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| Foie gras is the food of ] who, tired of being ] and living on the surface of the ], wish to quickly return to ]. | |||
| {{About|the food product made from liver|the story by Isaac Asimov|Pâté de Foie Gras (short story)}} | |||
| {{Redirect|Fat liver|the medical condition|Fatty liver}} | |||
| {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2012}} | |||
| {{Infobox prepared food | |||
| | name = Foie gras | |||
| | image = ] | |||
| | caption = Foie gras with mustard seeds and green onions in duck '']'' | |||
| | alternate_name = | |||
| | country = | |||
| | region = | |||
| | creator = | |||
| | course = | |||
| | type = ] | |||
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| | main_ingredient = ] of a ] or ] | |||
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| {{nutritionalvalue | name=Pâté de foie gras, canned | kJ=1933 | fat=43.84 g | carbs=4.67 g | fiber=0.0 g | protein=11.40 g | niacin_mg=2.51 | thiamin_mg=0.088 | riboflavin_mg=0.299 | sodium_mg=697 | right=1}} | |||
| '''Foie gras''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-foie gras.ogg|ˌ|f|w|ɑː|ˈ|ɡ|r|ɑː}}, ] for "fat liver") is a ] made of the ] of a ] or ] that has been specially fattened. By French law,<ref>French rural code : {{lang|fr|"''On entend par foie gras, le foie d'un canard ou d'une oie spécialement engraissé par gavage.''"}} ("'Foie gras' is understood to mean the liver of a duck or a goose that has been specially fattened by gavage").</ref> foie gras is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by ] corn with a ], although in Spain<ref>The Perennial Plate: Episode 121: A Time for Foie. . June 2013.</ref> and other counties outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding.<ref>Ted Talks: Dan Barber's foie gras parable. . July 2008.</ref> | |||
| Foie gras is a popular and well-known ] in ]. Its flavor is described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike that of an ordinary duck or goose liver. Foie gras is sold whole, or is prepared into ], ], or ], and may also be served as an accompaniment to another food item, such as steak. French law states that "Foie gras belongs to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France."<ref>French rural code </ref> | |||
| The technique of gavage dates as far back as ], when the ] began keeping birds for food and deliberately fattened the birds through force-feeding.<ref></ref> Today, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, though it is produced and consumed worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China.<ref name="npr.org"></ref> | |||
| Gavage-based foie gras production is ] due to the force-feeding procedure used. A number of countries and jurisdictions ]. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| ] depiction of overfeeding geese]] | |||
| ===Ancient times=== | |||
| As early as 2500 BC, the ancient Egyptians learned that many birds could be fattened through forced overfeeding and began this practice. Whether they particularly sought the fattened livers of birds as a delicacy remains undetermined.<ref name="McGee_1">{{Harv|McGee|2004|p=167}}: "''Foie gras is the "fat liver" of force-fed geese and ducks. It has been made and appreciated since Roman times and probably long before; the force-feeding of geese is clearly represented in Egyptian art from 2500 BC.''"</ref><ref name="Toussaint-Samat_1">{{Harv|Toussaint-Samat|1994|p=425}}.</ref> In the ] of ], in the tomb of ], an important royal official, there is a ] scene wherein workers grasp geese around the necks in order to push food down their throats. At the side stand tables piled with more food pellets, and a flask for moistening the feed before giving it to the geese.<ref name="Toussaint-Samat_1" /><ref name="Ginor_1">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=2}}.</ref><ref></ref> | |||
| The practice of goose fattening spread from Egypt to the Mediterranean.<ref name="Alford_1">{{Harv|Alford|2001|p=36}}.</ref> The earliest reference to fattened geese is from the 5th century BC Greek poet ], who wrote of geese-fatteners, yet Egypt maintained its reputation as the source for fattened geese. When the ]n king ] visited Egypt in 361 BC, he noted Egyptian farmers' fattened geese and calves.<ref name="Toussaint-Samat_1" /><ref name="Ginor_2">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=3}}.</ref> | |||
| It was not until the Roman period, however, that foie gras is mentioned as a distinct food, which the Romans named ''iecur ficatum'';<ref></ref><ref name="Ginor_3">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=4}}.</ref><ref name="Giacosa_1">{{Harv|Giacosa|1994|p=13}}.</ref> ''iecur'' means ]<ref name="Langslow_1">{{Harv|Langslow|2000|p=153}}: "''A second instance of the restriction of the sense of a Latin anatomical term to animals is ''iecur'' 'the liver' in Theodorus and Cassius. In both, the human liver is always ''hepar'', while ''iecur'' is used of an animal (...)''"</ref> and ''ficatum'' derives from '']'', meaning fig in ].<ref>"Ficus,i" (...) Derivés: (...) ''ficatum'' n. (sc. iecur): d'abord terme de cuisine "foie garni de figues", cf. Hor., S. 2, 8, 88, ''ficis pastum iecur anseris albae'', calque du gr. συκωτόν de même sens, puis, dans le langage populaire, simplement "foie" (...) et passé avec ce sens dans les langues romanes, où ficatum a remplacé ''iecur''. A. Ernout, A. Meillet, ''Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine'', Éd. Klincksieck, Paris 1979.</ref> The emperor ] fed his dogs on foie gras during the four years of his reign.<ref name="Toussaint-Samat_5">{{Harv|Toussaint-Samat|1994|p=426}}.</ref> ] (1st century AD) credits his contemporary, Roman gastronome ], with feeding dried figs to geese in order to enlarge their livers: | |||
