Caviar Is Now much more Accessible

Once the preserve of emperors and kings, caviar is now being farmed around the world, making the delicacy much more accessible.

- Victoria Burrows

Caviar has been one of the world’s most prized and sought-after delicacies for thousands of years. According to records by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, caviar and the fish, it comes from, sturgeon, graced Greek banquets from as early as the fourth century BC. But it was the even more ancient Persians who created salted caviar, and venerated it for its healing properties.

Today, backed by this long history of tradition, caviar remains prestigious, mysterious, even intimidating. It can also be eye-wateringly expensive: Almas, from the rare albino beluga of the Iranian Caspian Sea, sells for US$34,500 (S$46,700) per kilogram.

But, while Almas remains the holy grail of caviar, other varieties are becoming much more accessible. While all sturgeon were once wild-caught, mainly from the Caspian and Black seas, making their eggs so rare they were the preserve of tsars and kings, today sturgeons are farmed in more than 50 countries.

Driven by demand, and the fact that most sturgeon species have been fished to near extinction in the wild, producers around the world are charting new territory and experimenting with raising these primitive fish and harvesting their eggs.

CHEFS MAKE CAVIAR COOL

Tapping these new sources of caviar, some chefs across the globe are refashioning what this symbol of the fine life stands for. While maintaining its opulent appeal, they are on a mission to make caviar less snooty and staid, more contemporary and cool.

Australian Brett Redman, who helms one of London’s hottest new restaurant openings, Neptune, is one of the chefs repositioning caviar.