From Russian Wild Caviar to Iranian Wild Caviar
For centuries, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea have been regarded as the privileged territories of sturgeon — these majestic fish at the origin of the legendary caviar. Their reputation extends far beyond borders, as their roe has long been synonymous with luxury and refinement.
From the Russian Empire to Soviet Nationalisation
Before the Russian Revolution, fishing rights within the territories controlled by the Empire were granted by the tsars in exchange for considerable sums. Among the emblematic names of that era were the Sapochnikov brothers in the Astrakhan region, the Vorobiov firm in the province of Saint Petersburg, and the Lazar Mailov company near the Koura River.
The exploitation rights for the southern Caspian Sea were granted by the Iranian government to the Russo-Armenian Lianosov company for the colossal sum of 10 million roubles. These figures clearly illustrate the strategic and economic importance of sturgeon fishing at the time.
After the 1917 Revolution, the Soviet government nationalised all fisheries in 1925. Three years later, Iran entrusted the fishing monopoly in the southern Caspian Sea to a joint Iranian-Soviet company named Mahi-Iran. This 25-year agreement enabled shared investments, modernised infrastructures, and contributed to the preservation of the waters.
The Rise of Iranian Caviar
When the agreement expired on February 1st, 1952, Iran bought back the Soviet shares. In exchange, it supplied sturgeon and wild caviar, marking the beginning of Iranian caviar’s rise on the international stage through the national company SHILAT.
Today, Iranian production is managed entirely by SHILAT. Unlike the former Soviet model, the company auctions its catches every two to three years, allowing European, American, and Asian markets to secure exclusive distribution rights.
For many years, the Iranians left the exploitation of caviar in the Caspian Sea to the Russians. Russian caviar was then exported throughout Central and Western Europe. The first major transshipment port was Pillau (now Baltiisk), linked to Warsaw. It was this Polish transit point that earned Russian caviar the nickname “Warsaw caviar.”
Did you know? Russian caviar produced along the Iranian shores of the Caspian Sea once carried a specific designation: Pers-Riba, meaning “caviar from the Persian shores.” It was in 1952, when the Shah of Iran regained the fishing rights and nationalised the fisheries, that the true history of Iranian wild caviar truly began.