Russia's Black Market Caviar

It was during my first trip to the Soviet Union in 1991 that I first tasted caviar.

Restaurants at the time often placed big dollops of it on the table like salsa at a Mexican restaurant. I didn't like it at first but caviar, as I would learn, is an acquired taste and I soon grew to love the strange little fish eggs.

This was a bad thing.

Once I returned home to the reality of western prices, my days of gluttonous caviar ingestion were over.

The story of caviar is as rich and fascinating as the country which basically gave birth to it: Russia. A wonderful article in Saveur Magazine addresses the history of Russia's high-end fish eggs and the state of the industry today. It is not a pretty story. Sturgeon, the ugly, prehistoric-looking fish from which caviar is extracted, are being over fished and, consequently, are endangered. In addition, the Caspian Sea, where 90 percent of these sturgeons live is polluted and full of poachers.

Supply and demand ensures that poaching will continue, however, and that top-dollar will paid for the black gold. The Russian government requires that caviar shipped abroad be sold for a minimum of $400 a kilo. Darra Goldstein, however, reports that it is easy to buy the same amount for just $100 on the black market in Russia. The writer describes the telltale signs of an illegal caviar salesperson at a typical Russian farmers' market and then proceeds to purchase eight ounces herself for only $31.

Oh man! Take it from me. Unless you have a regular supplier and are very wealthy, don't bother even trying the stuff; you might get hooked like me. And then you'll have to weigh the moral quandary of dealing with poachers, black marketers, and an endangered species just to get your fix.

Filed under: Food and Drink, Russian Federation