jordan:
> I google'd around a bit and have seen the sandwiches at the
> Bolshoi described as being "pink" -- which would make them
> probably salmon, not sturgeon. Salmon roe is cheap in the
> US, too, as is lumpfish roe. Sturgeon roe is expensive
> because that fish takes forever to grow and it has been
> over-fished to the point of extinction.
>
> http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Publications/ZooGoer/2001/3/sturgeon
> andcaviar.cfm
You are correct. When I was in Leningrad (called St Petersburg nowadays) three years ago I tried to get some of the "black" (sturegeon) cavair in a supermarket as a souvenir - but that stuff was way too expensive. It was something around $20-30 for a small can (500-600 roubles), if memory serves. I settled for the "red" (salmon) stuff, which was much cheaper.
Wojtek