Emirates' spotlights the ritual of caviar in First Class
Emirates serves caviar, complimentary, to all First Class passengers
Emirates selects and serves some of the world’s most premium Ossetra caviar for its First Class passengers. With First Class travelers invited to savor unlimited amounts of the delicacy onboard, Emirates has noted an increase of more than 30 percent in caviar consumption, year on year. The routes recording the highest levels of passengers enjoying caviar are Emirates flights between Dubai and London, followed by flights to and from Dubai to Paris and Sydney, and then Moscow and Bangkok.
Celebrating the fine nature of the delicacy, Emirates has developed a signature caviar service ritual that is appreciated by First Class passengers for its intentional reverence and respect for the gourmet treat. To ensure it is always an impeccable dining experience, Emirates invests significantly in storing and serving caviar correctly, even providing a dedicated chauffeur service to transport caviar to and from aircraft. Caviar is dispatched individually for each flight, and to maintain the cold chain, approximately 165 trips are carried out each day.
Emirates’ ritual of caviar in the air
Caviar is considered a delicacy for many reasons, including its rarity, cost and the sensory experience it offers. Harvested from the roe of sturgeon, each bead holds a subtle complexity of taste: delicate yet bold, briny yet buttery, with a texture that melts on the tongue.
Onboard Emirates, First Class passengers are invited to enjoy unlimited caviar, served as a luxurious, mindful ritual that highlights the rarity of the delicacy. Emirates cabin crew first don pristine white gloves and lay a fresh linen tablecloth on the traveler’s table. A curated array of accoutrements is then placed on the cloth for the full caviar experience, including crispy melba toast, soft blinis, egg yolk, egg white, chives, white onions, sour cream and lemon. Emirates cabin crew invite the passenger to pair caviar with a glass of Dom Pérignon champagne, which Emirates has exclusive rights to serve in the sky globally. Dom Pérignon’s complex notes of toasted brioche and almond are a sumptuous counterpoint to the salty, nutty and briny flavors of the caviar, while the acidity and minerality of the champagne cut through the creamy mouthfeel of the caviar to form a perfect pairing. As is the tradition with fine caviar, diners are presented with a pure Mother of Pearl spoon so that the delicate taste is not tainted by oxidation from stainless steel utensils. Finally, an exclusive Emirates engraved caviar presentation bowl is placed in front of the passengers and the lid unveiled to reveal the glimmering aperitif.
About the sturgeon
Emirates serves caviar from the Acipenser baerii fish, commonly known as the Siberian sturgeon. Caviar from Acipenser baerii is medium-sized, ranging in color from dark grey to brown or black with a smooth, clean taste with a delicate texture and mild briny flavor. This species of sturgeon is native to the major river systems that flow into the Arctic Ocean, including the Ob, Lena and Yenisei rivers in Siberia. Siberian sturgeon is selected for caviar production due to its relatively fast growth and adaptability to aquaculture environments, sometimes growing up to two meters in length and weighing around 100 kg. This sturgeon matures more quickly than other species, typically producing eggs between five to seven years of age, making it a popular choice for caviar farming. Acipenser baerii plays a vital role in the modern caviar industry, offering a high-quality and more responsible alternative to wild-sourced roe.
Preparation process
As part of a meticulous production process, the caviar for Emirates is rinsed with water, accentuated with salt and stored in a chiller before being delivered to Emirates’ supplier. In Dubai, the caviar is then vacuum packed into ring pull tins, pasteurized, cooled and stored in chillers, before being delivered to Emirates.
Logistics and delivery
The supplier delivers caviar to Emirates Flight Catering Facility (EKFC) in Dubai three times a week. It arrives in dedicated vehicles which have a controlled temperature of below 5°C for every delivery, and when it is ready to be loaded onto aircraft, it is transported by its own dedicated Emirates chauffeur in a special vehicle, to ensure it is maintained at the perfect temperature. Across Emirates’ many destinations, official caterers also receive caviar from Emirates’ supplier to maintain exceptional standards across all routes.
Emirates’ caviar is available to all First Class passengers across all global routes as a complimentary service.
