Foie gras, the past and present

Foie gras is a famous French dish. it’s produced and consumed worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China. Therefore, as I am a Chinese who love the Foie gras, I want to share its past and present to you here.

About Foie gras:

Foie gras is considered a luxury food product made of the liver of a goose or duck (normally for Chinese, they think that it just made by goose as the translation. After I did this, I found that it also made by duck!) that has been especially fattened by force-feeding corn with a feeding tube, this process also known as gavage.

History of Foie gras:

The technique of gavage dates as far back as 2500 BC, when the ancient Egyptians began keeping birds for food and deliberately fattened the birds through force-feeding. Somehow, the practice of goose fattening spread from Egypt to the Roman. However, as the fall of Roman empire, foie gras temporarily vanished from European cuisine. Nonetheless, Jews and Gallic farmers preserved the foie gras tradition until the rest of Europe rediscovered it centuries later in 16 centuries. Foie gras became famous after serve it to the king Louis XV. And after that time, it was praised by many different bards, musicians and nobilities, which laid the extraordinary position of taste for Foie gras around the world.

Foie gras in French cuisine:

There’s a main cuisine in France called Nouvelle Cuisine, and Foie gras became the innovator of Nouvelle Cuisine. Since it’s an unprocessed material, it’s one of the best materials for cooking Nouvelle Cuisine. Thus, it’s normal in French cuisine now.