| {{Quotation | |||
| | | |||
| "Apicius made the discovery, that we may employ the same artificial method of increasing the size of the liver of the sow, as of that of the goose; it consists in cramming them with dried figs, and when they are fat enough, they are drenched with wine mixed with honey, and immediately killed." | |||
| | | |||
| Pliny the Elder, '']'', Book VIII. Chapter 77<ref>], ]).] For the original Latin text, see . The Latin text (ed. Karl Friedrich Theodor Mayhoff) of Perseus Digital Library places the corresponding text in a wrong chapter. URL accessed December 30, 2006.</ref> | |||
| }} | |||
| Hence, the term ''iecur ficatum'', fig-stuffed liver; feeding figs to enlarge a goose's liver may derive from Hellenistic Alexandria, since much of ] was of Greek inspiration.<ref name="Faas_1">{{Harv|Faas|2002|p=19}}</ref> ''Ficatum'' was closely associated with animal liver and it became the ] for "liver"<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Yakov |last1=Malkiel |authorlink=Yakov Malkiel |year=1944 |title=The Etymology of Portuguese Iguaria |journal=Language |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=108–30 |jstor=410151}}</ref> in each of these languages: ''foie'' in French,<ref name="Walter_1">{{Harv|Walter|2006|p=40}}: "''(...) for example, why it is not the word JECUR (a Latin word taken from the Greek) which has come down to us with the meaning of 'liver', but the Romance word ''ficato'', which has become the French ''foie''. The word ''ficato'' is formed on the Latin word FICUS 'fig', and would appear to have nothing to do with the 'liver' other than the Greeks, followed by the Romans, fattened their geese with figs to obtain particularly fleshy and tasty livers. The FICATUM JECUR or 'fig-fattened goose liver', which was very much sought after, must have become such a common expression that it was shortened to FICATUM (just as the modern French say ''frites'' as an abbreviation of ''pommes de terre frites''). To begin with the word FICATUM probably designated only edible animal livers, with its meaning then being extended to include the human organ.''"</ref> ''hígado'' in Spanish, ''fígado'' in Portuguese, ''fegato'' in Italian, ''fetge'' in Catalan and Occitan and ''ficat'' in Romanian, all meaning "liver"; this etymology has been explained in different manners.<ref name="Littré_1">{{Harv|Littré|1863|p=137}}: "''Feûte n'est pas mieux fait que ''foie''; seulement, il conserve le ''t'' du Latin; car on sait que ''foie'' vient de ''ficatum'' (foie d'une oie nourrie de figues, et, de là, foie en général). ''Foie'' en français, ''feûte'' en wallon, ''fetge'' en provençal, ''fégato'' en italien, ''hígado'' en espagnol, ''fígado'' en portugais, témoignent que la bouche romane déplaça l'accent du mot Latin, et, au lieu de ''ficátum'', qui est la prononciation régulière, dit, par anomalie, ''fícatum'' avec l'accent sur l'antépénultième.''"</ref><ref>.</ref> | |||
| ===Postclassical Europe=== | |||
| After the fall of the Roman empire, goose liver temporarily vanished from European cuisine. Some claim that Gallic farmers preserved the foie gras tradition until the rest of Europe rediscovered it centuries later, but the medieval French peasant's food animals were mainly pig and sheep.<ref name="Ginor_5">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=8}}.</ref> Others claim that the tradition was preserved by the Jews, who learned the method of enlarging a goose's liver during the Roman colonisation of ]<ref name="Ginor_6">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=9}}.</ref> or earlier from Egyptians.<ref name="Davidson_1">{{Harv|Davidson|1999|p=311}}: "''The enlarged liver has been counted a delicacy since classical times, when the force-feeding of the birds was practised in classical Rome. It is commonly said that the practice dates back even further, to ancient Egypt, and that knowledge of it was possibly acquired by the Jews during their period of 'bondage' there and transmitted by them to the classical civilizations.''"</ref> The Jews carried this culinary knowledge as they migrated farther north and west to Europe.<ref name="Ginor_6"/> | |||
