The ultimate delicacy...

Caviare, of all delicacies, comes closest to absolute pleasure. Fine caviare shine. Served alone, caviare embodies elegance and simplicity. With 47 vitamins and minerals, it is one of the most complete foods known to man. Only its rarity and its price - ten dollars a spoonful, or $35 an ounce - bring its lovers down to earth. For otherwise it would simply be, too good to be true.

Just the mention of caviare seems to divide people into two groups: those who love it and simply must have more of it, and those who think the first group is made up of fools whose IQs are inversely proportional to their bank balances. If these edible pearls are over-priced, the caviare industry hasn't yet heard.

Caviare is expensive because it is rare, and because most of the work involved, from fishing to the shining presentations in fine restaurants, is done by hand. True caviare is the lightly salted eggs, or roe, of the sturgeon. In some countries the eggs of other fish are legally sold as caviare; such as the red eggs of salmon and the black eggs of lumpfish and whitefish. While these fish eggs are tasty and are invaluable ingredients for recipes, they in no way compare to the real thing. Perhaps this misappropriate of the word caviare may account for some of the members of our group of cynics.

Sturgeon can be found in the rivers of the United States, Canada, Scandinavia, Rumania and China, but it is in the Caspian Sea, an elongated body of landlocked water which borders Russia and Iran, where nine-tenths of the world's fine caviare is produced. The water temperature, the degree of salinity, and a special kind of algae unique to the Caspian allow the sturgeon to grow the eggs for which they are famous.

Six species of sturgeon live in the Caspian Sea, but only the eggs of three become caviare when the caviare master has worked his magic. Of the three, the beluga is the largest, growing to 20 feet and weighing in at 1800 pounds. The beluga produces the largest grain and the most delicate caviare, also considered by connoisseurs to be the lightest in taste. Pablo Picasso used to pay for beluga caviare by sending cash wrapped in a signed sketch to Petrossian in Paris. A female beluga must be allowed to reach 18-20 years of age before she produces eggs. As these eggs may fetch $60,000 s caviare, it's well worth letting the old girl enjoy a few extra years. The colour of the beluga's eggs varies from light to dark grey.

Ossetra sturgeon also produce a large grain caviare, slightly smaller than the beluga. The ossetra is a far smaller fish at 100-300 pounds, and matures between 12 and 15 years. Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond series, had a definite fetish for the golden yellow to brown ossetra's fruity or nutty flavour.

Charles de Gaulle found complete satisfaction with the caviare from the sevruga sturgeon. The sevruga is the smallest and most abundant of the three and its caviare is of medium grain, ranging in colour from light to dark grey. Sevruga is noted for its stronger, yet delicate flavour.

The Russians knew about the delicacy hidden under the waves of the Caspian as early as the 13th century, when fishermen began catching the sturgeon as they swam upstream to their spawning grounds in the Volga River in autumn and spring. At these times of the year the sturgeon are especially vulnerable and the fishermen found they were able to haul these docile fish aboard like logs. Although the fishing methods have since changed, the secrets of removing the eggs and transforming them into caviare are today the same as those discovered through the Dark Ages. According to caviare fanatics, the Dark Ages persisted outside Russia until the 1920's, when two young Russian brothers literally presented caviare to the rest of the world.

Melkoum and Moucheg Petrossian fled to Paris in the wake of the Russian Revolution to make two simultaneous discoveries. Their respective legal and medical credits from Moscow University were not accepted by the Parisian schools and, more importantly, their native gem was unheard of except amongst the wealthy Russian emigres who felt they could not celebrate properly without it.

The Petrossians came up with a solution to both problems: get on the phone to Moscow. And so they did, unknowingly making the first phone call between Paris and Moscow since the Revolution. After the nervous frenzy on the other end of the line had subsided, the brothers filled a suitcase with their life's savings and dropped it off at the Soviet Embassy, assured by the Russians that the deal would be honoured - or might not. Two anxious months later, their first shipment of fine Russian caviare arrived. The Petrossians were in business.

