Caviar in a nutshell

The essential about caviar and how to appreciate it

caviar presentation with potatoes and oister shell

How to serve and savour caviar ?

Caviar is classically savoured plain, with a spoon, as an appetizer or a starter. If one have a certain amount of caviar available - more than 30g per guest - one may serve blinis or young potatoes with it. One can also use caviar over a dish (fish or meat), but in this case one should only add it after cooking. Vodka or brut champagne are perfect brewages to go with caviar.

Which caviar choose ? Which amount ?

10 to 15g of caviar per guest is a minimum. 50g would be ideal, and there is no limit ! On Petrossian.fr, each caviar is presented with its full description and tasting characteristics, to help you choose according to your tastes. Just remember that, when it comes to caviar, each tasting is a discovery. And feel free to contact Petrossian for advices.

Brief history of caviar

The noun "Caviar" would come from the ancient greek "avyron" (egg) or the persian "havia" (roe). Consumption of caviar is however mentionned only since the 9th century. Along the Caspian sea, persians have been the firsts to eat it, before caviar finally appeared within the Russian Tsar's court. It really became of international interest after the russian revolution and the first world war. In Paris, during the Années Folles, it really got to a legendary status thanks to the white Russian immigration and Petrossian settlement on the left bank of the Seine.

Caviar status since 2000

Forbidden fishing of sturgeons in the Caspian Sea has endangered there population reserve after 1989. Russian were the first to totally stop sturgeon harvesting in early 2000, and in 2009 all Caspian Sea border countries stopped wild sturgeon fishing. At the same period, sturgeon farms were starting to produce farmed caviar, and Petrossian has ever since been a particular help for many fisheries to keep proposing a high-end caviar. It is very important to understand that since 2009, only farmed caviar is available on the market.

How caviar is made ?

Gastronomic quality of caviar is given by the sturgeon species and the quality of maturing. Indeed there are 2 different skills involved in caviar making : farming enabling to obtain the raw material, and maturation which is a handcraft process alike wine maturing. That is on this last and critical stage that Petrossian's unique know-how comes in play, and for what it is so reknown all other the world. Petrossian received in 2012 the "Living Heritage Company" (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant) label.