| The Judaic dietary law, ], forbade ] as a cooking medium, and butter, too, was proscribed as an alternative since Kashrut also prohibited mixing meat and dairy products.<ref name="Alford_1" /> Jewish cuisine used ] in the Mediterranean, and ] in ], but neither cooking medium was easily available in Western and Central Europe, so poultry fat (known in Yiddish as '']''), which could be abundantly produced by overfeeding geese, was substituted in their stead.<ref name="Ginor_6" /><ref name="Alford_2">{{Harv|Alford|2001|p=37}}.</ref><ref name="momentmag.com">http://www.momentmag.com/foie-gras-indelicate-delicacy/</ref> The delicate taste of the goose's liver was soon appreciated; ] of ] wrote in 1562 that the Jews raise fat geese and particularly love their livers. Some ]s were concerned that eating forcibly overfed geese violated Jewish food restrictions. The chasam sofer, Rabbi ], contended that it is not a forbidden food (]) as none of its limbs are damaged. This matter remained a debated topic in Jewish dietary law until the Jewish taste for goose liver declined in the 19th century.<ref name="Ginor_6" /> Another kashrut matter, still a problem today, is that even properly slaughtered and inspected meat must be drained of blood before being considered fit to eat. Usually, salting achieves that; however, as liver is regarded as "(almost) wholly blood", broiling is the only way of kashering. Properly broiling a foie gras while preserving its delicate taste is an arduous endeavour few engage in seriously. Even so, there are restaurants in Israel that offer grilled goose foie gras. Foie Gras also bears resemblance to the Jewish food staple, Chopped Liver.<ref name="momentmag.com"/> | |||
| ] | |||
| Gentile gastronomes began appreciating fattened goose liver, which they could buy in the local Jewish ] of their cities. In 1570, ], chef de cuisine to ], published his cookbook ''Opera'', wherein he describes that "the liver of domestic goose raised by the Jews is of extreme size and weighs two and three pounds."<ref name="Ginor_7">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=11}}.</ref> In 1581, Marx Rumpolt of ], chef to several German nobles, published the massive cookbook ''Ein Neu Kochbuch'', describing that the Jews of ] produced livers weighing more than three pounds; he lists recipes for it—including one for goose liver ].<ref name="Ginor_7"/><ref name="Toussaint-Samat_6">{{Harv|Toussaint-Samat|1994|p=427}}.</ref> János Keszei, chef to the court of Michael Apafi, the prince of ], included foie gras recipes in his 1680 cookbook ''A New Book About Cooking'', instructing cooks to "envelop the goose liver in a calf's thin skin, bake it and prepare green or brown sauce to accompany it. I used goose liver fattened by Bohemian Jews, its weight was more than three pounds. You may also prepare a mush of it." | |||
| ==Main producers== | |||
| Today, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, though it is produced and consumed worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China.<ref name="npr.org"/> | |||
| {| class="wikitable floatleft" | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Country | |||
| ! Production (tons, 2005) | |||
| ! % of total | |||
| |- | |||
| | France | |||
| | 18,450<ref name=xinhua>{{cite news | title = China to boost foie gras production | url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/11/content_4409586.htm | date = 11 April 2006 | accessdate =12 March 2007 | publisher=Xinhua online }}</ref> | |||
| | 78.5% | |||
| |- | |||
| | Hungary | |||
| | 1,920<ref name=xinhua/> | |||
| | 8.2% | |||
| |- | |||
| | Bulgaria | |||
| | 1,500<ref name=xinhua/> | |||
| | 6.4% | |||
| |- | |||
| | United States | |||
| | 340 (2003)<ref></ref> | |||
| | 1.4% | |||
| |- | |||
| | Canada | |||
| | 200 (2005)<ref>http://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/A8B635A2-01C6-40B1-8CE3-B628A2C17F2F/5950/Bioclips13n18.pdf</ref> | |||
| | 0.9% | |||
| |- | |||
| | China | |||
| | 150<ref name=xinhua/> | |||
| | 0.6% | |||
| |- | |||
| | Others | |||
| | 940 | |||
| | 4.0% | |||
| |- | |||
| ! Total | |||
| ! 23,500<ref name=xinhua/> | |||
| ! 100% | |||
| |- | |||
| |} | |||
| ] | |||
| France is the leading producer and consumer of duck and goose foie gras. In 2005, the country produced 18,450 tonnes of foie gras (78.5% of the world's estimated total production of 23,500 tonnes) of which 96% was duck liver and the rest goose liver. Total French consumption of foie gras was 19,000 tonnes in 2005.<ref name=xinhua/> Approximately 30,000 people are members of the French foie gras industry, with 90% of them residing in the Périgord (]), the ] ]s in the southwest, and ]. The European Union recognizes the foie gras produced according to traditional farming methods (''label rouge'') in southwestern France with a geographical indication of provenance. | |||
| Hungary is the world's second-largest foie gras (''libamáj'') producer and the largest exporter (1,920 tonnes in 2005). France is the principal market for Hungarian foie gras; mainly exported raw. Approximately 30,000 Hungarian goose farmers are dependent on the foie gras industry.<ref></ref> French food companies spice, process, and cook the foie gras so it may be sold as a French product in its domestic and export markets.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3346185.stm |work=BBC News | title=Hungary foie gras farms under threat | date=12 January 2004 | accessdate=2 May 2010 | first=Nick | last=Thorpe}}</ref> | |||
| ] produced 1,500 tons of foie gras in 2005;<ref name=xinhua/> The United States and Canada also have a thriving foie gras industry. The demand for foie gras in the Far East is such that China has become a sizeable producer.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} Madagascar is a small but rapidly growing producer of high quality foie gras.<ref>Rakotomalala, M. . Express de Madagascar. No. 5632. 15 May 2013.</ref> | |||
| ==Forms== | |||
| ]).]] | |||
| ] | |||
| In France, foie gras exists in different, legally defined presentations, from the expensive to the cheap:<ref> defining legal categories and terms for foie gras in France</ref> | |||
