Taramasalata or taramosalata (; From 'fish roe' < + Greek: 'salad') is a meze made from tarama, the salted and cured roe (colloquially referred to as caviar) of the cod, carp, or grey mullet (bottarga), mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, and a starchy base of bread or potatoes, or sometimes almonds.
Traditionally the dish is made with a pestle and mortar, giving a slightly grainy texture, but commercial taramasalata is usually very smooth.
Taramasalata is usually served as a meze, often with ouzo, as a spread on bread. The colour can vary from creamy beige to pink, depending on the type of roe and colourings used. Most taramasalata sold commercially is dyed pink, but high-quality taramasalata is beige.
In Greece, taramasalata is often served on Clean Monday (, ), the first day of Great Lent, with onions and lemon.Susanna Hoffman, Victoria Wise, The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking, 2004, , p. 43
Etymology and origins The word comes from the Greek ταραμάς (roe), a borrowing from Ottoman Turkish tarama,Georgios Babiniotis, ed., Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας itself a borrowing from Middle Persian. Normally, tarama is the salted roe itself, but sometimes the prepared dish is also called tarama. The spelling taramosalata reflects the Greek, but in English the a spelling is common.Taramosalata is the spelling in the Oxford English Dictionary, with -a- given as an alternate form. -a- is the only spelling given in The Macquarie Dictionary (1995) for Australian English; in Chambers Dictionary (1994), Collins English Dictionary 6th Edition (2003), Concise Oxford Dictionary 9th Edition (1995), and The Times English Dictionary (2000), all of which represent British English but indicate alternate US spellings and indicate nothing here. -o- is also given, but second so that -a- is preferred, by Longman Dictionary of the English Language (1988) (British publisher). The word was not given at all a few decades ago such as in [Merriam-]Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (1977) or their three-volume 3rd International (1971) and is now given with -a- in The American Heritage Dictionary, see note above.
The dish originated in Byzantine cuisine; it was widely served in tavernes.
Variants Variants may include garlic, spring onions, or peppers, or vinegar instead of lemon juice. While not traditionally Greek, smoked rather than cured cod's roe is more widely available in some places, and often used. Bottarga is usually much more expensive than cod roe.
The scandinavian spread known as Smörgåskaviar is almost identical to taramasalata. Some versions of the Scandinavian dish includes tomato paste as a coloring ingredient.
A similar dip or spread, ('roe salad' in Romanian) is also common in Romania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria (known as , or ), and Israel (where it is known as ikra). It is made with pike or carp roe, but generally with sunflower or vegetable oil instead of olive oil, sometimes with a thickener like white bread. It is mass-produced and is widely available in grocery shops and supermarkets, as well as being made at home, in which case chopped onions are commonly added. It has a consistency and taste similar to mayonnaise, with the roe taking the place of the egg as protein. The traditional production method of salată de icre is standardized under the Romanian departmental standard N.I.D. 927-70 N 23 and registered as an EU Traditional Speciality Guaranteed under the name "Salată tradițională cu icre de carp". The roe of this product is for over 50% carp based.
A dip, or (mashed beans), prepared with mashed beans, sunflower oil, garlic and chopped onions, is sometimes called (beans roe).
See also
List of condiments Spread (food)
References