CAVIAR is known at the food of uber rich and is renowned for its unique taste and price.
Several breeds of fish produce the delicacy but only one is coveted.
What is caviar?
Put simply, caviar is just fish eggs.
You can get caviar from most types of fish without it burning a hole in your pocket.
"Cheap" caviar – more commonly known as roe – is typically sourced from capelin, lumpfish, and salmon.
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But the good stuff, that comes for an prized breed of fish known as sturgeon.
Why is caviar so expensive?
Some 30 grams of Russian beluga caviar could set you back somewhere between $130 and $300.
The reason these eggs are so expensive is because the sturgeon has to be farmed.
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Though there are 27 breeds of the fish, they are highly endangered, according to Business Insider.
It's scarcity, mixed with high demand, has made the process of extracting caviar incredibly costly.
Another reason why caviar is so expensive is because sturgeon stocks take a long time to replenish.
Over-fishing has largely caused a steep decline in the underwater species in the Caspian Sea.
Furthermore, it takes a female sturgeon eight to 20 years to reach sexual maturity and it's only at this point that they actually produce caviar.
There are two ways to extract caviar. One involves killing the fish then scooping out the eggs.
Another, more modern way is to inject the surgeon with a special hormone that allows them to expel the eggs by way of a farmer pressing on the fish's belly.
This means the Sturgeon does not die.
Where can I buy caviar?
True beluga caviar has been illegal in America since 2005 when the US Fish and Wildlife Service banned its import from the Caspian Sea, according to Bloomberg.
But retailers can serve beluga made elsewhere and there is some such producer in Florida.
Sturgeon Aquafarms was granted an exception as long as they met several conditions, including not relying on stock from the Caspian Sea and helping restore wild beluga.
It's expected the market for beluga caviar could shoot to $500million by 2023, Bloomberg reported.
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