Flavors from elsewhere
The Bassin d'Arcachon is no longer just famous for its oysters. For several years, caviar has been one of the gastronomic treasures of South-West France.
Latest edition : 16 December 2021
When we say caviar, we often imagine the tables of the feasts of the tsars in Russia. Alas, the times when 1000 tonnes of caviar per year came from the Caspian Sea are over, the wild sturgeon is threatened with extinction by pollution and overfishing.
Intensive fishing also sounded the death knell for the species in France, where sturgeons also evolved in the Garonne and the Dordogne. But at the time, these fish were caught for the quality of their flesh. The precious caviar (their eggs) was used as bait for sardines or fed to ducks!
But when a Parisian restaurateur launched the caviar fashion at the beginning of the 20th century, fishing intensified in the Gironde estuary, to the point that it had to be banned in 1973.
The rescue of the sturgeon then went through the breeding of the Acipenser baerli variety, which is born and evolves in fresh water.
In Gironde, a former trout farm at the Cassadotte mill in Biganos in the Bassin d'Arcachon, was part of this adventure and became the first French aquaculture farm dedicated to sturgeon farming. In 1985, 200 specimens joined the basins of the mill, three years later, 10,000 fry were born. 1993 saw the first production of caviar made in France.
Since then, other basins have been dug on the site, and today, some 70,000 sturgeons of all generations live for many years in these basins fed by the Lacanau, the local river.
They take advantage of many pools to be able to swim and develop freely, almost as in their natural environment. This preserved site, surrounded by pine forests, guarantees optimal conditions for this breeding which requires a lot of patience: it is only at the age of 10 that the famous eggs reach maturity!
Nets protect the basins in which the tiny sturgeons frolic: the birds of the nearby Teich ornithological reserve would have a feast there!
At the age of 4 years, an ultrasound of each fish determines their gender: the males are then sold in Germany where they continue to be raised before being sold in Eastern countries, where the sturgeon flesh is very appreciated. As for the females, they continue to live their good life in the basins of the mill. Around the age of 6, they develop the first eggs which grow and multiply.
At 8 years old, a biopsy is performed to see if she actually has eggs and each sturgeon receives an identification ring on the fin. Two years later, a new biopsy verifies whether the eggs are fully mature.
The fish are then transferred to a refining basin supplied with spring water for 15 days. After ten years, the good life is over since it is necessary to collect the precious eggs which represent 10% of the weight of the fish.
The pouch containing the black gold is removed and gently rubbed to release the eggs. After having been cleaned of possible impurities (residues of the pocket), the eggs are delicately stirred with salt.
After draining, the eggs are put in jars for refining in a cold room. Everything is done by hand and in 1h30 maximum.
Caviar can be produced all year round, but activity is mainly concentrated in September and October: 75% of caviar is sold during the end-of-year celebrations.
All parts of the sturgeon are used. The flesh is transformed into rillettes or smoked fillets, the skin can be worked in leather goods.
Caviar de France controls the entire production chain on its site. By appointment, guided tours of the Moulin de la Cassadotte (with a tasting) are offered from April to September. It is also possible to have a tasting at the shop (€10 to €22 depending on the quality of the caviar)
PURCHASING Caviar from France,
Moulin de la Cassadotte
33380 Biganos
Tel. 0556826442
Tasting advice:
Store it between -2 and +2°C in the refrigerator. Leave one hour before the tasting. Serve it in its original box or in a glass container placed on a bed of crushed ice.
Unless you buy 1 kilo, we give up the accompaniments such as blinis, onions and other fresh creams.
Simply taste it with a mother-of-pearl or porcelain spoon, but especially not in stainless steel or silver. Roll the grains between the tongue and the palate to discover their nuances, then release all the substance of the eggs.
You can accompany it with a glass of dry white wine, a flute of brut champagne or a neutral vodka.
