There is nothing intrinsically wrong with Chinese truffles. Consumers simply need to be aware that Chinese black truffles (Tuber sinensis, Tuber indicum and Tuber himalayensis) are a different variety of black truffles than the prized Perigord black truffle (Tuber melanosporum).

Chinese truffles are winter black truffles, which are abundantly available in China, and wholesale for as little as $20 to $30 per pound.  In contrast, Perigord truffles, mostly harvested in France, start at $800 per pound wholesale.

Chinese truffles are often used in pate or economical truffle products.  There is demand for lower priced products containing truffles, and the Chinese truffle provides a solution for this market.  Consumers who are concerned about the type of truffles used in these products should read the packaging carefully or inquire with the manufacturer to determine the truffle variety used in the product.  The fact that the product is manufactured in France or Italy does not mean that the truffles are Perigord black truffles.

The only similarity between fresh Chinese truffles and Perigord black truffles is the appearance. Some varieties of Chinese black truffles (specifically Tuber himalayensis) look almost identical to Perigord black truffles, and would require a microscope to differentiate between the two truffle varieties.  The similarities between the two types of winter truffles stop with their appearance. In fact, there are numerous differences between Chinese truffles and Perigord black truffles including the fragrance, taste, texture, shape and the amount of veins.

Perigord Black Truffle

Fragrance: First, and most notably, the fragrance of the two truffle varieties is strikingly different.  Chinese black truffles do not have a strong aroma.  In contrast, the slightly musky and slightly sweet aroma of Perigord black truffles is so pungent and unique, the earthy fragrance cannot be mistaken.

Taste: The taste of the two truffle varieties is also a dead giveaway. When Perigord black truffles are fully mature and cooked (the heating process releases the truffle flavor), they have a distinct flavor, which is undeniably superior to the mild flavor of Chinese truffles.

Texture: Chinese truffles tend to be more elastic than Perigord Black truffles.  Sliced Chinese truffles generally won’t break because of the difference in elasticity; they are more likely to bend than break.

Shape: Perigord black truffles are frequently bulbous and irregular in shape, where Chinese truffles tend to be more on the round side.

Veins: When ripe, black truffles should be black inside with white veins.  Perigord black truffles are characterized by having many veins, where Chinese truffles may appear darker because they might have less veins and the veins are frequently smaller than those of the Perigord black truffle.

China is known for producing cheap “knock offs” of the real thing, and the Chinese truffle seems to follow this trend.  Though the Chinese truffles appear to be very similar to the world famous Perigord black truffle, the differences in taste, texture and aroma are profound.  There is no substitute for the divine fragrance and rich earthy flavor of Perigord black truffles.

Caviar is often associated with holiday festivities.  Here’s a little history about the origins and current production of sturgeon fish caviar.

Long associated with the indulgent lifestyle led by European monarchy and other members of Europe’s ruling classes, caviar boasts a particularly strong historic connection with the incalculably wealthy members of the Russian Imperial Court. The strength of that historic connection is only natural, as sturgeon fish caviar originating in the slightly saline waters of the Caspian Sea shared by Russia and Iran came to be not only highly prized but almost revered by the Russian Tsars and Tsaritsas, eventually becoming a significant part of their diet.

The Russians weren’t the only early caviar devotees, however. The Persians, whose country stretched across the Caspian’s sparkling southern shores, were the first to prepare and delight in sturgeon fish caviar, attributing an assortment of medicinal powers to the delicacy. In fact, the name “caviar” is derived from the word “khav-yar,” meaning “cake of power” or “cake of strength” in Persian.

As time passed, caviar came to be considered the quintessential indulgence in nearly every European culture. For example, several centuries ago, British kings reserved the consumption of sturgeon and their roe to members of the royalty. In short, this superb culinary indulgence has captured the hearts and palates of discriminating connoisseurs throughout the world for more than two thousand years.

No matter which species of sturgeon produce the roe – beluga, sterlet, osetra (also spelled ossetra) or sevruga – caviar has always been a highly coveted symbol of wealth, opulence and power surrounded by Old World traditions and mystique. Although Eastern hemisphere sturgeon are also native to the Black Sea and, to a much lesser degree, the Adriatic Sea and several Siberian and Chinese rivers, the primary source of wild sturgeon and their roe has always been the Caspian Sea.

