Chinese caviar and foie gras shake up global gourmet dining

And it’s not just those superpremium products. Gansu province in the country’s northwest, where the summers are hot and dry, is a growing source of wine and olive oil. Heilongjiang, on the border with Russia, produces the most cranberries in Asia (though less than 1% of US output). Across the country’s grasslands in Inner Mongolia and Jilin, dozens of wagyu cattle farms have cropped up. A 2024 report from Ali Research, affiliated with the mega-web-marketplace Alibaba, cataloged more than 100 new Chinese food and drink specialties. They share a similar story: Producers scale up output of what were once expensive imports, then ratchet down costs with improved technology, cheaper labor and streamlined logistics.

To boost domestic interest in the goods, companies are lowering prices and dreaming up new ways of using them. Chinese caviar costs about 8.5 yuan ($1.19) per gram, about a third less than the imported variety. Kaluga suggests including it in products as varied as ice cream, mooncakes and Peking duck. A company in Yunnan is developing truffle-infused soy sauce, vinegar and other condiments. And chefs across the country are trying to one-up each other by using foie gras in dim sum or serving it braised with fruit or wine sauces. “It’s very competitive,” says Bai Xue, a sales manager at foie gras producer Shandong Zunrun Sanrougey Food Co. “Once one creation sells well, everyone will make something similar in no time.”

While the government and some foodies celebrate China for making once-unaffordable luxuries available to more people, others say that’s not always a good thing. Foie gras production, for instance, is banned in many places because of the cruelty of force-feeding geese to enlarge their livers. “The industry shows extreme disregard for animal welfare,” says Jeff Zhou, China representative for Compassion in World Farming, a nonprofit based in the UK. “China’s development is in direct conflict with global values.”

And producers abroad see a growing threat to their livelihoods. Japan has restricted the export of wagyu genetic materials such as embryos and fertilized eggs, and industry groups there have started a campaign to promote “true wagyu.” Eurofish International, an industry group, says, “Italian caviar far surpasses the mass-production nature of the Chinese variety.” And the trade publication SalmonBusiness calls the appearance of salmon from China at this year’s North Atlantic Seafood Forum a “wakeup call,” arguing that the country’s government support and tax incentives will reshape the competitive landscape. “If that sounds improbable,” the publication wrote, “just ask the auto industry how that story ends.”

Jeffrey Merrihue, the founder of XtremeFoodies, a global network of food critics, says restaurants aren’t always upfront about the origin of Chinese products. When he orders caviar, servers often tell him the roe comes from Russia or Iran, but when he looks closely, he sees the Made in China label. “They believe, rightly or wrongly, that made in China is less prestigious,” Merrihue says.

Chinese producers reinforce that perception with marketing materials describing “Iranian flavor,” “Arctic water” or “French style.” And they choose exotic-sounding names such as Latin Landes, Sanrougey and Ramesses II Caviar. “The reign of Ramesses II represents a peak of civilization, and I want to draw on that cultural concept to create a world-class luxury brand,” says Li Tiantian, whose company owns the label.

Some producers, though, embrace—and even flaunt—their origin. Kaluga Queen exports to 46 countries and says it always notes that it’s from the “Thousand Island Lake” area in Zhejiang province. Founder Wang Bin says it’s served at 23 Michelin-starred restaurants in France alone, as well as in the first-class cabins of at least four airlines. He says that after the company spent years seeking a spot on carriers’ menus, Lufthansa Group finally gave it a try when Kaluga Queen won multiple blind tastings at international exhibitions. “With Lufthansa on board, others followed,” he says, predicting that Chinese luxury foods will move quickly from cheap knockoffs to symbols of high quality. “China’s manufacturing used to compete mainly on low prices,” he says, “but now everything is moving upmarket.”