‘Tis the season for caviar. Why this luxury food item is all the rage right now.
Thanks to stylish brands like Fishwife and Marky’s Caviar — and influencers like “Danielle the Caviar Girl” — more people are giving caviar a place on their charcuterie board … or even as a solo snack for when you’re craving a slightly briny treat with a unique, poppable texture.
It’s definitely not a cheap treat: Fishwife’s sturgeon caviar, for example, retails for $99 per ounce. But plenty of people think caviar is worth the hype — and the cost. Aja Dang, a TikToker who regularly shares her passion for caviar on social media, tells Yahoo Life that caviar is a worthwhile “treat yourself” gift for when she needs a pick-me-up. She likes to add it to her girls’ nights, accompanied by a martini.
Other people are enjoying “couch caviar” — like food influencer Cortney LaCorte, who coined the phrase to describe indulging in the snack without any preconceived notions that you must be fancy. Her idea of a good night is caviar, potato chips and some crème fraîche — alongside a new episode of The Real Housewives.
Danielle Zaslavskaya Matson, TikTok’s “Caviar Girl,” took her passion for the food to a role as vice president of brand partnerships at Marky’s Caviar. (Matson is the granddaughter of one of the founders of Marky’s.) The TikToker, who grew up enjoying caviar on rye bread with cold butter, says that while caviar is a pricier food by nature, she tells Yahoo Life that there are “entry-level options that are both delicious and complex in favor.” (The sturgeon caviar from Marky’s Caviar comes in at $80 an ounce.) And though it may still be a luxury item, it’s one more people are saying is worth the splurge.
“After the rough couple of years we’ve all experienced, I think people are leaning into enjoying life more and treating themselves,” Matson says, noting that many people give caviar around the holidays as a present. “It’s the perfect time to indulge.”
Considering experimenting with caviar? Here’s what to know.
What actually is caviar? What makes it so expensive?
Much like how not all sparkling wine is considered champagne, caviar means something specific. Caviar refers to salted, cured, unfertilized fish eggs (called roe) specifically harvested from sturgeon species. While the term “caviar” is sometimes used for roe from other fish, like salmon (which is lower in cost), true caviar exclusively comes from sturgeon and is prized for its quality — hence its hefty price tag. Beluga sturgeon is typically the most expensive — an ounce of it can go for hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars.