Caviar is often referred to as ‘black gold’ for its luxury status in the culinary world.
Just like other expensive and decadent food, caviar is definitely an acquired taste. Let’s
take a quick dive into the underwater world of sturgeon fish and caviar, and learn how it
makes its way to our fancy tables and dinner parties.
What is Caviar?
Caviar is fish roe specifically from a sturgeon fish. There are approximately 27 species
of sturgeon in the world. 18 of those species are on the red list of threatened species
under the International Union of Conservation of Nature. Sturgeons are endangered due
to overharvesting, pollution, and the destruction of habitat.
How is it harvested?
Most of the caviar we see comes from sturgeon farms. There are thousands of farms
around the world that produce caviar, although not all of them harvest the same way.
Some farms harvest the caviar by killing the fish first. However, there are other farms
that have innovated the way they harvest caviar. They use a technique called ‘stripping’.
This technique allows them to harvest the eggs without killing the fish. This is in hopes
that the technique will help change the sturgeon’s status as an endangered species.
Although, we have yet to see the positive effects on the sturgeon population.
