Caviar is the hallmark of a high-end dinner. Relished as a spread or garnish, it is an indulgence of the most affluent. In fact, these vitamin-filled cured fish eggs are almost never inexpensive – even grocery store tins bear a steep price tag for the quantity they sell.
Most Expensive Caviar in the World
Strottarga Bianco – $113,630 per kilogram
The zenith of caviar extravagance, the Strottarga Bianco is harvested for a decade and mixed with 22-karat gold. It is rightfully dubbed as the “white gold of caviar”. This caviar is derived from the extremely rare fish, the Siberian Albino Sturgeon, from a tiny fish farm belonging to Walter Grüll and his son at Salzburg in Austria. It takes 5 kilograms of the roe to yield 1 kilogram of the finished product. So, the decade-long cultivation period, resource intensive production process and the gold finishing touches justify the $27,000 worth teaspoon of white gold caviar.
Almas Caviar – $34,000 per kilogram
The Almas Caviar is obtained from an albino Iranian Beluga in the South Caspian Sea. It was first discovered by the Iranians and later popularised by the Russians. In fact, Peter the Great was so fond of this caviar, that most of the South Caspian Sea was drained of the Beluga species. The scarcity of the Iranian Beluga transformed a commonplace snack into one of the most precious gems in the culinary world.
Special Reserve Kaluga Huso Hybrid Caviar – $16,000 per kilogram
The Kaluga Huso Hybrid Caviar comes from the natural mixing of two fish native to the Amur River – the Huso Dauricus, which is the biggest freshwater fish in the world, and the Acipenser Schrenckii Sturgeon. The Kaula Huso Hybrid is firm but creamy and buttery with a lingering velvety finish. It is revered as one of the smoothest caviar by connoisseurs. They are large, with unique bright jade green and amber hues.
The Hybrid Beluga Caviar – $ 9,000 per kilogram
The Hybrid Beluga Caviar is created by combining the Beluga Sturgeon with the Siberian Sturgeon. With the coveted Beluga caviar being extremely expensive, and the Beluga Sturgeon being on the brink of extinction, this hybrid aims to offer caviar aficionados the rich flavour of Beluga caviar at a smaller cost.
Golden Imperial Russian Osetra Caviar – $ 9,000 per kilogram
Hailing from Russia, the Golden Imperial Russian Osetra Caviar is obtained from the Caspian Osetra. The Caspian Osetra is one of the few prehistoric species that exist to this day without exhibiting any physical changes. So, it is one of the most pristine fish species in the caviar kingdom, as the popularity of its quality eggs have stood the test of time.