I have often tasted foie gras, French for "liver fat - liver (fois) fat (gras)." It's a texture and taste forever etched in my taste buds.

I once heard a story that best explains this culinary delight made from duck or goose liver. The story goes: a country boy multi-millionaire paid a visit to a Manhattan corporation. Since he was a major corporate shareholder, the executives wanted to wine and dine him. They took him to a posh Upper East Side French restaurant. They ate, drank, and talked business. After wining and dining, they finally received the bill for $2,100. As they were about to leave, the waiter picked up the paid bill and said, "Merci." The country boy multi-millionaire looked at the waiter and burst out, "Frenchie that's the best damn liverwurst I have ever tasted. Damn good."

Such is the silky, seductive effect of foie gras.

I last tasted foie gras at my cousin's wedding in France. I was sitting at the table sipping champagne when the waiting staff placed the sixth course of a 10-course food festival in front of me. I ripped off a small piece of my baguette bread and sliced off a small piece of the foie gras. Then I lathered it on. On my first taste, I thought I heard the bells of Norte Dame en Paris ring.

Silkier than sushi, foie gras taste like a smorgasbord of herbs with hints of peppery truffles, just one bite and you're charmed for life.

There are two popular types: first is duck foie gras, and the other is goose foie gras. Both are seductive, yet I have feasted more often on goose foie gras, so I am biased. Either one however is worth the taste. If you want to add more spice to the occasion of feasting, you could also buy goose foie gras with bits of black truffles. The truffles add a peppery aroma which some adore others find it just too much aroma, or as the French would say "perfume."

Foie gras translated as liver fat has been around for over 5,000 years. The Egyptians celebrated the taste during the days of Pharaohs and the Romans celebrated the taste during the days of Emperors.

Ducks and goose are specially bred in France to produce the finest foie gras. They are fed a specific diet to enrich the liver to a point the fowls have an enlarged liver. Then they are slaughtered.

Some find the process barbaric. In the past there have been animal rights activist who have protested in America about the process used to produce high quality foie gras.

In France, however, the foie gras protest is rarely heard. It's such an old tradition of fine cuisine, the French overlook the cruelty of the process.

Before one purchases foie gras, nevertheless, one needs to be careful one is buying the real deal. There are cheaper pates on the market, which is tasty and a lot less expensive, yet those pates lack the silky, buttery seduction of true foie gras.

In other words, you get what you pay for. A 2.6-ounce of foie gras cost about $35. A 2.6-ounce can of foie gras laced with truffles cost about $45. Nevertheless to taste it once it's worth the price. To have it for a wedding, it could make the moment memorable.

Foie gras, of course, is for those who have money to spend. It's fancy food. Yet just one taste could carry the gourmand to a land of richness and bliss. Foie gras is a seduction of fine dining.

Learn more about this author, Frank Lavoine.
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