Caviar Goes Casual as Diners Pair It with Fried Chicken

Celebrities, content creators are trying to make fish eggs more approachable by adding them to junk food

- AFP

When Burger King announced it was selling caviar with nuggets at its French restaurants on April 1, many people assumed it was an April Fool's joke.

But as news spread on social media, buyers rushed to try one of the world's most expensive delicacies paired with a humble and highly commoditized piece of deep-fried chicken while limited stocks lasted. For 19 euros ($22), they got seven nuggets, mayonnaise, and a 10g pouch of Chinese-origin caviar from the Astana brand, which explained it had worked with the fast-food giant to "make the caviar of chefs available to as many people as possible."

It was a marketing coup—the story quickly went viral after being picked up by French news outlets—but it also revealed how the image of caviar as an out-of-reach luxury product is rapidly changing.

As with most new food trends, interest in the exclusive fish eggs is being driven by online influencers and celebrities. Rihanna posted a video to her 150 million followers on Instagram on December 20 last year showing her eating nuggets topped with caviar. "I don't like how much I like this," she began.