What words should every black caviar lover know?

The words below will be familiar to most Russian readers. All of them relate in some way to the production of black caviar.

Anadromous, or migratory – these words refer to fish that live in saltwater but migrate to freshwater to spawn. This applies, for example, to sturgeon, such as salmon, which swim hundreds of kilometers to lay their eggs undisturbed in freshwater.

Astrakhan – a Russian city located on the Volga River, where the world's first caviar factory was founded.

Aquaculture – fish farming on a dedicated farm. Aquaculture can be open, where fish are raised in backwaters fenced off from the main body of water by a net, or closed, where fish are raised in containers that have no contact with the main body of water.

Beluga The beluga is the largest fish, from which the finest and most expensive caviar is obtained. It can reach a length of 7.5 meters and weigh over a ton. Currently, the beluga is endangered, so its wild catch is strictly regulated by all countries, and caviar is almost never harvested.

Pancakes – thin, large flatbreads made in Russia from wheat yeast dough. In Russia, they are traditionally served with caviar.

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is a sea bordering Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Azerbaijan. For a long time, the Caspian Sea was an ideal spawning ground for sturgeon. Black caviar was first harvested here.

Lightly salted "Lightly salted" is a Russian word known worldwide among caviar lovers, meaning that the product contains a little salt. Caviar spoils quickly, which is why it is salted. However, too much salt makes the caviar tasteless. Lightly salted caviar is considered the best and most expensive.

Nacre Mother of pearl is a material traditionally used to make caviar serving vessels. It represents the iridescent inner surface of certain types of shells. The main sources of mother of pearl are pearl oysters, or pearl mussels, found in Asia; pearl mussels, found in rivers in the United States, Europe, and Asia; and abalone shellfish, harvested in California, Japan, and some other Pacific regions.

Organic – this word refers to a product characteristic. It indicates that no harmful chemicals or artificial growth hormones were used in its production or cultivation.

Sturgeon – the fish from which black caviar is extracted. There are 26 species of sturgeon, three of which are the most expensive: Russian, Iranian, and Siberian. Sturgeon is a critically endangered fish, and its fishing is prohibited.

Stellate sturgeon – a fish similar to the American paddlefish. It is small and agile, and its eggs are a metallic gray color.




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