A Masterclass in Luxury: Caviar, Smoked Salmon, and Vodka

Here at Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS), we offer special classes from industry masters for students to gain hands-on experience in a variety of subjects. Recently, we invited special guest Giuseppe d'Amore to our Caux campus, who offered an extraordinary masterclass featuring the luxurious trio of caviar, smoked salmon, and vodka. Giuseppe d’Amore, a renowned expert from Caviar House & Prunier, guided the students through a journey into the world of caviar. This event gave our future hospitality leaders a unique opportunity to understand the rich heritage, intricate production process, and contemporary significance of these luxury products.

The Legacy of Caviar House & Prunier: From Paris to Global Luxury

Prunier is a legend of excellence in the gourmet world. The origins of Prunier trace back to Paris, where its first restaurant, located on Rue Victor Hugo, made history by serving Iranian caviar in the early 20th century. The Prunier name quickly became synonymous with refined taste and high-quality caviar, becoming a preferred destination for French gourmands and Michelin-star chefs like Chef Yannick Alléno who leads Prunier today. It now holds a Michelin star and is categorized as an historical moment in Paris.

In addition to Prunier's status as a symbol of high quality and refinement, the brand is also a leader in sustainability within the industry. By the 1990s, the sturgeon population faced near extinction due to overfishing, leading to international bans on wild caviar. Prunier was at the forefront of sustainable solutions, becoming the first company in the world to create a caviar farm. With its merger with Caviar House, an importer and reseller of caviar, the combined entity continues to lead the industry, maintaining the traditions of caviar cultivation while embracing innovation, sustainability and gastonomy. 

The History and Evolution of Caviar

Caviar, the prized eggs of sturgeon, has been harvested for centuries, originally found in abundance across European rivers and the Caspian Sea. However, overfishing drastically reduced wild sturgeon populations, leading to the near extinction of these species by the late 20th century. In 1994, international laws restricted the sale of wild caviar, pushing Prunier to explore farming as a sustainable future of their business, not realizing their ingenuity would be the key to saving the industry.

Caviar farming today replicates the natural life cycle of sturgeon, allowing producers to cultivate this delicacy without depleting wild populations. Sturgeon are raised in specially designed pools that simulate the conditions of rivers, with water sourced directly from nearby streams. It takes up to three years before the sex of the sturgeon can be determined, after which only females are kept to produce caviar.

The male fish are not wasted. They are sold to the food market–in France the fish is commonly sold to schools for student lunches, and their by-products are utilized in various industries, with a particularly rich and rare oil found in the head used in luxury anti-aging products. This zero-waste approach ensures the entire fish is utilized, supporting both sustainability and economic viability by offsetting the long wait period required for females to produce eggs.

Exploring Caviar Varieties: From Baeri to Beluga

During the masterclass at SHMS, students learned about the differences between caviar variety, and what makes each type special. Caviar's flavor, texture, and color vary greatly depending on the species of sturgeon. With 27 species worldwide, only a select few are used for caviar production, each offering distinct flavors and textures.

The most famous is the Beluga sturgeon, known for its large, soft eggs with a delicate, buttery taste. Beluga caviar is often considered the most luxurious and expensive. Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) take significantly longer to mature compared to other sturgeon species. It typically takes about 15 to 20 years for a Beluga sturgeon to reach maturity and produce eggs suitable for caviar. This long maturation period, combined with the size and delicacy of the eggs, contributes to the rarity and high cost of Beluga caviar.

Other notable varieties include Baeri, a native species to France, which produces smaller, firm, black eggs with a nutty flavor, and Oscietra, prized for its medium-sized, golden eggs with a rich, buttery texture. Additionally, lesser-known varieties like Sevruga offer smaller, saltier eggs, while Kaluga, a close relative of Beluga, provides a similar luxurious experience but with a slightly firmer texture. Each type of sturgeon contributes to the diverse world of caviar, offering a range of flavors to suit different palates. Within these species, the eggs are further classified by quality.

For instance, at Caviar House & Prunier, who cultivate Baeri and Oscietra, “Petit Gris” eggs are a classification from Baeri which are normally known for their smaller size and nuttier flavor. However occasionally their eggs are a bit brighter or bigger than normal, these are categorized as Petit Gris. “Divers” refer to eggs that are exceptionally rare and of superior quality. These eggs are larger, brighter, and considered the finest, making them highly sought after and commanding premium prices. The classification process is highly meticulous, with each batch of eggs carefully sorted by color, size, and taste to ensure the highest standards of quality.

Caviar House & Prunier has added Beluga to their farms, but the first harvest is still many years away.

