High quality caviar from sturgeon.
Imperial Caspian - Since 1998
Beluga sturgeon (Huso Huso)
Supplier of the largest body size caviar and the only predatory fish of all. It is so rare that it is difficult to catch more than a thousand fish each season.
It is an extremely robust and wild fish with a large mouth, constantly moving after shoals of bream (its preferred food).
It can be up to four metres long and weigh more than 1000kilos. Its normal weight is 40 to 300 kilos and the amount of caviar obtained corresponds to 15% of its weight.
Beluga caviar is dark grey to light grey in colour and is highly prized for the large size of the grains and the soft envelope. The degree of appreciation is higher when the colour is lighter.
Hybrid sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii - Huso dauricus
Imperial Gold is produced from roe of a hybrid from 8 years of aquaculture. Its colour varies from dark grey, light yellow, even golden. The diameter of the roe is more than 3.0 mm. The roe is firm and has a strong buttery taste with a long aftertaste.
The fish is a cross between river beluga (Huso Dauricus) and Amur sturgeon (Scherinky), better known as Kaluga. The species normally matures between eight and ten years, and can live up to 60 years and reach over 50 kg.
Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstadt)
Caviar, also known as Osseitra, is produced from the roe of mature Russian sturgeon from more than 11 years of aquaculture. Its colour varies from light to dark brown. The diameter of the roe is more than 2.9 mm and its firm grain is pleasant and juicy, with an unmistakable nutty taste that inspires fierce loyalties.
The wild fish can be found in the Caspian Sea and the Danube River. The species normally matures in ten to eleven years, and can live up to 50 years and reach more than 20 kg.
Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii)
Caviar is produced from the roe of mature Siberian sturgeon from 7 years of aquaculture. Its colour can be brown, grey or black. The roe looks shiny and crystalline, with diameters greater than 2.8 mm. The taste is pure with a slight after taste.
The fish originates from Lake Baikal, Siberia, and is now widely farmed in France, Germany, China, Spain, Italy, etc.
The species normally matures in the seventh or eighth year, and can live up to 20 years and reach more than 15 kg. It is currently the largest offering on the international market.
Sturgeon
Caviar comes from the roe of a fish called sturgeon. The last representative of the teleosts (fish with bones instead of bones). They are prehistoric in shape and, depending on the species, have more or less pronounced bony platelets. They all have four barbs under the snout which they use as tactile organs.
There are more than 24 sturgeon species in the world, of which more than 8 species live in the Caspian Sea, providing more than 90% of the world's production. It is an ancient species whose origins date back more than 120 million years to the time of the dinosaurs.
There were sturgeons in Andalusia until the 1950s, when the factory on the Guadalquivir River in Seville closed down for good. There is evidence of its consumption by the Phoenicians in the Bay of Cadiz 3,000 years ago and Cervantes speaks of «a black delicacy called Cabial, a great awakener of corambre«.
Caviar fishing and processing
The richness and quality of caviar depends largely on the sturgeon's living conditions, which are particularly advantageous in the southern part of the Caspian Sea.
In the northern part of the east, there is a steady reduction in sea depth and an increase in pollution. In addition, the northern part often suffers from frost during the winter months due to low temperatures.
In contrast, in the south, the seabed is hundreds of metres deep and offers the sturgeon an ideal space, with feeding and some soil structure, which is vital for sturgeon that need a pebbly bottom and permanent water circulation, contributing greatly to their quality.
Traditional sturgeon fishing in Iran knows no industrial catching methods. Their small wooden boats daily check the nets set perpendicular to the shore. The sturgeon caught are delivered to the fish processing station without delay.
Once this phase is completed, the sturgeons are transferred to the processing area, where the caviar is extracted using techniques that guarantee maximum hygiene and preserve the quality of the product. The roe is then weighed and sent to the laboratory for final treatment.
Wash, extract and salt
The fishing seasons are concentrated in the spring where 70% of the annual production is fished.
History of the caviar
After falling into oblivion for decades, caviar is said to have been introduced by Tsar Nikolay to the Parisian aristocracy in the late 19th century, and in Iran, due to religious issues, its production was not formalised until 1952, when the Iranian state-owned Shilat Company was founded and remains the only company that controls the fishery and its subsequent marketing. The fishing seasons are concentrated in the spring season where 70% of the annual production is fished and the autumn.
Benefits of Caviar
Iranian caviar has held a place of honour in the gastronomic world for decades. Its prestige is due to the unique natural conditions of the Caspian Sea, an environment of pure, deep water that for centuries provided an ideal habitat for sturgeon. Today, production is carried out using controlled and sustainable methods that replicate this privileged environment, guaranteeing the highest quality without resorting to wild fishing.
The combination of meticulous management - from the breeding and care of the sturgeons to the selection, treatment and preservation processes - together with precise logistics and strict supervision at every stage, consolidate Iranian caviar as the most renowned caviar in the world.
Beyond its incomparable culinary value, caviar is attributed with nutritional and beneficial properties for the organism, as well as an exclusive character that makes it a symbol of sophistication.
Due to its delicate and perishable nature, caviar should always be kept cold, and once the tin has been opened, it is recommended to consume it within a week to fully enjoy its freshness and texture.
Traditionally served on thin toast, it also goes perfectly with hard-boiled egg, walnuts or a few drops of fresh lemon.
Sturgeon meat, on the other hand, is white, juicy and rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega-3 series, recognised for their beneficial effects on cardiovascular health.
Masaru Emoto
The ideal balance between exquisiteness and well-being
There are many reasons why Iran's caviar ranks first in the world,
At Imperial Caspian Trade we follow the Iranian method...
A clean and controlled habitat, combined with precise and respectful production, ensures the excellence of our caviar.
Caviar is said to have physiological, nutritional and even aphrodisiac qualities.
Rich in protein: Arginine, Histidine, Methionine
Lipid portion consisting of 25% of cholesterin and 75% of lecithin.
Containing vitamins A, C and components B2, B4 and B12.
