Chinese Caviar? What an Idea!
Chinese farmed caviar is part of a long-standing aquaculture tradition. Fish farming was already practised in China nearly five centuries before Christ, making it one of the oldest aquaculture cultures in the world.
For centuries, the wild Huso dauricus and Acipenser schrenckii sturgeons have been fished in the Amur River, which forms part of the border between China and Russia. Sturgeon has therefore long held a place in Chinese culinary traditions.
Both the flesh and the roe of sturgeons were consumed by local populations. However, despite this long history, they never developed the craft of transforming sturgeon roe into caviar.
It was not until the second half of the twentieth century that Chinese producers began transforming sturgeon roe into caviar and developing sturgeon farming.
In the 2000s, on the recommendation of officials from China’s CITES authority and the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Chinese caviar farms sought the expertise of Iranian specialists in order to improve the quality of their production.
A Partnership Driven by Excellence
It was in this context that Kaviari, a pioneer in the import of Iranian wild caviar, played a decisive role. Drawing on decades of experience, Jacques Nebot, who had worked alongside Iranian fishermen for more than forty years and negotiated numerous annual supply agreements with them, joined forces with Raphaël Bouchez to share their expertise.
Building on this Sino-Iranian collaboration, Kaviari worked closely with its partners to create the first great Chinese caviars.
A genuine partnership was established between Kaviari and the Chinese aquaculture farm. Since then, Kaviari has developed a detailed set of specifications each year, enabling the company to supervise and monitor every stage of the production process for farmed sturgeon destined for Chinese caviar.
Today, Kaviari’s teams travel to China four to five times a year during the caviar production season to oversee its meticulous preparation and continuously enhance its quality.
Over the years, this collaboration has become a model of mutual trust—a valuable partnership that has helped establish the international success of this remarkable caviar known as Kristal.
Kristal Caviar: A True Gem
Today, Chinese farmed caviar has earned its place among the world’s great gastronomic treasures. Renowned chefs, discerning connoisseurs and leading food critics alike have praised the exceptional qualities of Kristal caviar.
Among them, Marc Esquerré, Editor-in-Chief of Gault & Millau, offered the following description:
“A highly seductive caviar with truly impressive physical qualities: large golden pearls with a remarkable crunch from the very first taste. Its flavour is equally compelling, offering a compact, harmonious palate, as pure as the waters of the lake where the sturgeons thrive. The finish is delicate and smooth, with exceptional length and notes of dried fruits, pine nuts and dried dates.”