Unfortunately, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, commercial overfishing and caviar’s exceptional popularity among the wealthy led to a precipitous decline in the Caspian’s sturgeon population. In an interesting turn of events, the American caviar industry began to burgeon at almost the same time, focusing at first on the roe of native sturgeon found in the Atlantic seaboard’s Delaware River. American caviar was abundant, especially when compared to the declining availability of roe from the Caspian Sea. In fact, the supply was so plentiful that American sturgeon fish caviar was served in bars and pubs to encourage patrons to drink more alcoholic beverages. American sturgeon roe was frequently fed to pets or even discarded.

By the late 19th century, 90% of the world’s caviar came from American sturgeon roe. American sturgeon fish caviar was exported to a large number of countries, sometimes being sold deceptively as “Russian caviar.” Sadly, history repeated itself, as it so often does. Overfishing caused the depletion of wild American sturgeon, just as it did with the sturgeon native to the Caspian Sea. As a result, commercial sturgeon fishing in the United States was banned in 1906. Eventually the Soviet Union followed suit by restricting commercial sturgeon fishing. Today, the world’s wild sturgeon population is so depleted the fish are recognized as endangered species.

The American caviar industry has, however, made a remarkable comeback from its perch on the brink of disaster. The dearth of Caspian Sea sturgeon and political unrest in Russia and Iran, coupled with refinements in modern aquaculture techniques, now lead many connoisseurs to buy caviar produced in the United States. For example, the flavorful California osetra produced by Tsar Nicoulai Caviar through its sustainable farming techniques is winning praise for its rich, clean taste and full, buttery finish.

Tsar Nicoulai Caviar, Uruguay’s Black River Caviar and Petrossian Caviar all produce superb sturgeon fish caviar worthy of the world’s most discriminating palates by successfully employing responsible, sustainable sturgeon farming methods. Thanks to producers like these, caviar’s luxury and opulence can continue to be savored despite the near-extinction of wild sturgeon.

When to use black vs white truffle oil is less clear cut than the question of black vs white truffles. When using fresh truffles in cooking, the two species are rarely interchangeable. The use of black vs white truffle oil follows some of the same rationale as using fresh truffles; however, in many cases either of the two truffle oils can be used with equally good results.

It is best to first understand how fresh black vs white truffles are used.

Fresh Black Truffles

In general, black truffles are better when they are cooked. The full flavor and aroma is released when black truffles are heated or cooked, therefore they are often used with red meat and poultry, sauces, pates, and other more robust flavored dishes. The flavor and aroma of black truffles is stronger and more earthy than the more delicate flavor of white truffles.

Fresh White Truffles

Fresh white truffles are always served raw, usually shaved over a dish just before serving. White truffles are frequently served with pasta, risotto, potatoes and eggs as well as white meats and fish. White truffles have a slightly garlicky aroma and a delicate but distinct flavor.  They are rarely used in recipes with robust or complex flavors.

Best Black Truffle Oil Uses

Fresh black truffles have a more robust flavor and can be paired with stronger foods, and the same is true for black truffle oil. Add black truffle oil to sauces (after the sauce is cooked and in small quantities), drizzle over hearty meat dishes, wild mushroom ragout, or add a tablespoon or so of black truffle oil to a vinaigrette. Use black truffle oil to enhance the flavor of fresh summer truffles or Burgundy truffles.

Best White Truffle Oil Uses

The slightly garlicky and peppery flavor of white truffle oil is a particularly good match with beef carpacio, white fleshed fish or shellfish, rabbit meat, and other meats with a more delicate flavor.

Sometimes black and white truffle oil can be used interchangeably.

Both black and white truffles pair well with mild foods such as pasta, potatoes, risotto, polenta, corn, cheese and eggs. It follows that all of these foods can be enhanced with either black or white truffle oil. Which truffle oil to use is mostly a matter of personal taste preference. Take popcorn for example. Either white or black truffle oil can be used since neither oil will overpower the flavor of the popcorn, and the popcorn won’t overpower the delicate flavor of the white truffle oil. The same follows for mashed potatoes, pizza crust, macaroni and cheese and many other dishes.

