Caviar at its Finest Caviar is probably the most luxurious delicacy the world over. It’s no wonder with the flavors

ranging from buttery to nutty and the textures that blend so beautifully with the proper

amounts of crème fraiche. Much like wine and cigars, enthusiasts around the world dedicate

much of their time finding the best caviar money can buy. With a little knowledge of the

history and cultivation of this delicacy, it can easily be seen why there are so many imitators,

trying to bring the fine tastes of caviar to the rest of the public. It just isn’t the same though.

Imitators like trout and salmon caviar lack the fine textures and flavors of true sturgeon

caviar. Any true gourmand knows that only the best caviar comes from

sturgeon swimming in the Caspian Sea; that is beluga caviar.

However, what the aspiring gourmand might not know is that

there are other, more rare varieties of caviar that are found

elsewhere. Osetra caviar has many varieties differing not only

in flavor, but in bead size and overall texture as well.

Many connoisseurs of caviar will actually claim to prefer a few of the osetra caviar varieties

to that of beluga. One of the rarest caviars on the market is golden osetra caviar. As its name

dictates, this caviar is a rich golden color with the rich nutty flavors wild osetra is famous for

but with a hint of sea spray. Lighter flavor varieties are available for those with a more

delicate palate. On the other hand, when it comes to pure indulgence, nothing exceeds the

authority of classic beluga caviar. Beluga caviar doesn’t have varieties like osetra caviar per

se, rather the location of cultivating caviar makes the difference in flavor, much like wine

and cigars. Not all beluga caviar comes from the Caspian, being as the beluga sturgeon is

found elsewhere as well. River beluga caviar is absolutely as fine as Caspian Sea caviar, but

beware of fakers. Many companies will mention the word “beluga” on the container but

when you look at the location of the company or even the ingredients, you may see that this

is simply a marketing ploy.

Next…

Worldwide, there are many different suppliers of caviar however the leading suppliers are

within Iran which borders the Caspian Sea. Following Iranian companies are Russian

companies however this is probably due to the low cost of most Russian caviar. Farmed

caviar are produced form such European countries as Italy and Spain, where Spain actually

has an organic farm. Other caviar farms may be found in the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia in

2007 has officially began the harvesting of caviar.