Challenges in Caviar Farming: Harvesting Refined Flavor

One of the greatest challenges in the early days of caviar farming was ensuring the taste quality of the eggs. Initially, farmed caviar suffered from a "muddy" taste, caused by the fact that sturgeons are bottom feeding fish which was exacerbated in their farmed environment. Through careful research and innovation, Prunier, with the help of a marine biologist, was the first to solve this issue by replicating the sturgeon’s natural migratory behavior. Sturgeon, like salmon, would naturally clean their bodies and eggs during their upstream migration by swimming to colder, cleaner water and fasting. Most animals do not eat during migration and sturgeon are no exception. By creating refining pools with cleaner and colder water, and not feeding the fish, Prunier was able to cleanse the fish before harvesting, eliminating the muddy flavor, as the fish would do in nature. 

This breakthrough not only improved the quality of Prunier’s caviar but also set a standard for the global caviar farming industry. Today, farms around the world use similar techniques to produce caviar of exceptional quality, ensuring a consistent product free from undesirable flavors.

The Modern Caviar Industry: A Balance of Tradition and Luxury

As SHMS students learned during the masterclass, the modern caviar industry is built on a foundation of history, tradition, and luxury. Once harvested from wild sturgeon in the Caspian Sea and European rivers, caviar is now almost exclusively farmed due to international laws that protect wild sturgeon from overfishing. While countries like China, Bulgaria, and Italy have emerged as major producers, Caviar House & Prunier remains a leader in the field due to its commitment to tradition and sustainable practices.

Caviar has always been associated with luxury, and that perception endures today. The meticulous farming process, coupled with the long maturation periods create a high production cost, ensuring that caviar remains one of the most coveted delicacies in the world. The expertise and care that go into every step of production, from raising the sturgeon to sorting the eggs, continue to define the premium nature of this product.

The Balik Smoked Salmon Experience: A Taste of Russian Royalty

In addition to learning about the history and specificities of caviar during the masterclass, SHMS students were introduced to the exquisite Balik smoked salmon, an offering from Caviar House & Prunier that is often hailed as the finest smoked salmon in the world. As the students tasted this premium cut, it was immediately clear that this was no ordinary smoked salmon. The rich, delicate flavor, coupled with its smooth texture, left a lasting impression on everyone present. This was a taste that transcended any previous experience with smoked fish, and for many, it was their first encounter with such a luxurious, artisanal product.

Balik smoked salmon traces its origins back to the Russian imperial court, where the art of smoking fish had been perfected by the Tsar’s chefs. The recipe, shrouded in secrecy, was passed down through generations and eventually made its way to Switzerland, where it found new life in the pristine environment of the Swiss Alps. The salmon used for this process is carefully selected from farms in Norway, where the fish are raised in stress-free conditions to ensure their flesh remains tender and flawless. This attention to detail and humane farming methods is crucial in creating the signature quality of Balik salmon, free from the white stress lines often seen in lower-grade supermarket offerings.

What makes Balik smoked salmon so exceptional is not just the quality of the fish, but the meticulous preparation process. Only the best cuts are used, including the highly coveted *Tsar Nikolai* cut, which is considered the pinnacle of smoked salmon. Students were fortunate enough to sample this rare cut, which undergoes a process involving natural 24-hour defrosting of the finest Norweigan salmon in      cold Swiss alpine water, careful salting, and slow smoking in traditional ovens for two days. The result is a product that is revered by gourmets worldwide for its purity, rich flavor, and velvety texture—a true embodiment of luxury.

A Luxurious Evening Concluded with Beluga Vodka

As the evening drew to a close, the students were treated to a final indulgence—an opportunity to wash down the exquisite flavors of caviar and smoked salmon with a glass of Beluga Noble Vodka. Prunier, known for its dedication to offering the finest gourmet products, also proudly resells this premium Russian vodka, which has earned a reputation as one of the world's finest. Originally crafted in Russia, Beluga Noble Vodka embodies the same level of luxury and attention to detail as the caviar and salmon that preceded it during the masterclass.

In 2023, Beluga Vodka was acquired by the Noblewood Group of Montenegro, further solidifying its place in the world of high-end spirits. This premium vodka is renowned for its smoothness and clean taste, a result of its meticulous distillation process using natural Siberian ingredients, including artesian water. For the students, sipping Beluga Vodka was the perfect way to round off an evening of luxury, allowing them to experience the harmony between fine food and drink.

The masterclass was more than just a culinary experience—it was a journey into the world of premium gourmet products, from the delicate caviar and artisanal smoked salmon to the refined Beluga vodka. It provided a rare glimpse into the craftsmanship, history, and attention to detail that go into creating these world-class delicacies, leaving the students with a newfound appreciation for the art of luxury dining.