Caviar

The Strange History and Uncertain Future of the World's Most Coveted Delicacy

Nonfiction, Food & Drink, Food Writing, History
Cover of the book Caviar by Inga Saffron, Crown/Archetype
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Inga Saffron ISBN: 9780767911191
Publisher: Crown/Archetype Publication: October 8, 2002
Imprint: Broadway Books Language: English
Author: Inga Saffron
ISBN: 9780767911191
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Publication: October 8, 2002
Imprint: Broadway Books
Language: English

In the tradition of Cod and Olives: a fascinating journey into the hidden history, culture, and commerce of caviar.

Once merely a substitute for meat during religious fasts, today caviar is an icon of luxury and wealth. In Caviar, Inga Saffron tells, for the first time, the story of how the virgin eggs of the prehistoric-looking, bottom-feeding sturgeon were transformed from a humble peasant food into a czar’s delicacy–and ultimately a coveted status symbol for a rising middle class. She explores how the glistening black eggs became the epitome of culinary extravagance, while taking us on a revealing excursion into the murky world of caviar on the banks of the Volga River and Caspian Sea in Russia, the Elbe in Europe, and the Hudson and Delaware Rivers in the United States. At the same time, Saffron describes the complex industry caviar has spawned, illustrating the unfortunate consequences of mass marketing such a rare commodity.

The story of caviar has long been one of conflict, crisis, extravagant claims, and colorful characters, such as the Greek sea captain who first discovered the secret method of transporting the perishable delicacy to Europe, the canny German businessmen who encountered a wealth of untapped sturgeon in American waters, the Russian Communists who created a sophisticated cartel to market caviar to an affluent Western clientele, the dirt-poor poachers who eked out a living from sturgeon in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse and the “caviar Mafia” that has risen in their wake, and the committed scientists who sacrificed their careers to keep caviar on our tables.
Filled with lore and intrigue, Caviar is a captivating work of culinary, natural, and cultural history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In the tradition of Cod and Olives: a fascinating journey into the hidden history, culture, and commerce of caviar.

Once merely a substitute for meat during religious fasts, today caviar is an icon of luxury and wealth. In Caviar, Inga Saffron tells, for the first time, the story of how the virgin eggs of the prehistoric-looking, bottom-feeding sturgeon were transformed from a humble peasant food into a czar’s delicacy–and ultimately a coveted status symbol for a rising middle class. She explores how the glistening black eggs became the epitome of culinary extravagance, while taking us on a revealing excursion into the murky world of caviar on the banks of the Volga River and Caspian Sea in Russia, the Elbe in Europe, and the Hudson and Delaware Rivers in the United States. At the same time, Saffron describes the complex industry caviar has spawned, illustrating the unfortunate consequences of mass marketing such a rare commodity.

The story of caviar has long been one of conflict, crisis, extravagant claims, and colorful characters, such as the Greek sea captain who first discovered the secret method of transporting the perishable delicacy to Europe, the canny German businessmen who encountered a wealth of untapped sturgeon in American waters, the Russian Communists who created a sophisticated cartel to market caviar to an affluent Western clientele, the dirt-poor poachers who eked out a living from sturgeon in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse and the “caviar Mafia” that has risen in their wake, and the committed scientists who sacrificed their careers to keep caviar on our tables.
Filled with lore and intrigue, Caviar is a captivating work of culinary, natural, and cultural history.

More books from History

Cover of the book Byzantium and the Bosporus by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book The Paleoindian and Early Archaic Southeast by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book Empirical Philosophy of Science by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book Intersections of Gender, Religion and Ethnicity in the Middle Ages by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book Iron Dawn by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book Reagan's Demise by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book 大觀:北宋書畫特展圖錄 by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book A Throne in Brussels by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book The Spirit of Enthusiasm by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book Romanticism, Self-Canonization, and the Business of Poetry by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book Settembre 1943 by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book Fascismo e antisemitismo by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book Rethinking the Messianic Idea in Judaism by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book Introduction to Middle Eastern Law by Inga Saffron
Cover of the book 1943. Mediterraneo e Mezzogiorno d'Italia by Inga Saffron
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy