of the most sought after delicacies worldwide. This caviar has an unbelievable clarity. Produced with care our farm caviar from Prunier has already reached perfection and it is an amazing alternative to the traditional caviar from the Caspian Sea.

The farming of sturgeons requires great care and perseverance. In the aquaculture of Prunier, the fish move in river water. The open area - surrounded by idyllic greenery - is fed by filtered water from the Isle, a tributary of the Dordogne. The sturgeons are initially separated into different pools according to age, later according to their maturity. If, after about two years, the sex of the surgeons ca be determined they are separated according to gender. For the males, this becomes their final destination. They become tasty fillets.

It does take a very long time until sturgeons are sexually mature but the production process is very quick: The extracted ovaries are pressed under running water in large, circular movements through a flat stainless steel sieve. The loose grains are collected and separated from the surrounding fatty tissue. It is striking that the pearls appear to be much firmer than they are when the tongue later crushes them against the palate.

After thoroughly cleaning them with clear water, the roe is salted, depending on the type of caviar, and thus refined making it an absolute top of the range product. The salt, weighed to the gram is mixed with the fish eggs by hand for no more than a minute. Rock salt or borax make it durable and proves also important for the subsequent maturation process. The grains are thus firmer, crisper and darker than immediately after extraction.

All of this is carried out in accordance to ancient recipes dating back to a time when the secret of caviar production was guarded by a few caviar masters in the Russian caviar town of Astrakhan.

After thoroughly folding in the salt mixtures and borax, the remaining liquid is beaten and shaken out before the metal tins on standby are filled or overfilled respectively. Some pressure is exerted on the lid to expel excess air. Excess water and oil runs out of the seam of the tin. The sealing rubber ring is attached to the metal tin the day after - after giving it another rinse. Then the actual "maturation" can begin.
The female sturgeons will remain in the aquaculture for another four to six years until they are sexually mature. They do not reach this stage simultaneously and therefore every single fish is examined by ultrasound. When mature roe is detected in the female, a biopsy is carried out to determine which stage the growth has reached. If the sturgeon does not carry any caviar in late autumn, it will go back and maybe it will be ready next spring along with the next generation.

Whereas females with promising roe are moved to another basin. There they are fed only with groundwater, nothing else and "purified". This means they will be on a special diet for a week. So they cleanse more or less themselves, which produces a much fresher caviar.

The sturgeons are about eight years old now. Eight years with only their health and well-being as the main focus. The roe is not removed until the ideal stage for the production of the best quality caviar is reached. Then the fish, which has been bred with so much care, must lose its life. During the autumn and spring season this means about 200 animals per day. You can find the tasty sturgeon featured on many restaurant menues or you can buy it from many traders.

   
From fish belly to tin it takes no more than 20 minutes, but all depends on these minutes. The refining only takes very few steps. But the approach has to be conscientious and skilfull, which is part of everyday life at Prunier. That is how the magic happens. The grains explode very gently on the palate, a creamy-sensual taste starts to spread making the experience very exquisite. In order to achieve this, Prunier is equipped with a good sense of judgement and lots of experience.

During maturation, the caviar subsides because the excess oil escapes through the seam. Therefore the tins have to be handled in the cooling chamber. The tins are tapped and turned. The lid is pushed down so that the caviar and oil is evenly amalgamated within the tin to prevent cavities between the caviar and the lid, which would mold. This is done once a week for the subsequent eight weeks.

If the fluid stops to discharge, the tin closes itself off from the inside out through the dried oil. The fluid exchange between salt and the inside of the egg occurs about 14 days into the maturation process. Until then, the grain is untouched and the salt remains on the outside. But then the membranes open up and the exchange occurs. The roe become darker, blacker and acquire their unusual taste.

When the optimal maturity level is reached, the caviar is transferred to a vacuum tin. This airtight, oxidation resistant packaging stops ongoing maturation of the caviar by almost 95 percent.

   
Whereas wild caviar generally is obtained from the three sturgeon species Sevruga, Oscietra and Beluga, which are the classical caviar types, the colour, grain size, age and maturity of the cultured caviar from Prunier form the basis for several types of caviar, which are produced by the skilled caviar master.

The borax-free "Malossol" is the most full-bodied and because of its salt content Prunier’s most striking caviar. After six months it has almost developed a strong blue-mold character. "Saint-James" has a distinguished voluminous taste. "Paris" is the perfect entry-level caviar and is only available during fishing. It is already on the table after 24 hours to two weeks. Salt and roe have not embraced each other at this point, which makes it an absolute taste sensation: First you taste the salt, after that the fishy-eggy, almost creamy-yolky sensation, a unique moment in time. A fresh and uncomplicated taste by contrast, is "Tradition", ideal for those who previously tasted Sevruga and liked it.

Thus Prunier offers people who love caviar from the Caspian Sea a worthy alternative. For those who like Oscietra "Saint-James" is a perfect choice. Whoever fancies Russian caviar is well advised to go for "Malossol". And fans of Imperial are have found their perfect choice with "Héritage".

Every single sturgeon in the aquaculture is registered: The recorded information includes the generation it stems from, what it is fed and how much roe was obtained - yes, and also which caviar variety is produced from it.

Many years of experience, strict quality controls, care and instinct means that even experts fail to differentiate between the edible luxury from Prunier and wild caviar.

Sturgeon species: Acipenser gueldenstaedtii (Oscietra)
Taste: Rare, delicate aromatic complexity, briny notes
Colour: Light, golden-brown (the lightest shade in the collection)
Texture: Generous, creamy, melts in the mouth

Length on the palate: Lasting 
Grain size: 3/3 (large grain)

Intensity of iodine: 2/5 (lightly salted)
Origin: France (South-West)

Average nutritional values (per 100gr):

Energy 1086kJ / 260kCal

Protein 26.8gr

Carbohydrates 0.5gr

of which sugars 0.3gr

Fat 16.9gr

of which saturated fatty acids 0.5gr

Salt 3-5gr