Food - Drink
The New Jersey Town Once Known As The 'Caviar Capital Of The World'
By NATASHA BAILEY
The World's Top Exporters claim that in 2021, the top true caviar exporters were the countries China, Italy, France, Germany, and Poland, making up 75.2% of total sales. However, just a few centuries ago, the caviar capital of the world was found on the United State's eastern shores.
Caviar Point in Cumberland County, New Jersey, was the top caviar producer in the 19th century due to the Delaware River, which forms the border between Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Henry Schacht, a German immigrant, paved the way for the East Coast caviar industry by harvesting and selling sturgeon roe.
Historic Greenwich Township tells us that the small town quickly became considered the caviar capital of the world, with 400 fishermen living on site. Schacht's caviar business thrived up until 1925, but unfortunately, pollution and overfishing caused the industry on the Delaware River to die out.