FOIE GRAS

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FOIE GRAS
(pronounced as fwa gra)

■ Foie gras:
– French for “fat liver” . It is the liver of a
duck or a goose that has been specially
fattened by “gavage” (as defined by
French law)

– Gavage literally means “cramming”

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 Liver Vs Foie Gras

A duck's liver naturally weighs around 50 grams.

However, to qualify as foie gras, the industry's own
regulations require ducks' livers to weigh an absolute
minimum of 300 grams.

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Cramming
■ Cramming here refers to force feeding the
selected ducks & geese

The animal then store excess fat

in the liver giving their liver that
“plump & enlarged” feature 4
Natural Occurrence
■ Actually, this “force feeding” is a natural
occurrence for the goose

■ The ancient Egyptian noticed that at the

season when wild geese are about to
migrate, they ate so much food that the
reserves of energy was stored in their
livers as fat.

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Egypt – 500 B.C

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 Goose or duck?
■ Duck foie gras ■ Goose foie gras
The most Less common and
commonly more expensive
consumed type of because its
foie gras. It has a production
rich and rustic requires more
taste, widely intensive care and
influenced by its feeding. It is
native soil. Duck generally
foie gras is often considered more
said to have a delicate.
stronger flavor. 7
Tracing Foie Gras
■ This occurred about 500 years B.C.

■ So they started to fatten geese with figs and

cereals. That is how foie gras appeared.

■ Painted reliefs of the Egyptian King Ti

provided a graphic account of the cramming
methods used at the end of the 5th dynasty

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Tracing Foie Gras
■ The Egyptians transmitted the foie gras
tradition to the Hebrews during their captivity
in Egypt.

■ After leaving Egypt, the Jews brought the foie

gras processing method everywhere they
settled, from Eastern Europe to Israel.

■ Preserving meat in goose and duck fat

was not forbidden by their religious
principles. 9
Tracing Foie Gras
■ Foie gras was a gourmet dish Greeks,
Romans fattened geese with figs and
then dipped their liver in a mix of milk
and honey.

■ In fact, 'foie gras' comes from the Latin

word 'ficatum' which means 'fig'!

Foie gras on
figs 10
Tracing Foie Gras
■ The Greek were expert in fattening
geese with wheat pounded in water

■ Where as the Romans practiced this

because they were anxious to serve
anything magnificent, enormous, of
generous size, unique or monstrous on
their table

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Tracing Foie Gras

■ After the decline of the Roman Empire,

foie gras was no longer considered as a
gourmet dish. But, the Renaissance
made foie gras come back to feasts and
receptions as a gourmet delicacy

■ After Christopher Columbus brought it

back from the New World, corn was the
used as feeding techniques.
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Tracing Foie Gras
■ The South-West of France, the climate of
which is ideal for corn cultivation, then
became the top foie gras producing area.

■ In the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, foie

gras became a royal dish. French chef Jean-
Joseph Clause is credited for creating and
popularizing pâté de foie gras in 1779.

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Tracing Foie Gras
■ After the French Revolution, foie gras
remained a highly appreciated delicacy that
could be found in the first luxury restaurants.

■ In the 19th century, foie gras even inspired

renowned authors such as Alexander Dumas
and George Sand.

■ Then, Nicolas Appart invented the

preservation technique, foie gras became
widespread in the form we know it today, as
fully-cooked foie gras in cans and glass jars.
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Foie Gras – France Today

■ Foie gras is one of the greatest

delicacies in French Cuisine and its
flavor is described as rich, buttery, and
delicate, unlike that of a regular duck
or goose liver

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Force-feeding (Gavage)
■ Force-feeding is also known as gavage, from a French
word meaning "to gorge". This term specifically refers
to force-feeding of ducks or geese in order to fatten
their livers in the production of foie gras.

■ Preparation for gavage usually begins 4–5 months

before slaughter.

■ For geese, after an initial free-range period and

treatment to assist in esophagus dilation (eating grass,
for example), the force-feeding commences. Gavage is
performed 2–4 times a day for 2–5 weeks.

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 PRODUCING FOIE GRAS

■ Producing Area
France provides more than 80% of the
world foie gras production. The French
production proceeds from three different
areas: Alsace, the South-West region
and the West region.
Producing Countries
■ In tons, 2005
■ 1. France 18,450 tons = 78.5%
2. Hungary 1,920 tons = 8.2%
3. Bulgaria 1,500 tons = 6.4%
4. United States 340 tons = 1.4%
5. Canada (Quebec) 200 tons =0.9%
6. China 150 tons = 0.6%
7. Others 940 tons = 4.0%
Total 23,500 (100%) 18
■ Processing
Breeding- Duck and geese are bred in their
natural state, in the open air, for 12 to 14
weeks until they reach adulthood. They are
fed with corn grains generally produced in
the same area by neighboring farmers.

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PRODUCING FOIE GRAS
■ Intensive feeding
– Once the breeding period is achieved, they
are fed intensively:
– 2 weeks for ducks
– 3 weeks for geese
– receiving 2 to 3 corn feed per day.

• Thus, their liver generates fat and

becomes a 'foie gras'. Then they are
killed without any suffering. Their
liver is extracted, cleaned and
divined.
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Controversial Technique
■ Gavage-based foie gras production is
controversial, due to the force feeding
procedure, and the possible health
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 fact, the city of Chicago banned the
production and selling of foie gras in 2006.
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PRODUCING FOIE GRAS
Force Feeding Process

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Force Feeding Process

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PRODUCING FOIE GRAS

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The Fattened Duck

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Removing the liver

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The Raw Foie Gras

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The Raw Foie Gras

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Cooked Foie Gras

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Color

Color
■ Color of foie gras ranges from light
grey to rose pink.

■ Quality of foie gras is not revealed by

its color but by its homogeneity.

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Different types of foie
gras
■ Raw foie gras
Fresh and has to be pan-fried or
sautéed rapidly.

■ Semi-cooked foie gras

Slightly cooked and can be stored in the
refrigerator for few weeks

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Different types of foie gras

■ Fully-cooked foie gras

– The most traditional preparation of goose
and duck liver.

– It proceeds from a raw liver that has

been cooked, sterilized and preserved in
its own fat.

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Different types of foie gras

– It is generally packed in a can or a glass

jar, in pâté form without refrigeration

Duck liver pate/foie gras

pate 34
Different types of fully-cooked foie gras.

■ Foie gras entier is the purest form of foie gras.

It consists of a whole foie gras that has been
deveined, cleaned, seasoned and sterilized-
cooked in its own fat, without any additives has
a firm and dense texture
Different types of fully-cooked foie gras.

■ Bloc de foie gras is an emulsion of foie

gras that is a mix of foie gras (at least
90%), water and seasoning. It has a
homogeneous mousse texture.

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