| * ''foie gras entier'' (whole foie gras), made of one or two whole liver lobes; either cuit (''cooked''), mi-cuit (''semi-cooked''), or frais (''fresh''); | |||
| * ''foie gras'', made of pieces of livers reassembled together; | |||
| * ''bloc de foie gras'', a fully cooked, moulded block composed of 98% or more foie gras; if termed ''avec morceaux'' ("with pieces"), it must contain at least 50% foie gras pieces for goose, and 30% for duck. | |||
| Additionally, there exist ''pâté de foie gras''; ''mousse de foie gras'' (both must contain 50% or more foie gras); ''parfait de foie gras'' (must contain 75% or more foie gras); and other preparations (no legal obligation established). | |||
| Fully cooked preparations are generally sold in either glass containers or metal ]s for long-term preservation. Whole, fresh foie gras is usually unavailable in France outside the Christmas period, except in some producers' markets in the producing regions. Frozen whole foie gras sometimes is sold in French supermarkets. | |||
| Whole foie gras is readily available from gourmet retailers in Canada, the United States, Hungary, Argentina and regions with a sizeable market for the product. In US, raw foie gras is classified as Grade A, B or C. Grade A is typically the highest in fat and especially suited for low-temperature preparation, because the veins are relatively few and the resulting terrine will be more aesthetically appealing because it displays little blood. Grade B is accepted for higher temperature preparation, because the higher proportion of protein gives the liver more structure after being seared. Grade C livers are generally reserved for making sauces as well as other preparations where a higher proportion of blood-filled veins will not impair the appearance of the dish.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} | |||
| ==Production methods== | |||
| The physiological basis of foie gras production is ]' capacity for weight gain, particularly in the liver, in preparation for migration. ]<ref> Pyrenees Biological Academy</ref> and ] ducks are the most commonly used breeds for foie gras.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E0DB1639F937A1575AC0A96E958260 | work=The New York Times | title=A Cornucopia of Native Foie Gras; Partners' Efforts Produce Menu Delicacy in Abundance | first=Nick | last=Ravo | date=24 September 1998 | accessdate=2 May 2010}}</ref> Mulards are a cross breed between a male ] and a female ], and are estimated to account for about 35% of all foie gras consumed in the US. | |||
| Typical foie gras production involves force-feeding birds more food than they would eat in the wild, and much more than they would voluntarily eat domestically.<ref>http://foodfancy.net/docs/out17_en.pdf Report of the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare, Chapter 4, pp 24–29</ref> The feed, usually corn boiled with fat (to facilitate ingestion), deposits large amounts of fat in the liver, thereby producing the buttery consistency sought by the ]. | |||
| ===Physiology and preparation=== | |||
| Geese and ducks are ], and, like many birds, have expansive throats allowing them to store large amounts of food, either whole or pre-digested, in the ], an enlarged portion of the ], while awaiting digestion in the stomach, similar to ]. In the wild this dilation allows them to swallow large foodstuffs, such as a whole fish, for a later, long digestion. Wild geese may consume 300 grams of protein and another 800 grams of grasses per day. Farmed geese allowed to graze on carrots adapt to eating 100 grams of protein, but may consume up to 2500 grams of the carrots per day. A wild duck may double its weight in the autumn, storing fat throughout much of its body and especially on the liver, in preparation for winter ].<ref>{{PDFlink||277 ]<!-- application/pdf, 283649 bytes -->}}, section 4</ref> Force-feeding produces a liver that is six to ten times its ordinary size.<ref>{{PDFlink||277 ]<!-- application/pdf, 283649 bytes -->}}, p60</ref> Storage of fat in the liver produces ] of the liver cells. | |||
| The geese or ducks used in foie gras production are usually kept in a building on straw for the first four weeks, then kept outside for some weeks, feeding on grasses. This phase of the preparation is designed to take advantage of the natural dilation capacity of the esophagus.<ref>{{PDFlink||277 ]<!-- application/pdf, 283649 bytes -->}} EU Scientific Report, p19</ref> The birds are then brought inside for gradually longer periods while introduced to a high starch diet. The next feeding phase, which the French call ''gavage'' or ''finition d'engraissement'', or "completion of fattening", involves forced daily ingestion of controlled amounts of feed for 12 to 15 days with ducks and for 15 to 18 days with geese. During this phase ducks are usually fed twice daily while geese are fed up to 4 times daily. In order to facilitate handling of ducks during gavage, these birds are typically housed in individual cages or small group pens during this phase. | |||
| ===Fattening=== | |||
| ] | |||
