Guide Note

Caviar is the eggs or roe of fish, typically sturgeon. The finest caviar in the world is from the Caspian Sea and fished by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Russia.

Caviar is typically eaten as an hors d'oeuvres and is eaten plain or spread on crackers, breads, or vegetables. A classic serving suggestion is caviar with Crème Fraîche on top of a thin pancake called a blini.

Fast Facts

1. Considered a delicacy
2. Caviar-producing sturgeon types: Beluga, Ossetra, Sevruga, golden Sterlet
3. Sevruga: most popular
4. Sterlet: almost extinct
5. Fished from the Caspian Sea

Many varieties of fish eggs are produced for consumption from the local fish of different countries. In Japan, tobiko, massago, salmon roe, and uni (Sea urchin eggs}, are all commonly used in Japanese dishes such as sushi. The United States has varieties such as lumpfish or paddlefish which is a relative of the American sturgeon that was over-fished in the 1900s. Though the word caviar is used to describe other types of fish roe, true caviar only comes from the sturgeon of the Caspian Sea.