Re <<Don't forget Russia/Iran, etc.etc.>>
Russia and Iran often come to mind, along with China, but no, not about axis of evil aND SUCH.
Re Russian / Iranian / Chinese caviars, very interesting, under the category of "i did not know"
It turns out that Russia exports a minuscule amount of caviar now, making them dearer.
The good Russian and Iranian caviar that folks spoke of are not farmed but organic free-range etc etc, naturally.
As far as much more plentiful farmed caviars go, Iran and ... drum roll ... China are the big exporters, along w/ Germany and France and and and dribs and drabs everywhere else.
USA was a big producer, but ... erhu tune ... decreased by China imports, of course.
China caviar does not taste as salty as the traditional good stuff, but some folks, unwashed doubtless, prefer unsalty. China sturgeon are raised in freshwater.
I shall try best to locate and capture some Kaluga Queen before visiting Koh Samui next, along with some smattering of other brands, to do comparative blind taste test. They are all fairly represented at City Super Times Square, coincidentally a few floors below the Broadway shop that deals in Huawei phones and watches. Am tempted to one-stop shop. The Huawei gear (Mate 60 Pro phone and Ultimate watch) are asking-price >2X MRP.
The Chinese farm was actually set up by Holst, a third-generation corn farmer based in Wisconsin. (see the last article appended, from Forbes)
Mr Holst sold his China ops in 2018. Accidentally fortunate pre covid. And re-invested in EU, doubly lucky. And should the EU sanction China caviar as it does Russia caviar, no longer fortunate / lucky, but strategically prescient.
Japan cracked the code perhaps 10 years ago after 20 years of chasing the perfect caviar, like the way they grew square melons, although I have never set sight on Japanese caviar in HK. The square melons were priced ridiculous and so I skipped.
Am fairly sure that once Iran and Russia reformat the Caspian as internal salt water lake, much can be done to rejuvenate production even if taking 6 years and transporting young fish from all over the planet to OG lake.
sciencedirect.com
"Sturgeon (Acipenseriformes) is one of the oldest primitive fish in the world, known as the living fossil in water (Cheng et al., 2020; Du et al., 2020). As the source of caviar, sturgeon has very high economic value. Globally, China is a major producer of sturgeon and caviar. With 115,149 t in 2018, China accounted for 84.2% (96,914 t) of global sturgeon production, followed by Armenia with 3910 t (3.4%), Russia with 3791 t (3.3%) and European Union with 3366 t (2.9%) (FAO, 2020), reflecting China's decisive role. Caviar is the main product of sturgeon processing, known as “black gold” and is expensive. In 2019, 140 t of caviar produced in China were exported, with an export value of 32.53 million US dollars; during the same period, the total output of international caviar was about 300 t (European Commission and Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs Fisheries, 2021), which shows that caviar produced in China has gradually occupied the international market and become the main source of international caviar consumption. "
Some reads, from which I get the impression that China did to caviar what China is doing to automotives.
CHINESE CAVIAR - MAGAZINE
| | CHINESE CAVIAR - MAGAZINE
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"To the south of Shanghai, in the fresh, unpolluted waters of Lake Qindaoh – known as the Lake of a Thousand Isles – the Chinese sturgeon, called Schrenckii, swims and reproduces. These farmed sturgeons have eggs which, say caviar connoisseurs, have a quality that's superior to all the others.
Chinese caviar acclaimed.
Cousin of the Beluga, Schrenckii caviar is a quality caviar which is a perfect reflection of the savoir faire of Chinese aquaculture. Today, 400,000 sturgeons are divided up between three fish farms.
Selected by Iranian and Russian caviar experts, and supported by local labour, Chinese caviar grains are appreciated for their firmness, their subtly sea-scented flavour and their brilliant black colour."
The World’s Best Caviar Doesn’t Come From Russia Anymore
|  | The World’s Best Caviar Doesn’t Come From Russia AnymoreKate Krader
Though no one wants to say it, China is producing some of the most delectable fish eggs available.