| In modern production, the bird is typically fed a controlled amount of feed, depending on the stage of the fattening process, its weight, and the amount of feed it last ingested.<ref></ref> At the start of production, a bird might be fed a dry weight of {{convert|250|g|0}} of food per day, and up to {{convert|1000|g}} (in dry weight) by the end of the process. The actual amount of food force-fed is much greater, since the birds are fed a mash whose composition is about 53% dry and 47% liquid (by weight).<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1080/00071660120088489 |title=Force-feeding procedure and physiological indicators of stress in male mule ducks |year=2001 |last1=Guémené |first1=D. |last2=Guy |first2=G. |last3=Noirault |first3=J. |last4=Garreau-Mills |first4=M. |last5=Gouraud |first5=P. |last6=Faure |first6=J.M. |journal=British Poultry Science |volume=42 |issue=5 |pages=650–7 |pmid=11811918 |ref=harv}}</ref> | |||
| The feed is administered using a funnel fitted with a long tube (20–30 cm long), which forces the feed into the animal's esophagus; if an ] is used, the feeding takes about 45 to 60 seconds. Modern systems usually use a tube fed by a pneumatic pump fed via a slit cut in the esophagus;<ref>The standard practice is pneumatic force-feeding, as stated on this and this ; see also this .</ref> with such a system the operation time per duck takes about 2 to 3 seconds. During feeding, efforts are made to avoid damaging the bird's esophagus, which could cause injury or death, although researchers have found evidence of inflammation of the walls of the proventriculus after the first session of force-feeding.<ref>Serviere, J, Bernadet, MD and Guy, G. 2003. Is nociception a sensory component associated to force-feeding? Neurophysiological approach in the mule duck. 2nd World Waterfowl Conference. Alexandria, Egypt</ref> There is also indication of inflammation of the esophagus in the later stages of fattening.<ref name=autogenerated1></ref> Several studies have also demonstrated that mortality rates can be significantly elevated during the gavage period.<ref name="EU Report"></ref><ref>Koehl, PF and Chinzi, D. 1996. Les resultats technico-economiques des ateliers de palmidpedes a foie gras de 1987 a 1994. 2eme journees de la recherche sur les palmipedes a foie gras. 75.</ref><ref>Chinzi, D and Koehl, PF. 1998. Caracteristiques desateliers d'elevage et de gavage de canards et mulards. Relations avec les performances et techniques et economiques. Proceedings des 3eme journees de la recherche sur les palmipedes a foie gras. 107.</ref> | |||
| ===Alternative production=== | |||
| Fattened liver can be produced by alternative methods without gavage, and this is referred to either as "fatty goose liver" or as foie gras (outside France), though it does not conform to the French legal definition, and there is debate about the quality of the liver produced.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}} This method involves timing the slaughter to coincide with the winter migration, when livers are naturally fattened.<ref name="Sousa"></ref> This has only recently been produced commercially, and is a very small fraction of the market. | |||
| While force-feeding is required to meet the French legal definition of "foie gras", producers outside France do not always force-feed birds in order to produce fattened livers that they consider to be foie gras, instead allowing them to eat freely, termed ''ad libitum''. Interest in alternative production methods has grown recently due to ] in gavage-based foie gras production. Such livers are alternatively termed fatty goose liver, ethical foie gras, or humane foie gras. | |||
| The terms ethical foie gras or humane foie gras is also used for gavage-based foie gras production that is more concerned with the animal's welfare (using rubber hoses rather than steel pipes for feeding). Others have expressed skepticism at these claims of humane treatment,<ref>{{cite news |work=New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/dining/25foie.html |title=Foie Gras Makers Struggle to Please Critics and Chefs |first=Jliet |last=Glass |date=April 25, 2007}}</ref> as earlier attempts to produce fattened livers without gavage have not produced satisfactory results.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes/animal-welfare/news-detail/en/c/20463/ |title=Welfare Aspects of the Production of Foie Gras in Ducks and Geese |year=1998 |chapter=Alternative Methods of Production |page=57 |author=Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare |publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
| More radical approaches have been studied. A duck or goose with a ] (VMH) lesion will not tend to feel satiated after eating, and will therefore eat more than an unaffected animal. By producing such lesions surgically, it is possible to increase the animal's food consumption, when permitted to eat ad libitum, by a factor of more than two.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1051/rnd:19800413 |title=Effect of induced hypothalamic hyperphagia and forced-feeding on organ weight and tissular development in Landes geese |year=1980 |last1=Felix |first1=Bernadette |last2=Auffray |first2=P. |last3=Marcilloux |first3=J. C. |last4=Royer |first4=L. |journal=Reproduction Nutrition Développement |volume=20 |issue=3A |pages=709–17 |pmid=6961479 |ref=harv}}</ref> | |||
| ==Preparations== | |||
| ] | |||