Vegetables of all types pair well with truffles, and therefore with truffle oil. Here again, depending on the recipe and one’s personal preference for black vs white truffle oil, either type of truffle oil could be used.

Whether you chose black or white truffle oil, remember these important guidelines for using truffle oil. Use truffle oil in small amounts. Drizzle it, do not pour it. Cooking with truffle oil is not a good idea. High heat will compromise the truffle flavor, therefore, truffle oil should be added to cooked dishes or sauces at the end of the cooking process just before serving.

Truffle oil is available in most specialty gourmet food stores, many grocery stores, and online.  So really the question is not so much where to buy truffle oil, but which truffle to buy.  There are many types of  truffle oil on the market and not all truffle oil is equal.

View our selection of pure truffle oil.

Truffle oil, whether it is black truffle oil or white truffle oil is rarely made by actually infusing fresh truffles into the oil.  Although real truffle oil can be made at home by putting fresh truffle pieces in high quality olive oil, when truffle oil is made this way, it must be used within a few days.

Commercially produced truffle oil is made with natural or sometimes chemical flavoring which very closely matches the flavor of fresh truffles and lasts for a much longer time than truffle oil infused with real fresh truffles.  The truth is, it is very hard to produce real truffle oil from fresh truffles.  According to New York Times article about truffle oil, “The flavor of real truffles, especially black, is evanescent, difficult to capture in an oil under the best of circumstances.”

Some people object to the use of natural or chemical flavor, and seek a pure truffle oil that is made with real truffles.  To my knowledge, there is one company that produces such an oil – da Rosario Truffle Oil.  Rosario Safina, the founder of da Rosario, and former President of Urbani USA,  is one of the countries foremost truffle experts.  Da Rosario’s real truffle oil, truffle mayonaise and Acacia truffle honey, are 100% USDA organic.  The truffles used in the products are organic and the oil, butter, honey, and other ingredients are organic.

Other companies producing truffle oil defend their products, but remain secretive about the exact production methods.  According to New York Times’ article “Hocus-Pocus and a Breaker of Truffles“,  Federico Balestra at Sabatino Tartufi has said that its oil is now “100 percent organic,” made from dried truffles and other ingredients with flavors “similar to truffle.”   Vittorio Giordano of Urbani Tartufi called its manufacturing method, though conducted in a laboratory, a “natural process.”  He described the essence that his company uses as “something from the truffle that is not the truffle.” Plantin America states that no chemical flavoring is used in their black or white truffle oil, that the truffle flavor is totally natural.

To keep this in perspective, though truffle oil is not cheap, it could not possibly be sold for $2 – $9 per ounce if large amounts of real, top quality Alba white truffles and real Perigord black truffles were used to infuse the oil with truffle flavor.  The pricing of truffle oil is controversial.  People wonder, why is truffle oil expensive if it is not infused with real truffles?  Perhaps the answer is “because they can” combined with “truffle oil is produced in small amounts for a relatively small market, using high quality ingredients.  The process of creating it by nature is costly”.

Truffle oil of varying levels of quality is readily available.  Ultimately, one must find the truffle oil that best suits their personal taste, budget, and feelings about organic and natural versus chemical additives.  What is your favorite truffle oil?  Is it important to you to have real truffle oil or are you satisfied with a product which gives the truffle flavor you want, regardless of the origin of that flavoring?  We’d love to hear from you.

Many people enjoy eating specialty gourmet foods and  luxury foods at restaurants and for special occasions, but don’t really know how to incorporate these fancy foods into their menu at home. Once you get used to using specialty gourmet foods, you’ll see new and creative opportunities to add these ingredients to your menu almost every day.

Foie Gras:

Who would have guessed that foie gras is one of the most versatile and easy to incorporate specialty gourmet foods? Just by adding foie gras to an existing recipe, many dishes can easily be elevated to an impressive gourmet meal.

In general, foie gras complements almost any type of red meat, exotic meat or poultry. Fish such as tuna, salmon, skate wing and seafood such as scallops, lobster, and even abalone are all good counterparts to foie gras. Vegetables that are especially good with foie gras include sautéed cabbage, braised endive, sautéed mushrooms, fava beans, leeks, carrots and onions, and legumes such as lentils and other dried beans. Foie gras is often served with mixed green salad, and also pairs wonderfully with Alba white truffles or Perigord black truffles.

