Russian Caviar

[medals73]

Lovely stuff. One of the great memories of my life was sitting in the outdoor cafe (outside what used to be Gum) across Red Square from Lenin's tomb on a nice summer evening and enjoying caviar and a bottle of good vodka. Priceless . . . .

[DougD]

I agree with medals73; there is so much more to "caviar,etc." when its done in Russia...i remember being in the captains berth on the Aurora with Admiral L. Chernavin and having caviar, vodka, cucumber, toast, etc. a few times...some of the best memories i have had...Just amazing...now i have to go buy some at the Kings down the streeet...don't think it will be the same (even if my girlfriend dresses up in an admirals uniform).

[Art]

Thank you all for your great help..keep the stories going, I like hearing about what typically is served with this. Eric, thanks..I will definitely check out that website..

[Christophe]

Good subject (in all meanings of the word...) !!! :thumbsup
Of course, as already said, red and black caviar are not the same, and of the same quality, even if I like both.

The red one is not expensive in Russia, and you can find it easily. It is moreover for sale in ALL duty free shops ar Rusian airports. No pb for exporting it, and importing it when you arrive in your country (at least in France). Moreover, airport duty free shops are (according to me) the best place to buy it, as the cold chain is kept at maximum, even if you can find lower prices downtown.

The black one is another story, with its three qualities : Beluga, Sevruga and Oscietre. You can find it everywhere in the world in fine comestibles shops. I have good addresses here in Paris... but it is extremely expensive. Nearly the same prices in Moscow's dedicated shops. Th best quality and price I have bought in Russia are on the occasion of trips in the Far Eastern area (Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk-na-Amure).
The black caviar is not for sale in airport duty free shops in Russia... but is in Kazakhstan... But, I have never seen there a very good quality.
It is extremely difficult to find it today in Iran, as the Caspian sea is more and more polluted.
About export, I think the international conventions for protecting the strurgeon species limit to an export of 200g / person (tbc).

About stories : I have two.
I have eaten, last December, with some friends, black caviar with a good bottle of Khabarovska Vodka (ice filtered), in the middle of the Amur river, totally frozen (both the river and us), by -36°C (-33°F). Around, us, nothing and no one, except fishermen digging holes throught the ice... :thumbsup
A second one, older : in 1991, in Dubai, at a gala dinner in the palace of one of the Al Maktoum princes, I have litteraly be served black caviar with a ladle...

Cheers.

Ch.

[ericlida]

I have litteraly be served black caviar with a ladle...

Ch.

I also like red and black coviar a lot. Living in Russia (almost 20 years ago) I was able to eat black coviar a lot, but what you just said is my dream
Eric

[Art]

Thanks Christophe, both experiences sound almost surreal..if you have any photos please post..

[medals73]

Only in The Gulf can you get black caviar served up by the kilo (each individual serving), though no one can quite decide if it is halal (have had it this way in both Saudi Arabia and Qatar), but no vodka (at least not in public, and in private it tends to be nice single-malt whiskey).

[Henry Sakaida]

When I was in Ukraine and Russia, my hosts always plied us with caviar...black and red. Since I can seldom afford the good stuff, I have not developed a discriminating taste for them. They all taste like fish eggs to me! However, whenever I go to Japanese sushi restaurants, I always order IKURA SUSHI (salmon egg/roe). For the average Russian, they buy the salmon roes fresh and canned. I received cans of Russian caviar (salmon roe) in the mail from friends there. Fresh is always better. Once, I noted that one of the cans was bloated and I threw it out! Never consume canned goods when the can is bloated!!! It is a sure sign of botulism and it can kill you!
Japanese supermarkets have fresh salmon roe. I just cannot justify spending $200 for a tiny tin of Beluga Gold Grain Caviar!
Just my thoughts.

[Nota Bene]

I just love the black caviar with or without vodka, but after the ban the good one is no longer available though the legal channels. When I come to Moscow a buddy of mine usually gets me a couple of pounds from "his sources", but the US customs doesn't allow it in

Alexei

[Aharim]

Favorite caviar story - leaving Russia on one trip having purchased black caviar from the floor lady at the hotel for the outrageous price of $5.00 (per 1/4 kilo) (1993 a real long time ago when rubles were 100 to the dollar) we got to Vienna Austria flying out of St. Pete (then having been recently renamed). But we got in at 11 pm and there were no restaurants open. So we bought some bread at the only bakery open and sat on my balcony (now midnight on a snowy night in March) of my room and much as "poor Russian nobility" ate caviar with a spoon and drank Armenian Cognac (purchased in st pete at $5 per 1/2 Liter). We felt like Expat Russian nobility with nothing but our Cognac and Caviar to keep us happy and warm while we watched the peasants walking on the Graben - famous pedestrian walking street - below.

Black caviar - from Sturgeon of the Caspian - with the fall of the Soviet Union the market briefly exploded but then collapsed because there were now 4 new countries with borders on the Caspian in lieu of the USSR. And each former Soviet republic claimed the entire Soviet share and started fishing like mad. Black must come from the Caspian. Yes it is available in Kazakhstan, Actau is on the sea. And the above pricing story - $5 per quarter kilo is ancient history. (Check out the article about when the Mint and Museums were selling badges directly as well. Those days.) The market has sort of been re-established with new fishing accords but they are difficult to enforce. And there is that limit on import/export. But the glass "cans" used to exceed that limit and here we were with multiple glasses. Nothing to do but eat up~!

Red is Salmon and available more widely. Some like it better. Its all personal taste and price. Start with Red. Its afordable.