Black Caviar Museum

There, brother, there is a gold mine,
Belugas are full of them!
Sturgeon, seal, stellate sturgeon ... as if assembled! ..
It's already profitable! In early spring fishing
They are teeming with kishma near the shores,
They are standing under the Uchugs like a solid wall! ..
I.S. Aksakov, 1847.

Caviar fishing in Russia dates back to the 16th century, when Ivan the Terrible conquered the sturgeon kingdom - the mouth of the Volga and access to the Caspian Sea. This is how the centuries-old history of the caviar monopoly began.

Nowadays there is a great opportunity to look into the history of the caviar industry at the Black Caviar Museum in St. Petersburg, which is part of the Art-Caviar project and has no analogues in the world. The collection of the museum has carefully selected historically significant items, which can be used to study the centuries-old history of the culture of consumption of black caviar.

In a unique space, outstanding exhibits are presented, such as: a caviar dish made from a cobalt service, which was donated to the heir to the Russian throne, Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, made by the Imperial Porcelain Factory in 1855. Extravagant silverware created by renowned American craftsmen in the 19th century. A significant exhibit in the collection is a caviar dish with monograms, produced in honor of Emperor Alexander II. English crystal 1889. Austrian and Italian antiques. Faberge caviar, from which the last Russian monarchs ate caviar. A non-standard shaped caviar dish in the form of a bottle of champagne was served if the guest ordered certain types of champagne.

Unusual gastronomic museum

An amazing collection of caviar jars of the XIX-XX centuries, collected from all over the world. The collection includes: porcelain cans from Germany and France, cans of popular caviar producers in Russia of the 19th century, caviar from Karelian birch. One of the interesting exhibits of the collection is the M.Kempinski caviar porcelain jar, the well-known Kempinski hotel brand. It should be noted that the hotel empire began with wine and grocery stores. Among the exhibits you can find exquisite dining sets, without which not a single meal was complete: & nbsp;

• set of instruments "Imperial sturgeon", presented to Nicholas I; & nbsp;
• sets of knives of the legendary Zlatoust arms factory, which were painted by hand, like jewelry; & nbsp;
• sets from 19th century England and France

An important fact is that for many centuries in Russia, not oil, but caviar was considered black gold, therefore caviar scales with sinkers were a significant attribute of that time.

You will find these and other historical items in the Black Caviar Museum. When visiting the Art-Caviar restaurant, you can contact the manager who will take you on a tour of the museum.