Still more of them gathered round in an audience, stuck to the walls, crowding the shelves, perched on the lintel, all of them muttering opinions as the preparations went on they would have baked, not seared, that fish, and salted the cabbage but not the asparagus, and chosen caramel over fudge for the cake.
It takes up to 10 years to raise a female sturgeon, but harvesting at exactly the right moment should take no more than 10 minutes, from slicing open the fish to packing the salted eggs in special containers, which allow the caviar to breathe, thus continuing maturation and allowing taste and character to develop.