Crystal Clear spring water from Mount Herman and the finest selection of many generations of pure Russian Sturgeon go into making Karat Caviar, a recently introduced aquacultured Osetra caviar from Israel that took 16 years to develop, with incredibly delicious results. Karat uses the same Russian Sturgeon species (Acipenser Gueldenstaedtii) found in the famed Caspian Sea, raised in the most natural settings under pristine conditions to produce an imperial grade product usually associated only with increasingly scarce wild sturgeon.

Karat Caviar is produced by Caviar Galilee, one of the longest running fish farms in Israel, which has been involved in aquaculture since 1939. The Caviar Galilee Farm began growing Russian Sturgeon in 1992, when the first fertilized eggs were imported directly from Russia. The Farm is located in close proximity to the main source of the Jordan River – the Dan Springs, which flow with crystal clear snow waters from the peaks of Mount Hermon. The natural flow of water which gravitates through the Farm enables fish breeding in water that is clear, pure and rich in oxygen.

The Russian Osetra is produced from ten to eleven year-old fish. During the production process, the caviar is produced separately from each single fish and is then packed separately ensuring the product's purity, without mixing caviar from different fish. Freshness, consistent high quality, large pearl size, fine taste and texture and sustainability are the watchwords of Karat, which aims to put the rest of the farmed caviar trade to shame. Karat's exclusive 100% pure Russian Osetra is now available at Dean & DeLuca under the Galilee label, as well as at Zabar's and Whole Foods in the Southeast.

Usually meals at Mount Everest's base camp aren't known for their luxury but that's not stopping Laura King, owner of Kings Fine Foods, who is doing a fundraising climb on the famously dangerous mountain. According to Wales Online she organized the mountain challenge to raise money for adults with severe learning difficulties and donated luxury foods as an extra incentive for the team. She and her team are expected to reach Mount Everest Base Camp on October 15 when, at an altitude of 17,600 feet they will dine on a luxurious breakfast developed by former Ritz chef John Williams that will include a cup of Amadei hot chocolate, followed by wild Scottish smoked salmon served with scrambled eggs, white truffle butter and a Beluga caviar garnish. The team will toast with flutes of Golden Star sparkling white tea, a non-alcoholic drink. She has said that if this expedition is successful she will try to arrange a trip up Everest with celebrity chefs next year to attempt to break the record for the highest dinner party in the world.

University of Georgia Bulldogs fans have a new snack to take to tailgate parties. The school has created a new caviar that he hopes will soon become associated with the state. Doug Peterson, associate professor of fisheries and aquaculture at UGA says that Georgia ought to be called the sturgeon state because it has as many as four species of sturgeon that are native to Georgia. He has developed a cost-effective and ecologically sustainable method to farm Siberian sturgeon that can protect the wild sturgeon population while creating a new agricultural commodity.

Caviar is mostly taken from wild sturgeon but Peterson wants to flip the script so that the bulk of caviar comes from farmed fish. The caviar will be sold by Inland Seafood of Atlanta in containers that bear the UGA Athletics Association logo with a slogan that says "They have Gatorade... we have caviar." referring to rival University of Florida's signature drink. It will sell for $58 for 30 grams.

[via Atlanta Journal-Constitution]

When it comes to caviar you traditionally have a choice between the incredibly expensive and increasingly scarce wild variety from the Caspian Sea, the farm-raised variety produced with varying degrees of success around the globe, and a host of sub-par imitation or substitute options. Black River Caviar from Uruguay has ushered in a newer contender that aims to fit in somewhere between the first two and be the best of both worlds, dubbed "wild-raised." The process involves replicating the sturgeon's natural habitat as closely as possible.

Black River Ossetra Malossol Caviar is produced from Siberian sturgeon, originally imported as fertilized roe from Russia in 1995. The sturgeon are fed an all-natural, organic feed. Black River's facilities are harmoniously adapted to the environment and best utilize the pristine natural habitat that is Uruguay's Rio Negro. Unlike most farm-raised systems, which involve recirculated water requiring treatment with filters and chemical products, Black River uses millions of gallons of fresh water.

