The Beluga

The beluga (Huso huso), known as the Beluga sturgeon, is the largest of all sturgeons and one of the most imposing freshwater fish in the world. It can exceed 8 metres in length and reach exceptional weights, while some historic specimens from the 19th century weighed more than 2 tonnes, making it a true icon of aquatic fauna.

An extremely ancient species, which appeared more than 100 million years ago, the beluga has suffered a dramatic decline in recent decades, with wild populations reduced by up to 90%. Once widespread in the basins of the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, it would ascend great rivers such as the Volga and the Danube to spawn. Today its presence is severely reduced because of dams, pollution and intensive fishing, and in some areas it has disappeared altogether. In the past it was also found in Italy, in the main watercourses of the North, but it vanished from the Po basin and the Adriatic as early as the 1970s.

A diadromous and anadromous species, it lives mainly at sea at intermediate depths and ascends rivers to spawn, travelling further upstream than other sturgeons, a characteristic that makes it highly sensitive to river fragmentation. It feeds on benthic invertebrates, crustaceans and molluscs, though the largest specimens may also prey on small fish.

Its reproductive cycle is extremely slow: sexual maturity is reached between 10 and 20 years of age depending on sex, with infrequent spawning and migrations that take place between autumn and winter. Spawning occurs in spring on gravel or rocky beds, and the larvae, receiving no parental care, soon begin their migration towards the sea.

Today the beluga is considered a highly threatened species and its conservation depends on habitat protection and restoration measures.

The symbol of the rarest and most prestigious caviar, it still stands as the emblem of rarity and of absolute elegance in the world of gastronomy.

Almas Beluga Caviar is one of the most exclusive and rare gastronomic experiences in existence. A true legend of taste, an absolute symbol of luxury, elegance and perfection.

Originating in the waters of the Caspian Sea, in Iranian territory, this extraordinary caviar is distinguished by its remarkable moon-grey, almost white colour, a rarity due to the absence of melanin, a genetic trait found in only a very few albino specimens of the species Huso huso, the celebrated Beluga sturgeon.

Its name, Almas, means “diamond” in Persian, a perfect reference to its inestimable value and its exceptional rarity. More than simply a caviar, it is considered a true gastronomic gem.

Not to be confused with sterlet Almas (A. ruthenus), whose eggs are smaller and yellow, nor with white sturgeon caviar from Acipenser transmontanus, the authentic albino Almas Beluga from Huso huso is today all but impossible to find. An absolute rarity which, historically, was reserved exclusively for the court of the Shah of Persia.

The beluga (Huso huso) is a sturgeon of considerable size which can exceed 8 metres in length and 1,400 kg in weight, with an estimated maximum age of around 110 years. Its colouring ranges dorsally from metallic blue to grey or black, while the underside is white.

This species can reach imposing dimensions and weights but, by now, great size may be a distant memory for this fish, given that the largest beluga specimen ever recorded was caught back in 1800. The record Beluga sturgeon was in fact a female measuring a full 8.5 metres and weighing 2 tonnes, a true wonder of nature.

The head and the snout may account respectively for 23-27% and 7-12% of the total body length. The mouth is wide and crescent-shaped; the barbels are laterally flattened. The body, fusiform, is round in section and in older fish the lateral and ventral scutes are covered by the skin.

The Beluga is found in the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Sea of Azov and their tributaries, including the Volga and the Danube. Until a few decades ago this species was also present in the Adriatic Sea and in the Po (the last sighting dates from 1972). Sexual maturity is reached at 10-12 years in the male and at 14-20 years in the female; the sexual cycles recur every 3-5 years.

Spawning takes place between April and June at temperatures of between 9 and 17°C on gravel or rocky beds at depths of 3-20 metres. The males reach the spawning grounds before the females; the latter can lay up to 7,000 eggs per kg of body weight.

Only in the early 1990s was the Beluga introduced into aquaculture in Western Europe where, alongside highly desirable characteristics such as rapid growth and the immediate acceptance of dry artificial feed, it also displayed a very high rate of cannibalism, which makes it difficult to farm in the earliest stages of life.