What is Caviar?

What in the world is caviar and what is the big deal about it and why is it so expensive? Aren’t they just fish eggs? The short answer is, yes. There are many different kinds of fish egg or fish roe we consume, but to be considered the delicacy that is caviar, the fish roe must come from the fish of the Acipenseridae family, more commonly known as sturgeon. 

Now, what makes these sturgeon fish roe so expensive? There are a few leading factors to this delicate and very labor intensive process. The first being female sturgeon take anywhere from seven to twenty years to even begin producing eggs. Even with that, a female fish may only spawn once every several years. This also means that farmers must care for the fish for several years before possibly having  harvest. The second is the need for the manual harvesting of the eggs. All eggs are meticulously extracted from the fish, hand washed and screened through a sieve and then graded. They then need to be salted and tinned. Lastly, the shelf life of caviar is rather short. Unopened, your caviar will be good for about four to six weeks in the fridge. Once opened, the caviar must be consumed within 24-48 hours.

At FATTYCOW, we carry all varieties of caviar that Astrea Caviar offers. Their sturgeon grow in pure spring water with stable year-round temperatures which promote the best growing conditions. The farm is located 6,500 feet above sea level and at such high altitudes, the fish grow slower and as a direct result, will lay eggs that are larger in size and are more complex in flavor. Though other farmers will harvest as soon as the female sturgeon reach maturity, at Astrea they wait until the third production cycle, letting the fish absorb the first two roe cycles, which gives the fish additional nutrition to produce bigger and more flavorful eggs the third cycle. The roe go through a specialized aging process to bring out the richest and most complex flavor. The Astrea Caviar method is meticulous and laborious, but results in caviar of the highest caliber.

The missions of FATTYCOW and Astrea Caviar align as we strive to bring the best quality products to the general public so they can be part of our customer’s daily lives. Wagyu beef as well as caviar can be enjoyed at Michelin-starred restaurants, for special occasions as well as celebrations and at any moment in our lives. 

Check out our Astrea Caviar Collection today!