In many cases a slice of seared foie gras or a slice of foie gras torchon, terrine, or block, can simply be placed on top of your meat, fish, or vegetable. Use smaller pieces or cubes to top soups and sauces.

Truffles, Truffle Oil, and Truffle Butter:

Admittedly, most people don’t indulge in fresh truffles every week or every month; however, drizzling a small amount of white truffle oil or black truffle oil or adding truffle butter to recipes is an inexpensive way to enjoy the delightful earthy flavor of truffles on a regular basis. Uses for truffle oil include pasta with truffle oil, truffle oil mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs truffle oil, truffle oil macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese with truffle oil sandwich, and truffle oil salad dressing.

The uses for truffle oil and truffle butter are endless because truffles go with so many foods. Fresh truffles, truffle oil, and truffle butter all pair well with red meat, white meat, cured meats, fish and seafood, vegetables, cheese and all mild bases such as pasta, risotto, potatoes, polenta, and eggs. For more ideas on how to use truffle oil, read our article Top 10 Uses for Truffle Oil.

Caviar:

Though you may not keep Beluga caviar or top quality osetra caviar on hand, salmon caviar, trout caviar, and tobiko are much more affordable, can be kept in the the freezer and used as needed, and have a wide variety of uses.

Whether you use sturgeon fish caviar (the only type of fish roe that can simply be called “caviar” without naming the type of fish from which the roe originated), or the roe from other types of fish, a small dollop of shiny fish eggs dresses up any meal. Sushi and sashimi can accommodate any type of caviar or tobiko, as can scallop tartar, tuna tartar, and salmon tartar. Smoked fish such as smoked salmon or smoked trout can be dressed up with jet black black caviar as can grilled or baked fish.

The same concept of pairing truffles, truffle oil and truffle butter with mild bases also can be applied to caviar. Caviar, and other types of fish roe can be incorporated into many pasta dishes and egg dishes or can be served simply on a toast point, small round of toasted brioche bread or blini.

Specialty gourmet foods don’t have to be preserved for holiday dinners and special occasions.  Foie gras, caviar and other fish roe, and truffle oil and truffle butter are all quite versatile, and when used in small amounts can be affordable enough to enjoy frequently.

Do you want to know how to use truffle oil?  There are so many uses for truffle oil, it’s hard to know where to start and where to stop. We’ve narrowed the list down to our top 10 uses for truffle oil.  In most cases, either black truffle oil or white truffle oil can be used interchangeably, based on one’s personal taste preference.

Before we get into the list, there are a few facts about truffle oil that are important to know. There are different types of truffle oil on the market, most ranging in price from $2 – $8 per ounce.

It is becoming increasingly known that most truffle oil is made with chemical or natural flavor or aroma, usually not extracted from actual black truffles or white truffles. However, having said that, there are some quality “truffle oils” which have an excellent truffle flavor and serve the purpose of enhancing recipes with the distinct and pleasurable taste and aroma of fresh truffles, even if the oil has never been in direct contact with fresh truffles.  In fact, some would argue that commercially produced truffle oil (using natural or chemical aroma and flavor) has a more desirable truffle taste, a longer shelf life, and an overall better result than pure truffle oil made only from infusing oil with real truffles.  Let us know what you think.  We’d love to hear your opinion.

Truffle oil can in fact be made at home with high quality olive oil and fresh black truffles or fresh white truffles (We will discuss how to make truffle oil in a follow-up article).  Because the truffle flavor dissipates quickly, homemade truffle oil (or truffle butter) needs to be used within a few days. The uses for truffle oil whether homemade or store-bought are the same.

Truffle oil is almost exclusively used as a finishing oil, meaning, the truffle oil is drizzled over a dish at the end of the preparation, usually in small amounts.  Rule number one is be careful not to overdo it!  Truffle oil is not used for cooking.  The truffle flavor will be compromised if exposed to high heat.

The last point we’ll make is that truffle oil should not be used in every dish.  Though there are endless uses for truffle oil, if three out of five courses include truffle oil, the charm of this unique flavor experience is diminished or even lost.

