Foie gras, is as the translation of the name would indicate, Fat liver. What was found eons ago was that by rearing geese that have been fattened by force feeding, the liver gets larger and produces a delicate texture and taste. It's used in making pates, and is extremely popular worldwide, though even being offered it would be offensive to animal rights activists as the manner in which these geese are forced to live a life shortened unnaturally by excess, and confined conditions, seems almost barbaric when performed for the delicately honed taste-buds of the gourmand.

People have always associated Foie Gras with the French, although the roots of foie gras and the manner in which it was produced is proven to date back to Egyptian times when by observing the natural phenomenon of the life-cycle of a goose, the Egyptians noticed that the liver was larger after the feeding season, leading to farmers even back in those times force feeding geese to produce the same effects that nature had in the wilds.

Back to the times of the Romans, the practice was changed by the introduction of figs, which they believed produced an even more delicate flavor, and the Romans were known for their culinary appetite for those foods that were rare delicacies, and amongst them the liver of a goose. Although the fashion changed and Foie gras disappeared over a period of time, the reinstatement of the delicacy by the chef, Jean Pierre Claus, was to change French perceptions when foie gras was introduced to King Louis XVI, and the fashion began again, this time strongly in the French camp.

THE FORMS OF FOIE GRAS AVAILABLE

Foie gras on today's market comes in different forms and is probably more widely available than ever worldwide, since American and Canadian Farmers and other European countries joined in with the production. The forms available today are:

*Entier without addition of any artificial flavorings of colors, and entire.
*Block Here, the foie gras is made into a block and other ingredients added, such as the delicacy of truffles.
*Mousse Probably the most widely available form, whipped and available in cans.
*Pate Here the subtle difference is that less grease is used, and different meats combined to produce a creamy paste.
*Fully cooked presented in it's own fats and produced in jars.
*Semi-cooked Used by the professional chef since it's nearness to the original liver taste is renowned.

PREPARATION PROCESS

In the preparation process of foie gras, all of the undesirable elements of the liver are removed, such as veins, bile and outer membrane. These are cut into rounds or medallions. It is then cooked used the saute method of cooking, although in normal circumstances the householder would never need to cook this themselves, as the production of foie gras is such that demand is met easily by producers and can be purchased in a supermarket.

Foie gras is a delicacy though understanding at what cost may deter those who delight at the thought of taste, since when opening their foie gras product, blissfully unaware of where it came from, the suffering continues. The knowledge of the procedure inflicted on birds in the process of producing over-sized liver may deter the delicate in nature from it's use and who would blame them ?

Resources: Ochef.com

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