Foie Gras

I find it funny how dramatic people’s opinion changes once you call something in a different name. When someone asks you what you’ve had for lunch and you said liver, you can clearly see the look of disgust in their faces. When you say that you had foie gras for lunch, the reply you’re most likely to get is “wow!” Foie gras is the fattened liver of an overfed duck or goose. Those fortunate enough to sample this exquisite delicacy say that it doesn’t taste like regular goose or duck liver; foie gras is buttery and rich.

Along with truffles, foie gras is one of the most famous delicacies in French cuisine. Historians traced the popularity of foie gras as far back ask 2500 BC in ancient Egypt. At first Egyptians went after migratory birds, but when they learned that birds can be fattened in captivity, they began overfeeding domestic geese. Duck foie gras is more common then goose foie gras, so it is the cheaper of the two. Several animal rights organization heavily opposes the modern process of fattening up ducks and geese claiming that it is cruel and illegal.