for Acipenser
Acipenser means ‘sturgeon’ in Latin and is the name given to a genus of roughly 20 fish species native to Europe, Asia, and North America.
"Aging or maturing? At Kaviari, the terminology is a subject of debate: should we refer to caviar as “aging” or “maturing”? For Jean-Marie Pinçon, founder of the Caviar Tasters’ Club, “caviar is not cheese.” His quote illustrates this question well. However, one thing is certain: caviar is a living product, whose flavors and texture evolve over time, much like wine or cheese.
When the original containers (500 g, 1 kg, 1.8 kg) arrive at our facility, they are placed in our cold storage rooms at -3°C. This is where the long transformation process begins. Through osmosis, salt penetrates the grains and initiates a subtle fusion that shapes their texture and gradually reveals their flavor. Caviar that is too fresh lacks depth: it must be left to rest for at least three months after production to fully express its aromas.
This maturation process is not left to chance. It relies on the expertise of our master affineur, Bruno, who knows how to recognize the ideal moment for packaging. At Kaviari, we don’t just select the finest caviar at the source: we guide its evolution in our cold storage rooms with rigor and passion. This expertise unfolds over time. We have observed that farmed caviar, even from the same species, ages differently depending on its terroir. An Oscietra caviar farmed in Italy will not mature in the same way as one from Bulgaria. This is where the concept of terroir takes on its full meaning in the world of caviar.
So… Refinement or maturation? Both! You could say that the caviar grains gradually reach maturity and become more refined. At Kaviari, we embrace this dual approach, which is what gives our craft its richness and uniqueness. As Jean-Marie Pinçon points out, “It is through maturation that caviar develops its flavor.” This statement perfectly sums up what we observe every day: time is a precious ally, bringing out aromas and textures.
White caviar comes from of albino sturgeon, no matter which species, and is called Almas, or ‘diamond’ in Persian (Farsi) and Russian. It is very light in colour and extremely rare; so rare, in fact, that only the Tsar of Russia and Shah of Iran were allowed to eat it. Almas caviar holds the record for being the most expensive, coming in at €30,000 to €37,000 a kilo.
To enjoy caviar’s full range of flavours, connoisseurs prefer eating it à la royale: a few grains are gently placed on the back of the hand, near the base of the thumb, then brought up to the mouth to be devoured. Contact between the caviar and the warm, bare hand helps release the natural fragrances.
The New World is home to its own type of caviar with some seven species of sturgeon living across the North American continent; mainly in the United States, the white Transmontanus sturgeon lives along the Pacific coast. During the 19th century, the American Continent was the world’s largest caviar producer. In fact, the United States produced so much caviar that it was even served free-of-charge in bars and saloons. Their saltiness encouraged bar patrons to drink more, much in the same vein as bar nuts and pretzels are today. Unfortunately, the hunt for ‘grey gold’ and overfishing, particularly in the Hudson River, depleted sturgeon stocks so drastically that by the beginning of the 20th century there were nearly none left.
Sturgeon care little for borders. The Amur River, natural home to the Acipenser schrenckii, starts in Mongolia before cutting across China. This particular sturgeon is currently farmed by Chinese caviar producers for its shiny, dark-amber roe used in Kristal® caviar. Known in Chinese as the ‘Black Dragon River’, the caviar it produces is as legendary as its namesake and much coveted by chefs.
Le caviar a aussi son cousin d’Amérique ! Ou plutôt ses cousins. En effet, sept variétés d’esturgeons vivent aux États-Unis, principalement en Amérique du Nord, dont l’esturgeon blanc Transmontanus présent le long de la côte Pacifique. Au XIXème siècle, le continent américain était le premier producteur mondial de caviar ! Les États-Unis produisaient même tellement de caviar que le mets était servi gratuitement dans les bar-saloons. Leur goût salé poussait à la consommation d’alcool, comme les cacahouètes aujourd’hui ! Mais la ruée vers « l’Or gris » et la surpêche, notamment dans l’Hudson, décimèrent peu à peu les esturgeons. Au début du XXème siècle, ils avaient quasiment disparu.
L’esturgeon ne connaît pas de frontières. L’esturgeon Acipenser Schrenki vit à l’état sauvage dans le fleuve Amour, qui prend sa source en Mongolie et traverse la Chine. Cet esturgeon, élevé aujourd’hui par les Chinois, donne le caviar Kristal®, aux gros grains ambre foncé et brillants. Amour, quand tu nous tiens : ce caviar est le préféré des grands chefs !
Anadromous refers to sea-dwelling fish that migrate into fresh water to spawn. Sturgeon are either anadromous or potamodromous (i.e. a fresh-water migratory fish that stays in fresh water to spawn).
The sturgeon is one of the oldest fish in the world and can be traced back some 30 million years, making it a true ‘living fossil’. Egyptians and Phoenicians once caught sturgeon for its flesh, mastering salt-curing techniques. As such, when sailors would set sail for long periods of time, their diet consisted primarily of salt-dried sturgeon meat.
While the first record of caviar dates back to Ancient Greece when Aristotle spoke of the Greeks dining on sturgeon roe at banquets, the fish was also a delicacy in Ancient Rome. Pliny mentions ceremonies replete with music and merriment where Romans brought forth platter of sturgeon «dressed in flowers and crowns».
Caviar has long been considered an aphrodisiac. In Ancient Persia, it was called chav-jar, which meant ‘strong biscuit’ or ‘cake of power’. The Persians believed in the many virtues of caviar, in particular, its ability to boost sexual stamina in both men and women. In 16th Century Russia, caviar was a common ingredient in countless love potions. While its power as an aphrodisiac has never been scientifically proven, researchers have shown that caviar contains high levels of L-arginine – an amino acid used in medication to treat erectile dysfunction. It is therefore no mere coincidence that in the Karma Sutra, it is recommended that one eat large quantities of fish roe – including caviar – to regain one’s lost libido.
Aquaculture is the water-based farming of plants and animals in controlled environments (pond, river, lake) or in coastal waters. Aquaculture has been practiced in Asia for millennia and refers primarily to the farming of fish (pisciculture), shellfish, crustacean, coral and even algae (algaculture). In 1993, France became the first country in the world to have 100% of its caviar production coming from fish farms alone.
Just like wine, caviar offers up an extraordinarily large array of aroma. Depending on the variety, the flavour can range from woody to briny, buttery to mineral. Some taste of walnut and almond, while others of bitter orange or even fresh morels. No two caviar are alike; each has its own flavour profile – each with its own enchanting delicious blend.
Le caviar est l’un des derniers produits alimentaires de luxe dont la fabrication est encore artisanale. De l’élevage à la pêche des esturgeons, du prélèvement des œufs au salage en passant par la maturation et le conditionnement des boîtes, toutes les étapes de production du caviar sont effectuées à la main, sans procédé industriel. La rareté du mets tient dans ce savoir-faire manuel qui demande du temps, de la patience et l’expertise du master en caviar pour fabriquer un produit d’exception.
«The second sturgeon discover the price of caviar, they’ll become rather arrogant.»
Astrakhan, referred to as ‘The Star of the South’ by Alexandre Dumas, is also considered as the capital of Russian caviar. Founded in the 12th century by Tatars, the city lies at the crossroads between Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Land of Cossack legends, it is renowned for the ‘Astrakhan fur’ trade and its sizeable caviar industry. Thanks to its strategic location on the Volga delta as it feeds into the Caspian Sea, the city stood strong as a major port for sturgeon fishing throughout the 16th century. As has been the case elsewhere, poaching and overfishing brought the wild caviar industry to a halt towards the end of the 20th century.