Caviar, the sturgeon roe once eaten off silver plates by the rich, is now turning up on potato crisps and in social media videos. Ajker Patrika's feature desk, drawing on Forbes, The Conversation and Morning Brew, writes that fish farming is a big reason for the change.
In the 19th century caviar was so common in the United States that bars gave it away like peanuts or popcorn. Later, overfishing in the Caspian Sea threatened sturgeon with extinction, wild sturgeon fishing was banned in 2006, and caviar became rare and expensive almost overnight.
Aquaculture, the farming of sturgeon, turned the tide, with China playing a major part. China now supplies about 44 per cent of the world's caviar exports. With more supply, a tin that once cost $500 or more at wholesale now sells for under $200.
The 'caviar bump' trend on social media, eating caviar off the back of the hand, has made it popular with young people, who eat it with crisps, fries or pizza. Christian Savaglia, director of Caviar Caspia at The Mark, says pairing caviar with ordinary food has made it more accessible.
Caviar contains protein, fat and omega-3 fatty acids. But the measure of luxury is now rarity: ordinary Baerii caviar costs about 1,600 euros a kilogram, while Almas caviar from the rare albino beluga sturgeon tops 30,000 euros a kilogram.
Reporting: Feature desk, Ajker Patrika (sources: Forbes, The Conversation, Morning Brew)
Photo: The Ogre / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Ajker Patrika
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