Caviar, the delicacy for the rich, is going mainstream.
The prices are staying sky-high, however, as demand increases.
“Caviar is the new condiment,” reported CNNMoney over the summer. The little black salty eggs, a 2-ounce tin of which can retail for $300, are increasingly making their way into “ordinary” restaurant dishes.
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“From tacos and flatbread to pasta and burgers, caviar – those shiny little balls usually passed on a small spoon by a white-gloved waiter – is shedding its stuffy image and lending a highbrow take to a regular meal,” according to CNNMoney.
At The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, the menu includes a taco with Hackleback caviar for $15.
Here are more signs that caviar is becoming increasingly popular:
Caviar takes to the skies. Last month London’s Heathrow Airport launched an “on-board picnic” dining option from different cafes and restaurants including Caviar House, which features caviar, smoked salmon and shrimp, for $80. On the other side of the channel, Air France plans to start offering caviar to its first-class passengers.
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Caviar shows up on all-you-can-eat menus. Earlier this month West Hollywood’s Russian restaurant Mari Vanna began offering unlimited red caviar every Wednesday night for $34, which also includes a glass of champagne.
Caviar goes on burgers. A Chelsea restaurant in London says it’s created the world’s most expensive hamburger, priced at about $1,770 and including a gold leaf, lobster and caviar. For the record, that burger has been done before (see the $666 Double Burger).
“This once-exclusive fish roe’s new presence may increase the number of people using caviar to top ordinary items,” wrote Specialty Food Magazine in its fall issue. “Unfortunately, it will still cost a pretty penny.”
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