There’s a delicacy that is the very definition of elegance in the minds of most people, it’s a mysterious word that brings together a longing for the better things in life, with a strange revulsion once you think too carefully about what it is. There are many things that are referred to by the same name, but only one of them stands as the one true caviar. True Caviar comes from one of a few types of sturgeon, and Caviar Day celebrates this taste of decadence, and the history behind it.
History of Caviar Day
Caviar has a strange history, when you consider the place that it holds in society today. The origins, however, remain the same. Caviar is the roe (or eggs) of the female of a number of species of sturgeon, with beluga being the most popular and well known variety of sturgeon. Long ago caviar was served for free in much the same way peanuts often are today, given away free to foster thirst and encourage people to imbibe even more.
Proper caviar comes in many colors, though it is most often a deep pearlescent black color, and can account for as much as 25% of a sturgeon’s body weight. For those who don’t know, a sturgeon can weigh in at 300lbs+, meaning a single sturgeon can produce up to 75lbs at a time. Caviar was so popular and the supplies so abundant that North America supplied almost all of the 600 tons a year that went to Europe each year.
Once the ban was put on Sturgeon fishing in the 1906 to protect the dwindling number of them in the ocean, the price of caviar started climbing. By the 1960’s, it was of such a price that it practically defined what it meant to have an elegant, expensive meal. The price has only gone up since then.
NATIONAL CAVIAR DAY TIMELINE
The oldest written account of caviar comes from the Mongol ruler, Batu Khan
The United Kingdom fancied it enough to make it royal, making all sturgeon in the region monarch property
North America gets a taste of caviar — becoming the largest producer by the 20th century.
Russia suspends wild sturgeon fishing to let the population replenish.
5 CRAZY FACTS ABOUT CAVIAR
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Just eggs
The word “caviar” comes from the Persian word for “egg”
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Captain Caviar
People who make caviar go through 10-15 year apprenticeships
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Caspian delicacy
Today most of the world’s caviar is produced in the Caspian Sea
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Baby beluga
The world’s best caviar comes from Beluga, Stellate, and Russian sturgeon
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Taste the rainbow
Caviar ranges in color from dark gray and yellow-gray to brown-black. Red ‘caviar’ is actually salmon roe, not caviar.
NATIONAL CAVIAR DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | July 18 | Sunday |
| 2022 | July 18 | Monday |
| 2023 | July 18 | Tuesday |
| 2024 | July 18 | Thursday |
| 2025 | July 18 | Friday |
