Avgotaraho (Bottarga)
Delicacy of cured mullet or tuna roe Avgotaraho (Greek) Batarekh (Arabic) Botarga (Spanish) Bottarga (Italian) Karasumi (Japanese) Poutargue (French) In Greece, avgotaraho is produced primarily from the flathead mullet caught in Greek lagoons. The whole mature ovaries are removed from the fish, washed with water, salted with natural sea salt, dried under the sun, and sealed in melted wax.
Taste and value through the ages
The heritage of preserving seafood, farming the nutrient-rich sea salt of the tidal marshes and using it to preserve that seafood, is maintained to this day especially in some Mediterranean countries. While the practice of preserving tuna or mullet roe is sometimes thought to be the legacy of the Byzantines, it actually goes farther back to ancient Greeks and Egyptians and even some coastal areas of Asia. “Grey mullet roe is considered a choice delicacy since the era of Pharaohs.” COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS “It was well known in the Byzantine times as an essential and important food of the ancient Greeks.” FOOD & CULTURE ENCYCLOPEDIA: Byzantine Empire