It’s Not Just For The Super Rich In The Soviet
In America, tradition means annual celebrations like Thanksgiving with generous helpings of stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, candied yams and green bean casserole with lashings of gravy. The British take tradition so seriously they’ve been enjoying mid-morning tea breaks complete with sweet treats (also called ‘elevenses’) since the 20th century.
In Russia, Celebration is Synonymous With Caviar And Vodka
From the Soviet era, caviar has been the one essential ingredient to all special occasions. Even when it wasn’t available in the shops, caviar was often given out in food gift bags to people at work. The less important people would get cod caviar and the more important ones would get salmon caviar. It was eaten on slices of bread or eggs, or on blinis (tiny Russian pancakes). And of course, washed down with vodka.
Even those who couldn’t really afford caviar, and weren’t given any, made plans to get it at a good price. Some even helped catch spawning fish to make sure the celebratory table was not left without its most prized delicacy. But even though most households will have a bottle or two of US$10 red caviar at hand, not all caviar is fit for a Russian oligarch.
The Best Russian Caviar Pops And Tastes Like The Sea – And It’s Very, Very Expensive
Ordinary red caviar and roe are caviar’s scruffy cousins. Even though they’re all technically fish eggs, the inferior types usually taste earthier and the texture is less consistent. It is not to be confused with ‘real’ caviar which comes from sturgeon. One of the favourites among rich Russians is caviar from the beluga sturgeon, a critically endangered fish found mainly in the Caspian Sea. Or, the world’s most expensive caviar which is called ‘Almas’ and is derived from a rare albino sturgeon which also lives in the Caspian Sea and is between 60 and 100 years old. Known as ‘black gold’, a kilogram of ‘Almas’ will set you back as much as US$34,000. Exactly the kind of lavishness our favourite super-rich Russians would likely enjoy.