Today Petrossian Incorporated, Paris, holds the reputation for the finest Russian caviare available and accounts for a very large portion of the total Russian export, being the exclusive agent for Russian caviare in the United States, Canada, France and Switzerland. Petrossian is also the number-one producer of quality foie gras in France. The family empire extends to a large international trade in smoked salmon, truffles, prepared gourmet food and beyond.

Armen Petrossian, now presides over the companyand allows no room for excuses in the Petrossian philosophy:

'When a product becomes a symbol of quality, there is an intrinsic promise behind each and every sale. That promise means that every time a customer buys a Petrossian product, he or she is getting the very finest delicacy, the best quality and taste available'.

It only takes fifteen to twenty minutes from when the sturgeon are caught to produce the finest caviare. During this time the caviare masters practise the art which has seen them become national heroes.

Before the caviare masters can work their magic, the eggs must be removed - without the fish feeling any pain; otherwise the body secretes a defensive substance that ruins the eggs, rendering them acidic and giving them an acrid smell.

Using a small hammer, the fisherman anaesthetizes the fish with a single blow to a spot just behind the head. The eggs are then removed whilst the fish dies peacefully, and are then sorted by hand through a sieve made of absorbent cotton before being washed in salt water and handed on oh so carefully to the caviare master to be salted. It is this last step in the process that is all important for the production of the best caviare. In other words, salt is what makes caviare, as opposed to raw sturgeon eggs.

The caviare master examines the eggs and decides how much salt he will add. He then mixes just the right amount (well, let's hope so) with the eggs until they have absorbed it. The finest caviare, malossol, results from eggs which are slightly immature and require the least salting - malossol means, 'little salt'. All Petrossian caviare is malossol.

A favourite with the Russians is 'pressed caviare'. This is made when good quality whole and broken eggs are put into a cheesecloth and pressed until about a third of their liquid content is extracted. The result is a black, tarry paste with a stronger, more concentrated flavour.

Selected from the finest of all, Petrossian caviare is tinned and refrigerated before being flown out of Russia on chartered planes to the Petrossian headquarters outside Paris for distribution throughout the world.
All very interesting, I hear you say. but what about the eating? Numerous foods have been suggested as the perfect companions for caviare: chopped onions, a wedge of lemon, oysters, chopped egg... Do not be deceived! Quite simply and most definitely, the only food that should be served with caviare is more caviare. As Petrossian points out, 'The caviare may improve the oyster, but the oyster definitely does nothing for the caviare'. It makes perfect sense. After all, you are paying for the experience of caviare; an experience that only the purist fully appreciates.

Any support to the meal must be neutral, with no taste of its own. So, yes you can spoon caviare onto lightly buttered toast or very neutral bread.

Of course indulging with caviare is in itself a celebration, so we must have an accompanying drink. Do as the Russians do. Iced Russian Vodka is the most suitable beverage as it, too, is of neutral but fine character. Fine brut champagne is also recommended.

Fresh caviare should be kept refrigerated, but never, never frozen. It will remain fresh for up to three weeks; once opened the caviare should be served in a glass cup surrounded by crushed ice and eaten immediately. Importantly caviare should not be eaten with utensils made of silver, because silver is an active metal and can alter the taste of the caviare. Petrossian offers a gold-plated ladle and palette set which are specially crafted to protect the taste of caviare and to handle the eggs with the greatest care.

Individual, fresh caviare eggs should be placed carefully in the mouth and then broken against the palate with the tongue. This allows the full, delicate flavour of the eggs to be savoured.

One final thing: caviare should never be simply served - it should be presented. To eat fine caviare is to experience quality. As Petrossian says,

"We are not here to feed people; that is not our purpose. We are dedicated to something different, and I would like to make that appreciated. To eat caviare, you must close your eyes and dream. What is a reasonable price for a dream?"