Caviar...Mystery Unveiled

Caviar is the roe of sturgeon species of fish. The color varies from grayish black to brownish black and yes this is an actual color of the sturgeon fish eggs...no artificial colors!

Sturgeon is one of the first fish to inhabit the oceans 3,000 million years ago. Sturgeon-fishing existed since time immemorial.

Sturgeon fish family has 24 species living in fresh and salt waters but only 3 of them industrially fished to produce caviar:

• the Huso Huso known as Beluga lives in Caspian and Black Sea (Russia)


• the Acipenser Gueldenstaedti known as Osetra lives Danube and Volga Rivers and the Ural and Caspian Seas (Russia)


• the Acipenser Stellatus known as Sevruga lives in Caspian, Black and Azov Seas (Russia).

Beluga is the largest of all sturgeons averaging 12 feet long and weighing up to a ton (2,200 lb). And no it is not whale(Beluga whale)...whales are mammals, no roe here! It is very rare.

Osetra can grow as long as 6 feet and 6 inches and weighs up to 440 lb.

Sevruga is the smallest of the three measuring only about 4-5 feet long, weighing 50-69 lb and got its name Stellate from the star pattern along its black-gray back.

...to be continued...