Without further ado, here is our list of Top 10 Uses for Truffle Oil:

1. Use truffle oil to enhance the flavor of fresh truffles. Summer truffles and Burgundy truffles are considerably more mild in flavor than winter truffles, therefore, drizzling white or black truffle oil directly on the fresh truffle slices is one of our favorite uses for truffle oil.

2. Make truffle oil vinaigrette.  Use a teaspoon or two of truffle oil combined with olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar, salt, pepper, and dijon mustard. Use truffle oil vinaigrette for salads with mushrooms, summer truffles, hard cheeses and dried or cured meats.

3. Drizzle truffle oil over potatoes, pasta, polenta or risotto. Widely regarded as one of the top uses for truffle oil, the mild flavored starchy base of potatoes, pasta polenta and risotto makes a perfect match with the flavor of black or white truffle oil.

4. Pizza with truffle oil. Truffle oil is makes a wonderful addition to pizza crust, especially white pizza.

5. Eggs and truffle oil make a great pair. Whether drizzled over scrambled eggs or an elegant cheese omelette, eggs and truffles are a pairing not to be missed.  Though fresh truffles are frequently used with eggs, truffle oil is an inexpensive way to enjoy this classic pairing.

6. Truffle oil goes well with many vegetables. Some of our favorite combinations include asparagus, cauliflower, sweet potato, yams, corn, mushrooms of any type, and squash of any type.

7. Beef Carpacio is wonderful with truffle oil. The combination of beef carpacio, shaved Parmesean, arugula, or other bitter green, lemon, and olive oil laced with truffle oil is heavenly.  Try adding fresh shaved summer truffles, burgundy truffles or white truffles for a real treat.

8. Dishes using wild mushrooms generally can be enhanced with truffle oil. Think wild mushroom risotto, creamy mushroom soup, mushroom ragout, wild mushroom polenta, etc…

9. Finish a fish filet, filet mignon, duck breast or nice piece of lamb with truffle oil. Many types of fish, red meat, and even chicken, rabbit and other white meats pair well with fresh truffles, which means, they also pair well with truffle oil as well.

10. Truffled popcorn, potato chips and French fries. Our list of uses for truffle oil would not be complete without this addition.  After the cooking process is complete, toss the finished product with salt and truffle oil and enjoy.

We are on a mission to create the largest collection of luxury food recipes, and we want your help!  This month, the recipe contest is specifically for foie gras recipes. We are looking for original foie gras recipes–recipes that you have created, tested and perfected.  Is there a prize involved?  Of course. Submit your foie gras recipe to our recipe contest before August 31, and you could win a $100 gift certificate to Mirepoix USA’s online store, where you can redeem the certificate for foie gras, truffles, caviar, artisanal cheese, or any of the products available on our site.

Your foie gras recipe does not have to be complicated.  It can be simple and easy to prepare.  In fact, we think that many of the best foie gras preparations involve only a few ingredients and easy cooking techniques.  If you are more adventurous, and want to submit a foie gras recipe with complex flavor combinations, we’ll be thrilled to know about your creation.  Both approaches have an equal chance of winning.

Foie gras is very distinctive in both flavor and texture, but surprisingly, this unique product complements a vast variety of dishes.

In general, foie gras complements almost any type of red meat, exotic meat or poultry.  Fish such as tuna, salmon, skate wing and seafood such as scallops, lobster, and even abalone are all good counterparts to foie gras.  Vegetables that are especially good with foie gras include sautéed cabbage, braised endive, sautéed mushrooms, fava beans, leeks, carrots and onions, and legumes such as lentils and other dried beans. Of course, foie gras  is delicious with almost any fruit, whether fresh, cooked, or in a sauce or jam-like form.

Though all the above combinations are particularly tasty, there are endless options for new ways to serve foie gras.  Use your imagination, and when you think you have a “winner”, submit your recipes and photos to our recipe contest.  Multiple submissions are allowed, so feel free to send us several of your favorite creations.

Once we have received all the foie gras recipe contest submissions, and have tested the recipes to our heart’s content (and probably gained a few pounds!), we’ll announce the winner.

Here’s how to submit your foie gras recipe:

1. Send us your name, phone number, email address and recipe details (ingredients, instructions, and how many people the recipe serves).  It is optional to also send a two to three sentence biography about yourself (age, where you live, what you do for a living, your interests).  Please send your information before August 31, to recipecontest@mirepoixusa.com.

