'Black gold' a China treasure

Kaluga Qeen carviar, grown in the farm of Qiandaohu in Zhejiang province. Photo provided to China Daily

In 2014 the fish farm produced in total 30 tons of caviar, one-fifth of the global production and more than any competitor in the world, says Han Lei, vice-general manager of Hangzhou Qiandaohu Xunlong Sci-tech Co Ltd.

The company sells 90 percent of its caviar to the overseas market. On the first class flights of Lufthansa and other international airliners, at fine dining and gourmet shops in Europe and America, in luxury hotels such as Peninsula, Shanghri-La and Four Seasons, you may taste a serving of caviar of its brand Kaluga Queen, grown in the farm of Qiandaohu by Xunlong.

Chef Terrence Crandall of Peninsula Shanghai began using caviar from Qiandaohu at the opening celebration of Peninsula Shanghai. On that night alone he served 30 kg of caviar.

Lately the hotel has launched a new afternoon tea menu with caviar. One order of 30 grams of beluga caviar, hand-selected exclusively for the Peninsula Shanghai, will set one back by 1,888 yuan ($307).

Caviar is the eggs of a few species of the sturgeon fish family. It has been a coveted delicacy for more than 2,000 years, sometimes known as "black gold". Wild sturgeons used to be caught in Russia, Iran and other countries by the Caspian and Black Sea area, according to Chef Crandall.