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This is truly a case of Malaysia boleh! Caviar is farmed from sturgeon fish, and for years Russia has been known for being the biggest producer of high-quality caviar. However, China is slowly catching up. In 2017, they produced 85% of the world’s caviar.
Introducing T’lur Caviar a 3.3-acre farm hidden in Tanjung Malim where Caviar is being harvested from sturgeon fish. In 2008 T’lur Caviar Managing Director AJ Lim didn’t plan to harvest Caviar. The plan was to raise sturgeon fish for the local market but it turns out that sturgeon, which is usually found in cold climates, manages to thrive in the tropical climate.
Out of the 27 different species of sturgeon found in the world, the farm in Tanjung Malim rears six. A few years passed and Lim noticed caviar started appearing in the tanks. When asked about the possibility of caviar, the experts said it was impossible as you will get male fish from the fertilised eggs.
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How T’lur Caviar started
AJ Lim brought in a German expert to asses the fish. To their surprise, out of 200 fishes scanned: the majority were female and about 60 had signs of caviar. A miracle some may say. Ecstatic, AJ Lim began his journey to develop Malaysia’s first-ever tropical caviar, marketed under the T’lur Caviar brand.
From the harvesting to the preparation of the caviar, everything is done in-house, where it is cleaned and cooked with Himalaya salt (about 2.8 per cent).
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Two varieties of caviar are offered the Amur and Siberia. The Amur is farmed from the Amur sturgeon. While the Siberia is a hybrid, where two different species are matchmade together. You will discover that the Amur has a cleaner, lighter flavour. While Siberia has a slightly stronger flavour.
When caviar is produced in Russia, they add preservatives to extend its shelf life. It is also pasteurised which affects the texture, making it similar to hard-boiled eggs. What makes T’lur Caviar unique is that it’s fresh. Hence, the caviar has a softer and more natural texture. Without any preservatives, the caviar has a two-month shelf life.
T’lur Caviar can be purchased at www.t-lur.com.