2. Send pictures that you have taken during the process of preparing your foie gras recipe and/or pictures of the finished plate.  (maximum of three, 200 pixels x 200 pixels)

3. One winning recipe will be announced by September 15, 2011. The person who submits the winning recipe will receive a $100 credit towards product purchases. Credit does not apply to shipping and handling. Winners will be notified by email.

4. Recipes and pictures that are submitted to our recipe contest may be published on our website, blog, newsletter, or other marketing materials. You will be credited for your contribution.

Thank you very much for your interest, and we hope you will submit your best foie gras recipes for your chance to win a $100 Mirepoix USA gift certificate.  Good luck!

When you eat a luxury food like foie gras, it makes perfect sense (and it is a classic thing to do) to match it up with an excellent wine. Needless to say, however, you don’t want to just drink just any old decent wine with your foie gras—not if you’re looking for the ultimate gourmet food experience that you can have with your foie gras. The silky texture and lingering flavor of foie gras are the perfect counterpoint to the overtones of lemon, honey, and other flavors that wine provides. Let’s look at what are regarded as the best pairings of wine with foie gras.

Foie gras with Sauternes is considered to be the classic pairing. You probably can’t go wrong with this pair no matter how the foie gras has been prepared. Because Sauternes is sweet,  it’s also true that this pairing is at its absolute best when you’re eating a foie gras dish that has been so prepared that it’s highly acidic, such as if you’re having foie gras with apples, grapes, or some other fruit. Then again, many gourmet chefs, sommeliers, and lovers of luxury food believe that there are many different types of sweet wine that pair equally well with foie gras. Your other fine choices for sweet wines include Jurançon, Tokaji, Monbazillac, Gewurztraminer, or a lightly chilled Banyuls.  A Cadillac or a Loupica are also good sweet wine choices, but these don’t have the intensity of the Sauternes.  Monbazillac, Loupiac, Barsac and Cadillac are all right next to the Sauternes region in France, and the wines coming from these areas can be excellent.  Some people prefer serving sweet wines with foie gras that is being served cold–torchon style, terrine, salt-cured, or other cold preparations.

Foie Gras with Chardonnay is considered to be the great alternative to a pairing with Sauternes. Chardonnay should be seriously considered if you are serving pan seared foie gras, or a foie gras dish that is prepared and served with a rich non-acidic sauce. Other excellent rich foie gras dish pairings include quality French wines such as Savigny-les-Beaune, Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny, Côte-Rotie, or possibly a high quality Syrah or pinot noir, a mature red Bordeaux, or a Meritage blend. What you want to avoid are young red wines with richly prepared foie gras, because their heavy tannins will interfere with the flavor of the foie gras.

If all else fails, there’s one wine that just goes well with any preparation of foie gras–Champagne. Nothing beats the festive nature of a fine Champagne, and this pairing might be the ultimate in food decadence.

Ultimately there are an almost endless number of possible wine pairings for foie gras.  First, foie gras can be prepared in so many different ways; with different meats, seafood, or vegetables; with almost any type of fruit; with sauces or seasonings that range from sweet, spicy, salty, rich, or acidic; served cold or warm, and served as a first course or a main dish.  All these things should be considered, but perhaps the most important factor is simply your own taste preferences in wine.

We would love to hear the types of wine you enjoy pairing with foie gras.  What are your favorites?  Please describe your favorite foie gras preparation and the wine you like to pair with it.

We want to hear from you!  You can win a free truffles cookbook just for sharing your thoughts with us. As we are steadily building up our database of luxury food articles and recipes for foie gras, truffles, charcuterie and caviar, we would like to know what you think.  Do you prefer exquisite but complex recipes?  Do you want more recipes that can be made quickly, using mostly the ingredients you already have on hand?  Have you tried one of our recipes but believe it could be improved?  Do you want to know more about the origins of luxury foods?  What can we do to improve our content?  Please let us know!

