Mother-of-pearl is a precious material that forms naturally inside certain shells, notably those of pearl oysters and abalone. Its layered structure gives it its characteristic iridescence, from white to pink, sometimes with bluish tones depending on its origin. Beyond its beauty, it is its neutrality that makes it particularly well suited to tasting caviar: it releases no compound that could alter the aromas of the pearl.
This property has long been known in the tradition of caviar tasting. At the Russian tsarist courts, where the eating of caviar took on its codified form, mother-of-pearl spoons were already preferred to silver spoons (which oxidised the caviar) or metal ones (which left a metallic taste). Caviar House carries this tradition forward by selecting handmade spoons, in a spirit of passing on a craft and a tasting experience that is not confined to the main product alone.
