Caviar History

Caviar Types

Russian

Beluga

Osetra

Sevruga

American

Flying Fish Roe

Sturgeon

Hackleback

Paddlefish

Salmon

Whitefish

Buying your caviar

Storing your caviar

Settlers of America discovered sturgeon to be the most prolific fish of the North American continent. In the beginning of 19th century, the United States was the major producer of caviar in the world and produced 90% of the world's caviar.

The American caviar industry got started when Henry Schacht, a German immigrant, opened a business catching sturgeon on the Delaware River. He treated his caviar with German salt and exported a great deal of it to Europe. At around the same time, sturgeon was fished from the Columbia River on the west coast.

At one time, caviar was so common in America it was served in saloons to encourage thirsty drinkers, while Hudson River sturgeon were so plentiful that the flesh was referred to as "Albany beef." At one time Albany was called Sturgeonville! Albany's citizens were called 'Surgeonites from Sturgeondom.'

A nickel could get you a serving of the best caviar available in New York, and many of the most lavish establishments, including the Waldorf Astoria, offered free-flowing caviar as an amuse-bouche opening to an elegant meal.

During the caviar boom, much of the harvest shipped to Europe was imported right back to the USA again, labeled as the more coveted "Russian caviar." Caviar from the rivers of Russian had always been considered premium. In 1900, the state of Pennsylvania issued a report estimating that 90 percent of the Russian caviar sold in Europe actually came from the US.

As a result of the US caviar boom of the early 1900's, sturgeon was over-fished nearly to the point of extinction. The sudden shortage caused a wild jump in the price of caviar, with the added result being most caviar labeled as Russian truly was imported from Russia.

Nowadays, American caviar is growing in popularity due to the over-harvesting of Russian Sturgeon.

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