Caviar of Kladovo facts for kids
The Caviar of Kladovo (Serbian Cyrillic: Кладовски кавијар) was a very special type of caviar that came from eastern Serbia. It was named after the town of Kladovo, which is located in the Iron Gates Gorge. This beautiful gorge is a part of the Danube River that flows between Serbia and Romania.
This caviar was made from the eggs (called roe) of different kinds of fish. It was so unique that it received a special "protected geographic designation" many years ago. This meant it could only be called "Caviar of Kladovo" if it came from that specific area. It was known as a very expensive and fancy food, so fancy that it was even served on the famous ship, the RMS Titanic.
Sadly, the production of this caviar stopped in the 21st century. This happened because huge dams were built on the Danube River in 1972 and 1984. These dams blocked the fish that used to swim all the way from the Black Sea to their old egg-laying (spawning) areas in the Iron Gates Gorge. Without the fish, there could be no more caviar.
Because of its deep black color, shiny look, and perfectly separated eggs, people used to call it the "Black Pearl of Kladovo."
Contents
History of Kladovo Caviar
How Kladovo Caviar Started
The special fish that produced this caviar lived in the salty water of the Black Sea. When they were old enough to lay eggs, they would swim a very long way upstream into the fresh water of the Danube River. They needed specific conditions to lay their eggs: water that was 12 to 14 °C (54 to 57 °F) warm, 15 to 40 m (49 to 131 ft) deep, and a riverbed made of rocks and gravel. The Iron Gates Gorge had all these perfect conditions. The main area where they laid eggs was between the towns of Golubac and Radujevac.
People have been catching these fish, called sturgeons, in the Iron Gates Gorge for over 2,000 years, even when the Romans ruled the area. Records show that black caviar was made in the lower Danube area since at least the 1400s.
In the late 1700s, a German-Austrian official named Friedrich Wilhelm von Taube visited the region. He noticed that local fishermen ate the fresh fish meat and eggs. They would sell salted eggs to others, but they didn't know how to preserve them very well. Because it wasn't preserved properly, caviar was often just everyday food for poor fishermen. Only a small amount was sent to Belgrade, and then further to Vienna and Pest.
Sturgeons at that time could grow very large, up to 7 m (23 ft) long! So, they couldn't be caught like other fish. Fishermen used special traps called garda (plural garde). These were made of logs and planks. They were set up during low water levels, creating two parallel fences on the river rapids. These fences guided the sturgeons into thick nets at the end. The best catches were made at the rapids near the village of Sip.
There were two other ways to catch sturgeons. One was using special nets called setke. These nets would close by themselves when full. They were used in big whirlpools. The third method was called the "sturgeon pole" or pampurača. This method became very common by the mid-1900s. It involved a long pole with many hooks. The pole was placed near underwater rocks where sturgeons would rub themselves to remove parasites.
The Golden Age of Kladovo Caviar
The way caviar was made got much better after World War I. Many Russian experts on caviar production came to Serbia after the October Revolution. Several Russian families settled along the Iron Gates Gorge. They rented the garde traps and worked with local fishermen.
One of these experts was Sergey Milogradov. He brought a special way of making Kladovo caviar, including a secret recipe for a preservation powder. He taught his knowledge to the Deinega family, and later, Vera Deinega continued his work. The Russians introduced their methods, including a "dry method" for processing the caviar.
Organized production of Kladovo caviar began in 1920. The fish eggs were carefully sifted without adding water or salt. Then, the secret preservation powder was added. The caviar was stored for 6 to 12 months in wooden barrels that held 3 kg (6.6 lb) of product. These barrels were kept in ledenice, which were deep holes in the ground filled with ice. Over time, this method became known as the unique way of producing Kladovo caviar.
Vera Deinega made the secret powder at her home. She sold it to the state-owned "Đerdap Fishery," which was the only company making the caviar. This fishery was started in 1947 and grew into one of the biggest in Serbia. In the 1960s, Kladovo exported up to 3 tons of caviar every year! A record catch from that time was a 188 kg (414 lb) sturgeon that had 20 kg (44 lb) of roe.
