Caviar refers to the salted eggs (roe) of the female fish species, sturgeon. Sturgeons are normally found in the coastal waters, rivers and lakes of the Northern Hemisphere.
There are 24 varieties of sturgeon’s worldwide, therefore 24 different varieties that produce the eggs known as caviar. The word ‘Caviar’ comes from the Persian word ‘Khaviar’ which means "bearing eggs".
The difference between the 24 different varieties of caviars registered worldwide is based on the species of sturgeons used to produce the eggs. Wild caviars are generally produced by a single variety, meaning both male and female sturgeons that produce the caviar are from the same variety. Among, the most famous, stand Beluga, Sevruga and Osetra. Farmed caviars offer both single and multi-variety. When the male and female sturgeons are of different varieties, the caviar is called hybrid. Contrary to received ideas, wild caviars are not ‘better’ than farmed caviars. Caviars from wild sturgeons are generally more difficult to control and obtain and it is this scarcity that makes them very valuable. Farmed caviars can be monitored and the sturgeon’s progress can be followed throughout the whole process of raising the caviars due to state of the art technology.
Hybrid caviars offer the best in colour, taste and texture of the two species used to create them.
At Caviar Azovka, we consider the hybrid caviars as the richest and finest. There is often confusion between the quality and name of each variety. Caviar Azovka’s philosophy is to select the best caviars for their tasting quality so you can discover and delight in them.