| Generally, French preparations of foie gras are over low heat, as fat melts faster from the traditional goose foie gras than the duck foie gras produced in most other parts of the world. American and other New World preparations, typically employing duck foie gras, have more recipes and dish preparations for serving foie gras hot, rather than cool or cold. | |||
| In Hungary, goose foie gras traditionally is fried in goose fat, which is then poured over the foie gras and left to cool; it is also eaten warm, after being fried or roasted, with some chefs smoking the foie gras over a cherry wood fire. | |||
| In other parts of the world foie gras is served in dishes such as foie gras ] rolls, in various forms of pasta or alongside ] or atop a ] as a garnish. | |||
| ===Cold preparations=== | |||
| Traditional low-heat cooking methods result in ]s, '']s'', ]s, ]s and ]s of foie gras, often flavored with ], mushrooms or ] such as ] or ]. These slow-cooked forms of ''foie gras'' are cooled and served at or below room temperature. | |||
| In a very traditional form of terrine, ''au torchon'' ("in a towel"), a whole lobe of foie is molded, wrapped in a towel and slow-cooked in a '']''. For added flavor (from the ]), the liver may be seared briefly over a fire of ] clippings (''sarments'') before slow-cooking in a bain-marie; afterwards, it is pressed served cold, in slices. | |||
| Raw foie gras is also cured in salt ("''cru au sel''"), served slightly chilled.<ref name="Au Pied de Cochon">Au Pied de Cochon. Menu. Montreal. 15 June. 2006.</ref> | |||
| A pastry containing fatty goose liver and other ingredients is known as the "] pie" since Strasbourg was a major producer of foie gras.<ref>''The New Encyclopædia'', ed. Daniel Coit Gilman, Harry Thurston Peck and Frank Moore. (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903): Vol. XIII, 778.</ref> The pie is mentioned in ]'s novel ''Vanity Fair'' as being popular with the diplomatic corps.<ref>William Makepeace Thackeray, ''Vanity Fair'', Ch. 9.</ref> | |||
| ===Hot preparations=== | |||
| Given the increased internationalization of cuisines and food supply, ''foie gras'' is increasingly found in hot preparations not only in the United States, but in France and elsewhere. Duck foie gras ("''foie gras de canard''") has slightly lower fat content and is generally more suitable in texture to cooking at high temperature than is goose foie gras ("''foie gras d'oie''"), but chefs have been able to cook goose ''foie gras'' employing similar techniques developed for duck, albeit with more care. | |||
| Raw foie gras can be roasted, sauteed, pan-seared (''poëllé'') or (with care and attention), grilled. As foie gras has high fat content, contact with heat needs to be brief and therefore at high temperature, lest it burn or melt. Optimal structural integrity for searing requires the foie gras to be cut to a thickness between 15 and 25 mm (½ – 1 inch), resulting in a rare, uncooked center. Some chefs prefer not to devein the foie gras, as the veins can help preserve the integrity of the fatty liver. It is increasingly common to sear the ''foie gras'' on one side only, leaving the other side uncooked. Practitioners of ] such as ] of ] restaurant first flash-freeze foie gras in ] as part of the preparation process.<ref name=cryo>{{cite news | |||
| |newspaper=] | |||
| |first=Louise | |||
| |last=Schwartzkoff | |||
| |date=2 February 2010 | |||
| |title=Books – The Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal (review) | |||
| |url=http://www.liquidnitrogen.com.au/liquid-nitrogen-articles/2010/2/2/books/}}</ref> | |||
| Hot foie gras requires minimal spices; typically black pepper, paprika (in Hungary) and salt. Chefs have used ] as a gourmet seasoning for hot foie gras to add an "important textural accent" with its crunch.<ref name=sel>''Nation's Restaurant News'', 2004.</ref> | |||
| ===Consumption=== | |||
| ''Foie gras'' is a regarded as a gourmet luxury dish.<ref>Serventi 1993, ''cover text''.</ref> In France, it is mainly consumed on special occasions, such as Christmas or New Year's Eve '']'' dinners, though the recent increased availability of ''foie gras'' has made it a less exceptional dish.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/3308864/The-goose-is-getting-fat.html | work=The Daily Telegraph | location=London | title=The goose is getting fat Politically incorrect it may be, but foie gras is storming British menus. Anwer Bati reports | date=1 November 2003 | accessdate=2 May 2010}}</ref> In some areas of France ''foie gras'' is eaten year-round. | |||
| Duck ''foie gras'' is the slightly cheaper<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> and, since a change of production methods in the 1950s to battery, by far the most common kind, particularly in the US. The taste of duck ''foie gras'' is often referred to as musky with a subtle bitterness. Goose ''foie gras'' is noted for being less gamey and smoother, with a more delicate flavor.<ref>''... goose liver is more delicate and less gamey tasting that its duck equivalent'' '''France: World Food | |||
| By Stephen Fallon, Michael Rothschild ISBN 1-86450-021-2, ISBN 978-1-86450-021-9 page 49'''</ref> | |||
| ==Controversy== | |||
| ] | |||
| {{Main|Foie gras controversy}} | |||
| {{See also|Force-feeding#Force-feeding of animals}} | |||
| Gavage-based foie gras production is ], due to the force-feeding procedure, and the animal welfare consequences of an enlarged liver. | |||