The system involves a fresh water lake whose environment corresponds very closely to that of the lake-like Caspian Sea with its slow and natural water streams, as well as a "raceways" system, which is a perfect simulation of the river delta and its requisite rapids. The volume of water running through the system guarantees a totally unspoiled environment in which the water is naturally oxygenated when flowing through a cascade system, simulating the female fishes' natural journey up the river.

The continuous exercise the sturgeon get in this environment from constantly swimming against the fresh water streams allows them to grow and mature in a fashion which ensures a quality akin to their wild counterparts. After harvesting, Black River's Russian Caviar Master uses the malossol, or "little salt" method, to enhance flavor of the finished product. The delectable large grain caviar (above), has a fresh, clean, nutty taste, and creamy texture. Ice cold vodka is the perfect accompaniment, but champagne works well too.

At the Barceló La Bobadilla Hotel in Loja, Andalusia Spain you can have one of the most unique experiences I've ever seen offered by a hotel. The hotel offers guests a chance to learn how caviar is made. The experience begins at the sturgeon farm at nearby Riofrio where guests are given a guided tour of the farm. They can then take part in an optional ultrasound in the water to check the maturity of the roe. Once the fish is chosen it is then taken to the lab for processing. The package sounds like it offers more of a chance to observe the process than participate in the messy, smelly hands-on fish wrangling. Guests will receive the caviar sent to them three or four months later after it matures.

The Barceló La Bobadilla is a luxury hotel on an estate with forests of evergreen oaks, almond trees, and olive trees. The hotel is a replica of an Arab village, with a chapel, courtyards and a marble colonnade. There are 62 rooms , most with a separate living room and Jacuzzi. The hotel's five-star La Finca Restaurant serves gourmet national and international cuisine. The hotel has indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, saunas, a fitness center, beauty salon and the chapel includes a mechanical organ containing 1,595 pipes.

La Prairie's Skin Caviar Crystalline Concentrate isn't the most expensive product the company has ever launched (after all, last fall saw the launch of a $1,000 moisturizer) but it does give your skin an added shimmer through the addition of diamond, mica and quartz crystals. The nutrient rich serum promises to firm and plump with amino acids, plant extracts, peptides and caviar extracts as well as La Prairie's exclusive Cellular Complex. The serum sells for $375. They say that skincare is recession-proof but this is stretching it.

[via Vogue UK]

Famed deluxe London department store Harrods came out with the ultimate holiday hamper this season, described as the "very best money can buy." Only eight of the extravagant Chairman's Choice hampers were made available by special order at about $7,500 apiece. Presented in an exclusively designed, limited edition handmade basket with leather trim, the hamper's contents include fruit, flowers, farmed smoked salmon, a truffle ham, half a Stilton cheese, double cream brie, and of course heaps of Beluga caviar. Drinks-wise, there's 30-year-old Macallan single malt Scotch, Krug champagne, Hennessy cognac, and several bottles of wine including the famous Chateau d'Yquem.

[via JustLuxe]

Balducci's, the famed Greenwich Village gourmet shop that's become a retail juggernaut, has just introduced a new line of private label caviar in time for holiday celebrations. Balducci's Own Caviar comes in three basic varieties: Wild Caspian, which includes the famed Sevruga and Royal Osetra varieties, Farmed International, and Domestic. Part of the offering includes the first true Russian Sturgeon to be successfully cultivated in Germany for the production of genuine Osetra caviar (above). Prices range from $9.99 for domestic Salmon and Paddlefish all the way up to $1,500 for the precious Wild Caspian Royal Osetra. Balducci's states that all the caviars have been carefully selected for their "complex flavors and crisp, clean textures." Not having tried it we can't confirm that, but Balducci's typically adheres to pretty high standards.

Milan's poor citizens are getting a special treat this year, caviar for Christmas. Officials in Milan seized 88 pounds of contraband beluga caviar from smugglers recently Instead of destroying the haul worth over $550,000, they are donating it to the Red Cross, Franciscan monks, care homes and organizations which prepare Christmas food for the homeless and poor around Milan. The Daily Mail reports that the banned beluga caviar is being served in portions more generous than those in fancy restaurants. The caviar was found in the refrigerator of a private house and several people have been arrested in the case.

