How to Eat Caviar (Without Getting It Wrong)

Caviar has a reputation for rules. Some of them are snobbery; a few of them actually make it taste better. Here are the ones worth knowing, so the first spoon is a pleasure and not a performance.

1. Keep it cold

Caviar is served chilled, often on ice, and it should stay that way until it reaches your mouth. Warm caviar loses its firmness and its clean taste. Take what you need and leave the tin or bowl on the ice.

2. The spoon

You will often see caviar served with a spoon of mother-of-pearl, bone, horn or wood. The tradition comes from the idea that silver gives caviar a metallic note. Modern stainless steel is much more neutral, but the habit stays, and it is a nice part of the ritual. The one firm rule: do not stir or crush the pearls; lift them gently.

3. Take less than you think

A small spoonful is the right amount. Caviar is about texture and finish as much as flavour, and a mouthful hides both. Better three small bites than one big one.

4. Do not chew it hard

Let the pearls sit on your tongue for a moment, then press them gently against the roof of your mouth so they burst. That is when the flavour opens: briny, buttery or nutty depending on the caviar. Chewing hard turns it into a paste.

5. Blini first, then cream, then caviar

The classic way to build a bite is a warm blini, a little cream on top, then the caviar last, so it is the first thing you taste. Keep the cream thin. Its job is to soften the salt, not to bury the pearls. For your first taste of a fine caviar, try it on its own before you add anything.

6. The tasting from the hand

You may see people place a little caviar on the back of the hand, between thumb and index finger. It is the old way traders tasted it: the skin is neutral and slightly warm, and nothing else interferes. It is optional, and fun to try once.

7. What to drink

Two pairings have lasted for good reason:

• Very cold vodka, in small glasses, the Slavic way.
• Dry champagne, whose bubbles and acidity clean the palate.

Both are sharp and clean, which is what caviar needs between bites. Sweet cocktails tend to fight it.

How we serve it at Maison Almaz

Our menu has a full Caviar section. The Caviar Rituals are served by the gram with blinis and accompaniments to build at the table: Rituel Rouge (red caviar), Rituel Sturgeon, Rituel Bester (a beluga and sterlet hybrid) and Rituel Beluga, from 10g. The Caviar Plates are ready to eat: Black Caviar Blinis, the Black Caviar Selection on brioche, a red caviar plate, Caviar & Salmon Blinis and the Salmon Pearl Spoon.

If you are new to caviar, start with a plate. If you want to compare, order a ritual of red and one of black and taste them side by side. Our caviar guide lists every price, and red vs black caviar explains the difference. See the full menu, or book a table for a celebration that starts with a spoon.