Giacomo Casanovain his eclecticism as a multisensory pheromone stimulator, knew well how to use, as a greedy lock pick, oysters and caviar to be welcomed into the arms of the beauty of the moment as well narrated in her diaries and the theme of the relationship between the nuggets of Neptune which can create a happy mutual synergy between pleasures of the throat and other consequent ones is well described to us by the talented Lejla Mancusi Sorrentino in his latest book Aphrodisiac delightswhere you travel to the four millstones among caviar, oysters, lobsters and assorted seafood.
It is inevitable to start this journey on the back of sturgeonthe source of precious caviar eggs. A tradition that has its roots since ancient times as evidenced by some bas-reliefs handed down to us from the Egyptian pyramids where fishermen are depicted extracting eggs from fish of such size that they can only be sturgeons, given that whales and dolphins have never frequented the waters of the Nile.
The precious treasure chest that seduced the powerful
Apart from the heavyweight size, the prized breeds type i Beluga they can reach eight meters for as many quintals, the sturgeon has another characteristic, well described by Ovid: «It is a pilgrim fish among the most illustrious waves». Once upon a time it could also travel up our rivers from the Mediterranean, from the more welcoming Po to the patriotic Piave which, as it passed, murmured greedily waiting for the fishermen to then provide the consequent tanning.
In fact, it was among the waters and protected inlets of the rivers that the female sturgeon ensured the continuation of the species by laying her eggs. And so also along the Atlantic coasts of North America or the Black Sea along the Volga or the Don. Precious eggs also for human survival, as for example the Egyptians and Phoenicians did who, after preserving them in salt, kept them in the holds of their ships as ready-to-eat food, while the more pleasure-loving Romans served them at the banquets of the patrician nobility accompanied by the sound of the flutes, whetting the appetite to follow, while the Greeks were more discreet, embellishing the trays with appropriate floral decorations.
Caviar, a sort of greedy “black oil” which was rich in the Middle Eastern lands of the Caspian Sea, where the nomadic tribes proceeded with the capture and then the evisceration of egg layers, starting a progressive market towards the West so much so that, in Italy, the ports of Venice and Genoa. Caviar which progressively imposed itself on the tables of the nobility of the time as in England, where king Edward II gives it the label of “royal fish” and, as such, with a specific decree, requires the fishermen of the greedy Albion to exclusively deliver to the royal house what they catch along the Thames and its surroundings.
To each their own style. An example comes from the brilliant Leonardo Da Vinci. Walking in search of inspiration along the Ticino, near Pavia, he comes across some fishermen who have just released the precious eggs from mother sturgeon. In the days to come he had been invited to the duchess’s wedding Beatrice d’Este who was getting married to Ludovico il Moro. From there, to the genius who had painted the Mona Lisathe consequent intuition: he presents himself at the royal banquet with a tribute that caught the eye of the guests. A treasure chest set with precious stones and valuable gems to crown a cup full of caviar, just as if it were a rare and refined jewel.
The energy cake between Russia and Persia
Caviar is always a protagonist even on the banks of the Baltic, in St. Petersburg where at the arrival of spring the nomadic Cossacks coming from the banks of the Volga brought it as homage to the tsar Peter the Great the first fruits of their caviar. And here is the inevitable out-of-score that has always accompanied human events. In Russia, considered to be the homeland that has valorised sturgeon eggs, caviar is called «ikra» and, in the local tradition, rather than a soloist on its own, it enters into the team game of «zakuska», a Russian appetizer rich in various components: from sea fish, salted or smoked, to eggs, spicy creams, various types of cheese.
The etymology caviar, in reality, is of Persian origin, another mine of delicious caviar, or “khag aviar”, energy cake, perhaps a reference to the medicinal and energizing use that was once made of it. Rich in minerals, in particular zincbeneficial in stimulating various functions, from the production of testosterone to the ovarian stimulation of potential mothers dedicated to the reproduction of the human species. Here, then, his Casanovian erotic reinterpretation falls within the most correct canons of a community.
Let’s return to travel the historical paths of caviar reproduction along the tables of various countries. At the end of the 19th century, many Russian fishermen crossed the polar routes to reach the States in search of fortune, so much so that sturgeon eggs were offered in saloons to stimulate further demand for pints of beer, given their naughty saline stimulation. With the Bolshevik revolution, the caviar that the Cossack knights offered to the Tsar found worthy asylum in the Paris of Belle Époque.
The brothers take care of it Melkoun and Mouchegh PetrossianRussians who fled from Baku, on the shores of the Black Sea, a historic mine of delicious caviar. Sons of a rich silk merchant, they arrive on the banks of the Seine, one to continue his medical studies, the other to become a lawyer. But, soon, the good Parisian life distracts them from academic texts and they try to involve the other half of the sky from the «oui, c’est un pleasure» with the aphrodisiac convict caviar, which they had brought with them, the consolation of exile.
Caviar would go well with parties animated by Charleston and champagne, but in France it is unknown. They are homesick, but as a supplier of sturgeon eggs, not anything else. They get smart. Back then there were no social channels, but genius has no borders, and if accompanied by tenacity and determination it knows no obstacles. They manage to contact none other than the then Russian Minister of Foreign Trade by telephone. They smash an open door. Reciprocal. They need caviar to make their friends dream beyond the banks of the Seine, the minister finds himself with the warehouses where the cans of caviar risk becoming moldy, given the fall in local demand, due to the resulting revolutionary impoverishment.
THE Petrossian they have, in practice, a monopoly on the importation of caviar from mother Russia and the Leninized ministry finally have hard cash to purchase grains on international markets, given the fall in production at a local level. However, that of Petrossianit’s not an all roses debut in society. In 1925 they participated in the Expogastronomica in the Gran Palais. A paso doble debut. On the one hand, the network of friends they have built up over time who are proud to pay due homage to their commitment, but on the other also the gluttonous upstarts who approach those strange black beads served with aristocratic sympathy with a bit of doubt.
Get back to work. A little theater of grimaces, regurgitations, spitting like not even in the worst boulevards of Pigalle and surrounding areas. So much so that they become the protagonists of a little theater that sees a surprised and amused audience gather around them like in the stages of Montparnasse. THE Petrossian are saved from the kitchens of Grand Hotel Ritzwhich will bring their caviar a stable presence on the menu. And so the two tenacious brothers will open their own boutique, a sort of embassy of the best and different variations of caviar, which will also be followed by a dedicated company for the production of their little delicious jewel.