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"And yet after the first tin was shipped in 2006, Kaluga Queen began to build a distinguished fan base. It’s now the caviar of choice for 21 of the 26 Michelin three-starred restaurants in Paris, including Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée Hotel. Seafood specialist Eric Ripert serves it at Le Bernardin in New York. Lufthansa offers it in first-class cabins. The company’s sturgeon roe was even part of President Obama’s meal at the 2016 Group of 20 summit."
Why the EU’s ban on Russian caviar is all hype and no bite
| | Why the EU’s ban on Russian caviar is all hype and no biteBrussels is fishing for compliments with its caviar ban since Russian exports to the EU are pretty insignificant.
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"On top of this, Russia is a largely closed market, meaning that in 2020, it exported just 1 ton of the caviar it produced — while the leading exporter, China, exported 123 tons, according to a recent EU study. Meanwhile, EU member states produced 164 tons."
Russia isn’t even close to being the world’s largest caviar exporter
| | Russia isn’t even close to being the world’s largest caviar exporterMuch of Europe's most desirable caviar may once have come from sturgeon fished out of the Caspian Sea by Russia....
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"China makes more caviar than any other country"
"The world’s largest producer of caviar, the Chinese firm Kaluga Queen, was founded in 2003, and it produces around 60 tons of caviar per year—more than Russia exported in total between 2014 and 2020. Its sturgeon are farmed in an artificial, coldwater lake fed by mountain streams, each fish tagged by an identifiable number. Kaluga Queen supplies caviar to 22 Michelin restaurants in France, to the Academy Awards banquet, and to the first-class cabins of Lufthansa and American Airlines."
eumofa.eu
"In 2020, China exported 123 tonnes of caviar, down from 140 tonnes in 2019. The largest export market for Chinese caviar in 2020 was the EU (38%)"
More than 60 percent of the world’s caviar comes from China-Jiemian Global
| More than 60 percent of the world’s caviar comes from China-Jiemian GlobalJIEMIAN is China’s most influential digital media outlet specializing in financial and business news. Founded by...
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"According to the Hustle, the export volume of Chinese caviar has exploded, increasing five-fold from 2012 to 2017. In 2017, China exported over 130 metric tons of caviar. At the same time, the United States’ caviar production was less than 16 metric tons.
The relatively inexpensive Chinese caviar quickly overtook the market share of American companies. Many U.S. caviar companies saw their sales decrease by 50 percent. From 2014 to 2018, U.S. caviar imports increased from $7.6 million to $17.8 million. In 2018, nearly half of the caviar imported by the United States came from China, forcing many American producers to lower their prices by 25 percent. Even though the United States government imposed an extra 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports in September 2018, it did not help American caviar producers to regain price advantage and market share.
Demand for caviar in China is also growing. According to the South China Morning Post, more than half of the world's caviar farms are in China. The China Sturgeon Association predicts that by 2020, China will consume 100 tons of caviar every year, and the current global caviar production is about 200 tons every year."
The Best Caviar Producers in Asia To Look Out For
| | The Best Caviar Producers in Asia To Look Out ForMeet the Asian caviar producers who have been adapting this age-old delicacy to the demands of the region—and ca...
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forbes.com
"The largest supply of caviar in the world comes from one farm in China. That operation, formally called Hangzhou Qiandaohu Xunlong Sci-Tech, accounts for 35% of global sales. Its tins are shipped overnight around the world to 23 countries, including 22 Michelin-starred restaurants in France and 5 in New York. The company also supplies caviar for a lot of tins sold under brands like Petrossian, Caviar House and celebrity chef Thomas Keller’s Regiis Ova.
Russian President Vladimir Putin himself has eaten the Chinese-produced caviar at least twice—once at the 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou, where the caviar farm is located, and the other during a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Chinese farm was actually set up by Holst, a third-generation corn farmer based in Wisconsin. Chinese investors approached Holst, who had already turned around failing caviar farms in Hungary and Germany sold under the brand Desietra, to help them transform a small sturgeon farm in the country into China’s first caviar operation. Holst became the largest and sole American shareholder before selling his remaining stake in 2018." |
