Beluga caviar - wikipedia Beluga caviar Black Beluga caviar Beluga caviar is caviar consisting of the roe ( or eggs ) of the beluga sturgeon Huso huso. It is found primarily in the Caspian Sea, the world 's largest salt - water lake, which is bordered by Iran and the CIS countries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. It can also be found in the Black Sea basin and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea. Beluga caviar is the most expensive type of caviar, with market prices, at the beginning of the millennium, ranging from $7,000 to $10,000 / kg ( $3,200 to $4,500 / lb ). Harvesting The Beluga sturgeon is currently considered to be critically endangered, causing the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to ban in 2005 the importation of Beluga caviar which originated in the Caspian Sea and Black Sea basin. In 2006, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ( CITES ) suspended all trade made with the traditional caviar - producing regions of the Caspian and Black Seas ( Beluga, Ossetra and Sevruga ), ( Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine ) due to the producing countries ' failure to apply international regulations and recommendations. Caviar from Iran is exempted from the ban. Iran is considered by CITES to practice effective conservation and policing of its fisheries. In January 2007, this ban was partly lifted, allowing the sale of 96 tons of caviar, 15 percent below the official 2005 level. CITES maintained the 2007 quotas for 2008, drawing criticism for doing little to protect the declining sturgeon population. The Beluga sturgeon can take up to 20 years to reach maturity. The fish harvested for caviar are often nearly 900 kg ( 2,000 lb ). The eggs themselves are the largest of the commonly used roes, and range in color from dark gray ( almost black ) to light gray, with the lighter colors coming from older fish, and being the most valued. A pearly white variety, called Almas ( Persian for diamond ), taken from a centennial female sturgeon, is the rarest type of Beluga available, with an extremely small production and prices reaching almost £ 25,000 ( $35,300 ) per kilogram. Any additions by producers diminish the value of the roe, and the caviar usually reaches the market without any additions or processing whatsoever. Service As with most caviars, Beluga is usually handled with a caviar spoon made of mother of pearl, bone, or other non-metallic material, as metal utensils tend to impart an unwelcome metallic taste to the delicate and expensive roe. Beluga caviar is usually served by itself on toast, unlike other less expensive caviars that can be served in a variety of ways, including hollowed and cooked new potatoes, on a blini, or garnished with sour cream, crème fraîche, minced onion or minced hard boiled egg whites. These items can, however, be served with Beluga as palate cleansers. References Jump up ^ Expensive ingredients Top 5 world 's most expensive ingredients - Yahoo Lifestyle India Jump up ^ Young, Mark C. ( 1999 ). Guinness Book of World Records. p. 94. Jump up ^ Schmidt, Arno ( 2003 ). Chef 's Book of Formulas, Yields, and Sizes. p. 48. Jump up ^ `` BBC - International caviar trade banned, 2006 ''. BBC News. 2006 - 01 - 03. Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 22. Jump up ^ `` The Nibble, `` Caspian Caviar Update : News About The World 's Favorite Roe '', 2006 ``. Thenibble.com. Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 22. Jump up ^ `` UN lifts embargo on caviar trade ''. BBC News. 2007 - 01 - 02. Retrieved 2008 - 05 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Beluga Sturgeon Threatened With Extinction, Yet Caviar Quotas Remain Unchanged ''. 2008 - 03 - 06. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 2008 - 09 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Almas Beluga is the world 's most expensive Caviar ''. Luxury Launches. Retrieved February 1, 2013. Jump up ^ Fabricant, Florence ( 2003 ). The New York Times Seafood Cookbook. p. 287. Roe Bottarga Buriko Karasumi Caviar Beluga Ossetra Sevruga Red Masago Pollock roe Tarako Taramasalata Tobiko Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beluga_caviar&oldid=794596453 '' Categories : Roe Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2014 Talk About Wikipedia Galego Қазақша Norsk Polski Русский தமிழ் Українська Tiếng Việt Edit links This page was last edited on 8 August 2017, at 22 : 33. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the most expensive brand of caviar
Answer: Beluga caviar