Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-03-21
Caviar and Isinglass.

is fully explained the process by which
caviar is manufactured. The same
writer also gives a detailed account, In
the manner in which isinglsss is manu-
featured from fish bladders.
Says Professor Miner: "The pro-
cess in preparing the roe for caviar is
quite simple. There are two kinds OF
caviar manufactured-the fresh or
grain and the pressed caviar. In both
eases the roe of the several kinds OF
sturgeon is spread out on net with
narrow meshes, forming sieve and
stretched over wooden frame. An
essential point in the manufacture of
caviar seems TO be the absence of con-
tact with all metals. The apparatus at
Sandusky, Ohio, where large quanti-
ties are manufactured, consisting of a
sieve made like ordinary wire sieves,
substituting horse hair in place of the
wire. The eggs are passed through
meshes by slightly pressing the whole
mass until nothing remains on the
sieve but the membranes of the ovaries,
fat and muscular tissues. In the pro-
cess used at Sandusky, different sized
meshes were used, and in the operation
a larger mesh was employed first, re-
ducing the mesh each time until finally
the eggs would pass through meshes of
no larger diameter than themselves. In
this way the smaller particles Of mem-
brane and tissue are left and the eggs
are gathered entirely free into tabs be-
meath. The eggs are left short time
on the sieve to drain. For manufacture
| ing grained caviar, the roe is sprinkled
with very fine salt liverpool rock salt
| ground. The whole mass, after the
salt is sprinkled on, is stirred with a
wooden fork having prongs. The
quantity of salt required varies accord
ing to the season. In August they take
from 3 to pounds of salt to So pounds
of roe, 81 10 - pounds in winter. The
I less the fresh cavair is salted the more
it is esteemed. The roe mixed with salt
presents doughy appearance when
stirred up, but when every grain has
been impregnated with salt, the whole
mass swells, and in stirring slight
noise is perceptible, Ike that of stirring
small grains of glass. The noise is a
sign that the caviar is ready. 1t is then
packed in casks made of linden wood,
which does not impart any bad flavor
to it, which is not the case with casks
made of other wood. Our bass wood
lumber would, in all probability, an
swer the same purpose. For manu-
featuring pressed caviar, a tub half
filled with brine is placed under the
sieve, the brine being stronger or
weaker according to the temperature
and the season. To impregnate the
grains evenly with brine, the whole
mass is stirred with a wooden fork, al
ways turning it from the same side.
The grains are taken out with fine
sieves, and after the whole brine has
been drained, los pounds of grain are
put in a rack made of the bark of the
linden, placed under the press in order
TO get all the brine out of the caviar and
to transform it to a solid mass. In thus
pressing the caviar large number OF
grains are crushed, and a portion of
their contents flows out " ith the brine,
so that there is always more or less
loss. After having taken the pressed
caviar from the sacks, it is packed in
casks containing thirty pounds each,
the inside oil which is covered with
napkin linen, this being the reason why
the caviar is also called napkin caviar
The finest quality of pressed caviar,
that which has been least pressed and
salted, is placed in straight linen bags
OF cylindrical shape, and is then called
oppressed caviar" Caviar is also shipped
in tin boxes, Theoretically closed and
soldered. The fattest caviar Is that
male during the hot season from the
roe of those kind of sturgeon which are
caught In the sea between the sIh of
July and the 18th of August.
In speaking of the manufacture of
isInglass, the same writer says: ''The
manufacture of isinglass from the
bladders of fish, is everywhere carried
on among the fish establishments at
Sandusky. The methods employed
seem to be merely keeping the bladders
stretched tightly upon a board, and
then with a knife scraping off the men,
brane from the outer surface. They
are spread upon clean board and al
lowed to dry. The principal use Of
that prepared in this way is ior brew
ers' purposes in clarifying ales and
malt liquors. First, the swimming
bladder of the fish is thrown into water
where il is left for several days, the
water being frequently changed in or
der to detach all the fatty and bloody |
particles from the bladder-the hotter !
the water the quicker this is done. The |
bladders are taken out, cut lengthwise |
into strips, and then exposed to the sun
and air. These strips or leaves are
usually spread Out in order to dry them |
with their outer sides on small boards |
of linden wood. Tine inner side is |
formed by leaves Of pure isinglass,
which, after having been well-dried,
are carefully detached from the outer
side. The leaves of the isinglass thus
obtained are laid between pieces of
linen to preserve them from the flies !
and from dust. They are then placed |
under press and it is only after these
different operations have been per-
formed that the laborer proceeds to |
pick the leaves and tie them in bundles. |
These bundles Of isinglass produced |
from the large sturgeon, are usually |
composed of from ten to fifteen leaves, |
and weigh one and half pounds each,
while those of the common sturgeon
contain twenty-five leaves, and weigh |
one pound each. The swimming blad-
der deprived of its inner skin that is
of the inner shining cuticle of which |
isinglass is made, as already described,
still contains a aartaip nua p,;tr 90 ol,,o