| A number of countries and other jurisdictions have laws against force-feeding or the sale of foie gras due to how it is traditionally produced. In modern gavage-based foie gras production, force-feeding takes place 12–18 days before slaughter. | |||
| Foie gras production has been banned in some nations because of the force-feeding process, including some members of the ],<ref>The includes 30 countries plus the ] itself, through which are signatories.</ref> Turkey, and Israel.<ref></ref> | |||
| The city of Chicago banned the production and selling of foie gras from 2006 until 2008, when it reversed its decision which had been, according to the ''Chicago Times'', "an embarrassment for the city".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/chicago-overturns-foie-gras-ban/|work=The New York Times |accessdate=15 October 2008|date=14 March 2008|author=Nick Fox|title=Chicago Overturns Foie Gras Ban}}</ref> | |||
| The state of California has also ], effective 1 July 2012.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/us/in-california-going-all-out-to-bid-adieu-to-foie-gras.html | work=The New York Times | first=Adam | last=Nagourney | title=In California, Going All Out to Bid Adieu to Foie Gras | date=15 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Zavoral |first=Linda |title=In California, countdown to foie gras ban begins |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/food-wine/ci_20282896/california-countdown-foie-gras-ban-begins |accessdate=30 March 2012 |newspaper=San Jose Mercury News|date=30 March 2012}}</ref> Violators will receive a $1,000 fine. Some restaurant owners have declared they plan to use a loophole in the new law; if restaurant goers bring in their own foie gras, restaurants may legally prepare and serve it.<ref></ref> | |||
| Animal rights and welfare groups such as ],<ref></ref> ],<ref></ref> and the ]<ref></ref> contend that foie gras production methods, and force-feeding in particular, constitute cruel and inhumane treatment of animals. Specific complaints include livers swollen to many times their normal size, impaired liver function, expansion of the abdomen making it difficult for birds to breathe, death if the force-feeding is continued, and scarring of the esophagus{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}. ] claims that the insertion and removal of the feeding tube scratch the throat and the esophagus, causing irritations and wounds and thus exposing the animal to risk of mortal infections.{{cn|date=January 2014}} | |||
| Researchers said the process of force-feeding makes animals sick by stressing the liver, leading to formation of amyloid fibers which can remain in the body indefinitely.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.molmed.2010.08.004|title=Prion-like aggregates: Infectious agents in human disease|year=2010|last1=Westermark|first1=Gunilla T.|last2=Westermark|first2=Per|journal=Trends in Molecular Medicine|volume=16|issue=11|pages=501–7|pmid=20870462}}</ref><ref> ''Brisbane Times.'' 2 July 2007.</ref> | |||
| In April-May 2013, an investigator from ] recorded undercover video at Hudson Valley Foie Gras farm in New York state. The video showed workers forcefully pushing tubes down ducks' throats. One worker said of the force-feeding process: "Sometimes the duck doesn't get up and it dies. There have been times that 20 ducks were killed." Hudson Valley operations manager Marcus Henley replied that the farm's mortality statistics are not above average for the poultry industry.<ref name=Tepper2013>{{cite news|last=Tepper|first=Rachel|title=Undercover Foie Gras Footage Shot At Hudson Valley Foie Gras Alleges Cruel Practices (VIDEO)|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/12/undercover-foie-gras-video-hudson-valley_n_3429492.html|accessdate=3 April 2014|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=12 June 2013}}</ref> Because Hudson Valley provides foie gras to Amazon.com, Mercy for Animals began a campaign urging Amazon to stop selling foie gras, a move that has already been made by Costco, Safeway, and Target.<ref name=Zara2013>{{cite news|last=Zara|first=Christopher|title=Amazon Urged To Ban Foie Gras: Animal-Rights Group Calls Retailer A Lame Duck Over Controversial Food|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/amazon-urged-ban-foie-gras-animal-rights-group-calls-retailer-lame-duck-over-controversial-food|accessdate=3 April 2014|newspaper=International Business Times|date=12 June 2013}}</ref> | |||
| In November 2013, the '']'' published a report based on the video they obtained depicting cruelty towards ducks in a farm owned by French firm Ernest Soulard, which is a supplier to celebrity chef ]'s restaurants. The restaurant chain suspended purchasing from the supplier following the exposé.<ref>http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/video-cruelty-chef-gordon-ramsays-2688593</ref> | |||
| ===EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Welfare=== | |||
| The report of the ]'s Scientific , adopted on 16 December 1998, is an 89-page review of studies from several producing countries. It examines several indicators of animal welfare, including physiological indicators, liver pathology, and mortality rate. It strongly concludes that "force-feeding, as currently practised, is detrimental to the welfare of the birds." | |||
