A 49-year old Russian with a big spoon in hand swallowed a pound (500 grams) of caviar in about 90 seconds to win what was billed as the world’s first eating contest featuring the pricey fish roe.

“In Texas, people organise hot dog and hamburger eating championships and contests,” the swanky Apartment restaurant said in a press release for the event.

“In Moscow, people eat black caviar instead,” it said.

The contestants were drawn from 12 winners of a lottery who were each handed a bowl of caviar lined up on a lacquered table while a man in black tie played lounge music on a white grand piano.

Muscovite Alexander Lavrov did not disclose his profession after swallowing about $5,000 worth of the stuff in a minute and 26 seconds and then raising his arms up to applause.

He was awarded 10,000 rubles ($340) and several more glass jars of the salty delicacy.

The Moscow River embankment house said it spent around two million rubles ($70,000) on the promotional event.