After 1968, the caviar was exported as a luxury food to countries like France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, and the United States. At one point, it was even more expensive than Russian or Iranian caviar. In the 1980s, it cost $900 per kilogram, which was twice the price of Iranian caviar. For 27 years, a merchant named Gerald M. Stein from New York was the main buyer. His company, "Iron Gate," was a major supplier of caviar to stores like Macy's. He even managed to get the caviar advertised on the popular American TV show Dynasty!
The Decline of Kladovo Caviar
The main reason the Caviar of Kladovo disappeared was the building of two large hydroelectric dams on the Danube River. The first dam, Iron Gate I, was finished in 1972. The second dam, Iron Gate II, was built from 1977 to 1984. The engineers who built these dams did not include any special paths for fish to swim past them, like a fish ladder. This meant the dams completely blocked the large sturgeons from reaching their old spawning areas upstream.
The dams also caused other problems. They changed the water level, caused erosion, and changed the riverbed, making it less suitable for the fish to lay eggs. These issues, along with other environmental problems in Europe, led to a huge drop in the number of sturgeons.
After the first dam was built in 1972, the amount of fish caught started to decrease. Before 1971, about 100 tons of caviar-producing fish were caught each year. By 1984, after the second dam, it fell to only 20-25 tons. After that, the catch collapsed completely. In 1999, only 1 ton of fish was caught. This showed that the sturgeons were heading towards extinction.
As the fish disappeared, so did the caviar production. In 1983, over 1,000 kg of caviar was produced. By 1998, it was only about 410 kg. In 2009, it was announced that production was shutting down, and the company that made it went out of business.
To try and save the sturgeons, countries like Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia have put a temporary ban (moratorium) on fishing these species. Environmentalists have also suggested building fish ladders on the dams to help the sturgeons survive.
In 2021, the Belgrade's Museum of Natural History even held an exhibition about caviar, focusing on the famous Caviar of Kladovo.
What Made Kladovo Caviar Special
In Serbia, the caviar was sometimes called Kladovo ajvar. It was made from the roe of several types of sturgeon: beluga sturgeon, sterlet, starry sturgeon, and Russian sturgeon. A special rule said that only roe from fish caught in a specific part of the Danube River could be sold as Caviar of Kladovo.
What made Kladovo caviar unique was that the fish eggs became "ripe" during the long, 850 km (530 mi) journey the fish made from the Black Sea up the Danube. By the time the fish reached the spawning grounds, their eggs were at the perfect stage. This meant they had all the nutrients needed for future baby fish, like proteins, fats, and vitamins. Other caviar producers often harvest eggs at an earlier stage.
Also, the Kladovo caviar was made using a "dry method." This means the fish eggs never touched water. Only natural preservatives were used. Because of this special process, the caviar didn't smell like fish at all; it was actually odorless.
Other caviar producers often catch fish in salty water, which can affect the color of the eggs. They might also keep the eggs in salted water after sifting, which can lower the quality. Many also add chemical preservatives. Chemical tests showed that Kladovo caviar was very healthy and full of energy. It had a neutral pH and no trans fats, which helped keep its quality high. During the process, the eggs were stirred with a goose feather.
The Caviar of Kladovo was a "malassol" type, meaning it had a low amount of salt. Other brands often add more salt to change the taste, but Kladovo caviar was known for its mild flavor. People suggested taking it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving it.
Here are the different types of Kladovo caviar:
| Caviar type | Native name | Color | Roe diameter | Percentage of total production (1980s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caviar of beluga sturgeon | Кавијар од моруне | Light grey to black, with pearly shine | 3 to 4 mm (0.12 to 0.16 in) | 71.9% |
| Caviar of Russian sturgeon | Кавијар од јесетре | Light to dark brown and dark grey to almost black | 3 mm (0.12 in) | 25.1% |
| Caviar of starry sturgeon | Кавијар од паструге | Light grey to dark grey, with green shine | 2 mm (0.079 in) | 2.3% |
| Caviar of sterlet | Кавијар од кечиге | Green | 1 mm (0.039 in) | 0.4% |
Protecting the Name
The Caviar of Kladovo was given a "protected geographic designation" even when Serbia was part of Yugoslavia. This protection was confirmed again in 2000. In 2020, the government announced a new law. This law might mean that a product could lose its special designation if it hasn't been produced for 7 years. This could affect Kladovo caviar, as its production has stopped.
