"RUSSIAN CAVIAR''

"RUSSIAN CAVIAR." In 1913 a "slight deception" was carried out against unsuspecting caviar lovers in New York, London, or Paris. What was called "Russian caviar" might actually be the roe of sturgeon caught in the MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

Pallid sturgeon were considered a popular source of meat and roe.

Sturgeon roe, or eggs, from the Don and Dneiper rivers of Russia had long been prized for its delicate flavor. It was not until around 1911 that fishermen along the Upper Mississippi began roe gathering as a side line. They found it to be immediately profitable. A "roe can" became part of every fisherman's equipment. Taking advantage of the abundance of sturgeon in the river, fishermen collected roe from September through June when the sturgeon spawned. It was estimated that a quarter of a million pounds of roe had been collected in 1911.

Salmon (left) v sturgeon (right) roe served on mother of pearl spoons to avoid tainting the taste of the caviar. Image courtesy: Wikipedia

Using seines under the ice in winter and nets in open water, hauls of several thousand pounds of sturgeon in a single day were reported. Once the roe were removed, the fisherman separated the ova from the web in which they were enmeshed. The eggs were sold to dealers who salted the eggs and put them in cans or pails for shipment. The roe were sold in Europe because Americans at the time had not acquired the taste for the food.

Many of the fish were dressed, salted and smoked. Popularity of smoked sturgeon was increasing in the eastern United States. In 1913 small sturgeon which had been considered worthless was retailing for between fifteen and eighteen cents per pound.

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Source:

"Later Given Russian Label," Telegraph Herald, March 3, 1912