Caviar is the eggs of sturgeon and is one of the most expensive foods in the world, and the Caspian Sea, as the largest source of sturgeon in the world. Beluga fish (huso huso), Russian sturgeon (acipenser gueldenstaedtii) or Chalbash, Persian sturgeon (acipenser persicus) ,chib fish and stellet sturgeon or sevruga are the main species of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea. Caviar is an energy-rich food that has a very pleasant taste and smell, and mainly the protein in caviar consists of amino acids arginine, histamine, isoleucine, lysine, and methionine. In the following article, we provide you with useful information about this useful food.
Types of Caviar:
1. Beluga caviar: Beluga sturgeon, a large, prehistoric fish that can reach 15-feet-long and weigh nearly 3,000 pounds, produces the most sought after caviar. It is native to the Caspian Sea, which is bordered by Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. The caviar is rich, with no fishy taste at all and ranges in color from pearl grey to extremely dark, garnering it the moniker of black caviar.
2. Kaluga caviar: The Kaluga is a large, freshwater sturgeon whose caviar is said to closely match the taste of Beluga caviar. Kaluga eggs are smooth and have a lightly-salted buttery flavor.
3. Ossetra caviar: Slightly smaller than beluga caviar, ossetra sturgeon eggs are brown to golden in color. The lighter the eggs, the older the fish, and the more expensive the ossetra caviar. It has a naturally salty sea-like taste.
4. Sevruga caviar: This caviar is from the eggs of three types of sturgeon from the Caspian Sea: sevruga, sterlet, and Siberian sturgeon. The eggs are small and grey, and one of the most in-demand types of caviar with a distinct, buttery flavor.
5. American caviar: In the nineteenth century, the United States was a leading producer of caviar. It has had a resurgence and American caviar has once again become popular. It is derived from fish such as lake sturgeon, wild Atlantic sturgeon, and white sturgeon.
Where Does the Best Caviar Come From?
The best quality caviar comes from the countries around the Caspian Sea, home to the Beluga, Ossetra, and Sevruga sturgeon. For centuries, Russia and Iran have dominated the caviar market, producing the highest quality, and most in-demand, caviar in the world. More recently, China has become a large exporter of caviar. In 2017, around 45% of all caviar shipped to the U.S. came from China.
History of caviar consumption in the world !!
Regarding the consumption of caviar, although there is no reliable evidence and documentation regarding the consumption of caviar in ancient times, but based on archaeological findings, there is evidence that the Egyptians used fish eggs, including carp, as salt, especially during times of war and famine. Also, ancient Chinese people also used the meat of sturgeon fish and caviar of the Yangtze River in China.
The word caviar (fish eggs obtained from sturgeon fish) is also used in the writings of famous people such as Marco Polo and Shakespeare, which indicates that caviar was used in ancient times due to its high nutritional value, which of course was due to the lack of Due to reasons such as early corruption and the lack of facilities such as refrigerators and means of transportation, caviar was used for centuries among aristocratic foods and a symbol of civilization and aristocracy among wealthy and aristocratic families.
In the 18th century, the great progress of mankind in the field of transportation and the construction of equipment and cold storage caused the expansion and prosperity of world trade, and the trade of caviar with its high nutritional value as a luxury and rare commodity was attractive and profitable for merchants and traders, and with the increase in the amount of caviar In the world market, especially in Europe, and the use of chefs in restaurants and luxury hotels, the reputation of caviar rose as an expensive and aristocratic product, and ultimately led to an increase in the demand for caviar and the prosperity of caviar trade in the world.
What are the characteristics of caviar that make it an expensive food?
The reasons for the high price of caviar:
With new researches and reviews, the very high nutritional value of caviar and the necessity of the human body's need for caviar are not hidden to anyone, but due to the high price, caviar as a luxury and aristocratic product is only consumed by a certain segment of the society and the general public cannot be deprived of this blessing. Alternative and valuable use.
High nutritional value and therapeutic properties of caviar:
The composition and structure of the components of caviar has made this food very valuable and useful for the health of the human body to the extent that it is used as a natural and energizing medicine.
Caviar is rich in unsaturated and essential fatty acids such as omega-3, which is not only not harmful to the body, but also very useful for the body due to its high digestibility and reduces the blockage of the body's vessels and thus reduces cardiovascular disease
Essential amino acids are not produced in the human body, and to make protein in the body, they must be supplied through nutrition. Caviar is naturally rich in essential amino acids and provides the body's needs.
Also, natural hormones of the human body and vitamins such as B, D, A and minerals such as selenium, iron and zinc are abundantly available in caviar, which are effective for the health of the immune system and the treatment of diseases.
Due to the extraordinary compounds of caviar, caviar is used today to treat brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, cardiovascular diseases, strengthen the immune system, improve fertility and strengthen sex cells, and also because of its important role in skin health and body cell repair. In the cosmetics industry, caviar is used to produce products such as caviar cream and soap.
As a result, due to the above, the demand for consumption of caviar has increased and the ratio between supply and demand has not responded to the consumer market and has caused the price of this product.
The high cost of raising sturgeon fish and the late maturity of this type of fish
With the boom in caviar trade in recent decades and the decline of wild caviar due to overfishing and the destruction of the natural habitat of these valuable fish, the breeding of sturgeon in the world, especially in Iran, has become a large and prosperous industry and is one of the main reasons for the high price. Caviar is the age of maturity of these fish, depending on the type of fish, it takes from 7 to 15 years for sturgeon to reach maturity and be able to harvest caviar. So that in sturgeon breeding farms, a 50 mg baby fish should reach a weight of about 100 to 120 kg in an elephant fish, so that the fish matures, and during this period of several years, there is a need for proper and high-quality and expensive foreign nutrition, especially for the breeders. be Apart from the discussion of nutrition and late maturation of these fish, the breeding of sturgeon fish requires different techniques such as ultrasound and laparoscopy, etc. To identify the gender and examine caviar in different periods, this requires the presence of specialist forces and spending a lot of money and time, which in turn contributes to the high price of caviar.
High cost of processing, packaging, storage and transportation
Due to the high importance of the quality of caviar at this stage, experienced specialists and a hall equipped with highly specialized equipment and very modern cold houses are needed.
In order to prevent spoilage and loss of quality, caviar should be packed in high quality containers that prevent air from entering the container, and because of its high sensitivity, it should be stored in well-equipped and high-quality cold storage rooms and for transportation and delivery to The customer must use machines equipped with a special cooling system. The use of these equipments in different stages requires a high cost and has an effective role in increasing the price of caviar.
Our country, Iran, is one of the largest exporters of all kinds of sturgeon
Our country, Iran, is one of the largest exporters of all kinds of sturgeon, such as beluga caviar, which has been able to export the best sturgeon in the world to many countries in the past, and in this way, it has been able to make a great profit from the export of this high-quality and first-class product. and many countries of the world refer to Iran as the best exporter of this type of product. Because sturgeon fish are considered one of the most expensive types of aquatic animals in the world, which have a very high price due to their very high properties. Therefore, considering the fluctuations of the market, it is not possible to state a very accurate price of sturgeon fish food, so you can find out the price of this type of product by referring to Abzigostaran Saaee (Saaee Aquaculture) department of market . You can visit our site to see all kinds of caviar fish dishes and order and buy this high-quality and first-class product in bulk easily and at a very reasonable price, and if needed, you can also contact our team of experts.