IS THE PRICE OF BELUGA WORTH PAYING?

Firstly, lets consider why Beluga Caviar is so expensive. The reason is two fold: it is perceived to be the best caviar and it takes a very long time for Beluga sturgeon to mature.

Is it the best? I guess that really comes down to personal preference, but the appearance and taste of really good Beluga is hard to beat – large grey eggs, with a glorious creamy flavour. Sadly, too many examples of Beluga caviar dont quite fit this description and are an over priced disappointment, even when they are produced near to the Caspian Sea.

A pure Beluga (Huso Huso) takes 18-20 years to reach maturity and produce caviar. Hence not many farms have opted to produce Huso Huso so Beluga caviar is still rare and farms need a high price to justify the length of the investment.

I hope that you noted me referring to the Beluga sturgeon by its scientific name of Huso Huso. This is important as it serves to distinguish it from its cousin from China, Huso Dauricus which is better known as Kaluga, as well from hybrids which are farmed in various locations.

All these sturgeon can produce very good caviar in their own right, but it should not be confused with pure Beluga (Huso Huso) caviar. Currently, we offer caviar from a hybrid farmed in Italy. It is a Beluga/Siberian hybrid (Huso/Baerii) which produces a very good, dark grey caviar at a sensible price. We are constantly tasting Huso Huso but rarely find one that is of sufficient quality at a sensible price, but we will keep trying!