1. 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…

2. 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.