Beluga caviar consists of the roe (or eggs) of the Beluga sturgeon found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It can also be found in the Black Sea basin and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea. This fish is currently considered to be endangered[1], causing the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to ban the importation of Beluga caviar which originated in the Black Sea basin.[2] Beluga is also the most expensive of caviars. In January 2007, this ban was partly lifted, allowing the sale of 96 tons of caviar, 15 per cent below the official 2005 level.[3] This article is about fish eggs. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the worlds largest lake or a full-fledged sea. ... For other uses, see Black Sea (disambiguation). ... A satellite image of the Adriatic Sea. ... The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ... The USFWS logo The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a unit of the United States Department of the Interior that is dedicated to managing and preserving wildlife. ... For the band of the same name, see Caviar (band). ...

The Beluga sturgeon can take up to 20 years to reach maturity. The fish harvested for caviar are often nearly 2000 pounds. The eggs themselves are the largest of the commonly used roes, and range in color from light blue to black, with the lighter colors coming from older fish, and being the highest valued. Any additions by producers diminish the value of the roe, and the caviar usually reaches the market without any additions or processing whatsoever. Most people also find a good bit of acidity and/or sweetness in the flavor as well. For other uses, see Acid (disambiguation). ...

As with most caviars, Beluga is usually handled with a 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. This caviar, as with most others is traditionally served in a variety of ways, including hollowed and cooked new potatoes, or on toast points or a blini. These are served with either sour cream or crème fraîche. Additional serving options are minced onion or minced hard boiled egg whites. The higher grade caviars, including Beluga, usually need very little embellishment. A piece of nacre Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is an organic mixture of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the form of platy crystals of aragonite and conchiolin (a scleroprotein). ... A blintz, blintze or blin (Russian: блин, блины; Ukrainian: блинці, blyntsi; plural: blintzes, blini, bliny) is a thin pancake. ... Sour cream is a dairy product rich in fats obtained by fermenting a regular cream by certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. ... Containers of crème fraîche Crème fraîche [IPA: krÉ›m frɛʃ] (French for fresh cream) is a heavy cream slightly soured with bacterial culture, but not as sour or as thick as sour cream. ... For other uses, see Onion (disambiguation). ...

Beluga caviar ranges in price from more than $5,000 per kilogram in the United States, to a low of around $250 per kilo in Atyrau, Kazakhstan, the major production center. Geographical location of Atyrau. ...