Please post your comments on our blog.  Every 35 person who posts a comment will receive a free copy of the book “Truffles, Ultimate Luxury, Everyday Pleasure”.  This cookbook contains recipes for cooking with white truffles, black truffles, summer truffles, and truffle products such as truffle oil and truffle butter.  This is a hardcover cookbook which will be sent to you in the mail.  We have tried many of the truffle recipes and they have all been good.

So please, let us know what you think about our blog articles and recipes!  Winners will be contacted by email (we will need your mailing address to send you the book).

The highly distinctive, rich bursts of flavor and delightful texture offered by caviar have long made it the quintessential culinary symbol of luxury.  The delicate, delectable pearls of sturgeon roe literally pop with flavor and have delighted the palates of the wealthy for centuries.

Procuring wild sturgeon roe to make caviar has always been a time-consuming, costly process, and except for a brief period when American caviar was plentiful, the delicacy has always been priced accordingly.  Unfortunately, despite its high price, caviar is such an indulgent, nearly ideal blend of flavors and texture that it has always been remarkably popular with those who are able to afford it.  Relentless demand, overfishing and pollution of their natural habitats have caused the near-extinction of wild sturgeon species throughout the world.

Fortunately for caviar connoisseurs, improvements in sustainable aquaculture have made it possible to raise sturgeon and produce superb caviar in an economically viable manner despite the depletion of the world’s wild sturgeon population.  A handful of producers throughout the world, including California’s Tsar Nicoulai Caviar and Uruguay’s Black River Caviar, employ the latest in sustainable sturgeon farming techniques.  While these two companies are certainly in the forefront of the sustainable, farmed caviar movement, companies in Spain and France are also involved.

Osetra Caviar

Although Tsar Nicoulai and Black River both employ sustainable sturgeon farming methods, the two companies raise sturgeon in different ways.  For example, Tsar Nicoulai produces its superlative osetra American caviar from the roe of farmed native California sturgeon.  In compliance with the principles of Organic Food Production and Organic Food Processing, Tsar Nicoulai does not use fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, ionizing radiation, biocides, pesticides or bioengineering at its sustainable sturgeon farms, but it does feed wholesome, organic food to its sturgeon.  The company’s fish swim in pure, artesian well water, free of pollutants.  Its California Estate Osetra is one of the freshest caviars available and rivals wild caviar in flavor, texture and overall quality.  Some of the world’s top chefs buy caviar from Tsar Nicoulai and proudly serve it in their haute cuisine restaurants.

Black River Caviar, on the other hand, produces world-renowned caviar from Siberian sturgeon raised from fertilized roe imported to Uruguay.  Black River prides itself on its “wild-raised” sturgeon farming techniques, where the sturgeon live within unspoiled environmental conditions that closely replicate what they would experience in the wild but without the presence of toxic pollutants.  Black River also feeds its sturgeon an all-natural, organic feed.  The company’s efforts primarily concentrate on recreating “life in the wild” for its sturgeon, from the beginning of the life cycle until the moment the roe are harvested.  The result is caviar that is neither wild nor farm-raised.  Instead, it is uniquely – and sustainably – “wild-raised.”  Black River’s osetra sturgeon caviar is almost indistinguishable from wild osetra.

The caviar industry’s shift to aquaculture, coupled with restrictions on commercial fishing, resulting from the endangered status of all sturgeon species, provides a “breather” for the world’s wild sturgeon population. It could potentially allow it to rebound while still permitting the production of high quality caviar.  For example, the sustainably farmed American caviar produced by Tsar Nicoulai is some of the highest quality osetra caviar in the world.

Restrictions on commercial sturgeon fishing, together with import restrictions on Caspian and Black Sea caviar, have also had the effect of increasing imported caviar prices.  Those who wish to buy caviar are increasingly turning to sustainable, farmed caviar for several reasons.   It enables them to continue enjoying superb caviar without needing to pay the inflated prices now associated with imported wild caviar, and it allows them to continue to savor their favorite delicacy without putting additional pressure on the depleted wild caviar population.

In addition, those who buy caviar produced in a sustainable manner also enjoy health benefits.  Unlike the heavily polluted waters of the Caspian Sea, the environment that sustainably farmed sturgeon live within is pollution-free.  It stands to reason that caviar from sturgeon living in fresh, free-flowing, unpolluted water would be much healthier to consume than caviar from sturgeon living in waters polluted with toxic substances.