| Members of the committee describe how geese and ducks show "avoidance behaviour indicating aversion for the person who feeds them and the feeding procedure". Although the committee reported that there is no "conclusive" scientific evidence on the aversive nature of force-feeding, and that evidence of injury is "small", in their overall recommendations, the committee stated that "the management and housing of the birds used for producing foie gras have a negative impact on their welfare".<ref>{{PDFlink||277 KB}} p.38: ''Whilst studies of the anatomy of ducks and geese kept for foie gras production have been carried out, the amount of evidence in the scientific literature concerning the effects of force-feeding and liver hypertrophy on injury level, on the functioning of the various biological systems is small.''</ref><ref>{{PDFlink||277 KB}} p. 62–63: ''Members of the Committee observed that, prior to force-feeding the ducks and geese show avoidance behaviour indicating aversion for the person who feeds them and the feeding procedure. After a short period, birds which are able to do so move away from the person who force-fed them.''</ref> | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{Reflist|30em}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| ;Books | |||
| {{Refbegin}} | |||
| *''Larousse Gastronomique'', by Prosper Montagne (Ed.), Clarkson Potter, 2001. ISBN 0-609-60971-8. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=Alford | |||
| | first=Katherine | |||
| | title=Caviar, Truffles, and Foie Gras | |||
| | publisher=Chronicle Books | |||
| | year=2001 | |||
| | isbn=0-8118-2791-7 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=Bett | |||
| | first=Henry | |||
| | title=Wanderings Among Words | |||
| | publisher=Kessinger Publishing | |||
| | year=2003 | |||
| | isbn=0-7661-7792-0 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=Davidson | |||
| | first=Alan | |||
| | title=The Oxford Companion to Food | |||
| | publisher=Oxford University Press | |||
| | year=1999 | |||
| | isbn=0-19-211579-0 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=Faas | |||
| | first=Patrick | |||
| | title=Around the Table of the Romans: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome | |||
| | publisher=Palgrave Macmillan | |||
| | year=2002 | |||
| | isbn=0-312-23958-0 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=Giacosa | |||
| | first=Ilaria Gozzini | |||
| | title=A Taste of Ancient Rome | |||
| | publisher=University Of Chicago Press | |||
| | year=1994 | |||
| | isbn=0-226-29032-8 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=Ginor | |||
| | first=Michael A. | |||
| | title=Foie Gras: A Passion | |||
| | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | |||
| | year=1999 | |||
| | isbn=0-471-29318-0 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=Langslow | |||
| | first=David R. | |||
| | title=Medical Latin in the Roman Empire | |||
| | publisher=Oxford University Press | |||
| | year=2000 | |||
| | isbn=0-19-815279-5 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite journal | |||
| | last=Littré | |||
| | first=Maximilien Paul Emile | |||
| | title=Histoire de la langue française: Études sur les origines, l'étymologie, la grammaire | |||
| | publisher=Didier | |||
| | year=1863 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=McGee | |||
| | first=Harold | |||
| | title=On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen | |||
| | publisher=Scribner | |||
| | year=2004 | |||
| | isbn=0-684-80001-2 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=Serventi | |||
| | first=Silvano | |||
| | title=La grande histoire du foie gras | |||
| | publisher=Flammarion | |||
| | year=1993 | |||
| | isbn=2-08-200542-9 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=Toussaint-Samat | |||
| | first=Maguelonne | |||
| | title=History of Food | |||
| | publisher=Blackwell Publishing Professional | |||
| | year=1994 | |||
| | isbn=0-631-19497-5 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| * {{Cite book | |||
| | last=Walter | |||
| | first=Henriette | |||
| | title=French Inside Out: The French Language Past and Present | |||
| | publisher=Routledge | |||
| | year=2006 | |||
| | isbn=0-415-07670-6 | |||
| | ref=harv | |||
| | postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a ".", as necessary. -->{{inconsistent citations}} | |||
| }}. | |||
| ;Articles | |||
| * {{cite journal | |||
| |first=Florence | |||
| |last=Fabricant | |||
| |title=Peppering with salt: chefs find favor with gourmet versions of common seasoning | |||
| |journal=Nation's Restaurant News | |||
| |year=2004 | |||
| |volume=38 | |||
| |issue=9 | |||
| |page=36}} | |||
| {{Refend}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{commons|Foie gras}} | |||
| {{Wiktionary}} | |||
| {{Cookbook}} | |||
| * | |||
| ===Scientific Studies=== | |||
| * Report of the EU Scientific {{PDFlink||277 ]<!-- application/pdf, 283649 bytes -->}} | |||
| ===Alternatives=== | |||
| Video Link- * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * | |||
| * TIME, 12 August 2009 | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Foie Gras}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 19:46, 12 June 2014
Foie gras is the food of demons who, tired of being human and living on the surface of the earth, wish to quickly return to Hell.