Anything pricey always attracts its share of fakers and hucksters looking to make a quick buck. Last week, federal prosecutors convicted Max Moghaddam of Bemka House of Caviar and FIne Foods in a scheme that involved mislabeling paddlefish roe and shipping it to Belgium, where it was repackaged as American caviar for shipment to other countries. The protected fish eggs are not supposed to be exported but according to CBS4 News, Moghaddam and his team shipped significant quantities of American paddlefish eggs over two years. A ton of paddlefish caviar sent to Belgium in four shipments was worth $193,025 and approximately half was repackaged and sold for $230,113. The caviar culprit could face prison and fines up to $500,000. The Bemka website is still in operation and sells American Paddlefish caviar for $21 for an ounce.

I've been following the story of the declining sturgeon population in the Caspian Sea for years. With increasing focus on bans to prevent overfishing, the quest to discover the perfect alternative has been going on for several years (I created a list of beluga alternatives in 2006). Now from Japan there is another solution, Cavianne. This imitation caviar is made from a rather non-appetizing sounding mix of squid ink, apple pectin, sea urchin extract, oyster, scallop and a gum derived from kelp by a company called Hokuyu Foods. The faux caviar has a skin that is thicker and gummier than the real thing. The company produces four tons of this caviar substitute a year which is, according to the AFP, equal to one-fifth of the estimated consumption of real black caviar in Japan, Cavianne is mostly used by restaurants and hotels and sells for the equivalent of less than tend dollars for a 1.75 ounce jar and contains one seventh the calories of real caviar. The company also sells "Fruppy" balls that contain fruit-flavored liquid.

In 2008, it looks the ongoing battles for caviar will be heating up. The fight for the Caspian Sea is starting to get more contentious. In the past, we've mentioned the concerns over the sea and the sturgeon in the sea which are the world's biggest source of caviar. On Monday, Iran firmed up their demand for a share of around 20 percent of the Caspian Sea. There are five Caspian sea states, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. In October, at a summit in Tehran, the five states pledged to work out an agreement to divide the sea but have not agreed on the boundaries yet. Iran's coast is less than 14% of the sea but they think the sea's resources should be divided into five equal portions. The sea is also a source of oil reserves. In terms of caviar the question isn't just access to the sturgeon but also how much caviar, if any, should be harvested. The sturgeon, which can live to over 100 years but mature slowly, are being fished out of existence.

Meanwhile, the black market in caviar continues apace, especially in Russia where the growing ranks of big spenders have an increasing demand for the delicacy. This occurs just as depleted sturgeon stocks have led to bans on caviar. In Russia recently a large crime ring that dealt in illegal caviar was busted. An article in the Independent asserts that most of the caviar sold in Moscow is illegal. The article also states that even the poachers on the Caspian Sea are having trouble making a living.

It is certain that the world of caviar will have to change simply because the Caspian Sea is being fished out. This also represents an opportunity for growing caviar industries in other parts of the world. We've seen a variety of different caviar options arise over the past few years (Check a list of some beluga alternatives i wrote about in 2006) ranging from sturgeon farms in California to paddlefish, trout or salmon roe and even caviar made from seaweed.

Getting most people to eat snails is hard enough, but how about snail eggs? Snail's egg caviar is now being sold by a couple of French snail farmers from Soissons, which is located in the Picardie region northeast of Paris. Dominique and Sylvie Pierru are French entrepreneurs who own a snail farm and spent the last three years learning how to harvest the eggs from their 50,000 gasteropods and developing a method of processing and tenderizing the eggs. The caviar from snails is small and cream colored with a woodsy taste.

The Pierrus have already sold 400 jars of the caviar which sells for around $115 per 50 grams, which is not much different than the cost of sturgeon egg caviar. The caviar, which is unpasteurized, lasts for three months. Everything from the harvesting to the cleaning and sorting is done by hand which also contributes to the price.

Fine caviar from Caviar House and Prunier is available this season in designer tins by Yves Saint Laurent. He's been depicting the concept of love since 1970, but the caviar tins will bear a previously unreleased artistic creation each year -- so each will be a definite collector's item right from the get-go. The 2008 design, a nautical theme, will be available in limited edition through February 2008 at Harrods in London. £295 for 125g.

This would make a great gift -- you know they don't already one, and it opens up an obvious gift idea of helping them complete their collection in future years!