15 Interesting Facts About Foie Gras

Do you want to know some interesting facts about foie gras?

Foie gras, a famous delicacy in French cuisine, is considered a gourmet luxury dish mainly consumed on special occasions – such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve dinners – in France. In some areas, however, this expensive and well-known dish is eaten all year round.

This French delicacy raises the eyebrows – and in more cases, blood pressure – of animal rights activists protesting against the unethical ways foie gras is produced.

Since foie gras is made from the livers of only male ducks and male geese, millions and millions of female ducklings and goslings that hatch each year in France are considered useless to the foie gras industry. They are simply tossed alive into grinders so they can be processed into cat food or fertilizer.

This shocking fact is only one of many that will pique your curiosity about this controversial French dish. Read on to find out more.

Interesting Facts About Foie Gras

Here are some of the most interesting facts about foie gras to make you decide whether to try, continue eating, or simply toss the idea into – well – the grinders.

1. “Foie gras” literally means “fatty liver.”

And that’s exactly what it is. Foie gras is made from the fattened liver of a duck or a goose.

2. Birds used in cooking this delicacy actually have a disease.

Duck or goose liver that’s used as a main ingredient for foie gras is abnormally enlarged on purpose. This is done by force-feeding the animal really large amounts of food, causing a disease called hepatic steatosis which is characterized by an abnormally large liver.

3. The process of force-feeding the birds used in producing foie gras is called “gavage.”

The birds used in making foie gras are prevented from exercising and are force-fed, in a process called gavage or tube-feeding. It is done through a small tube placed through the bird’s mouth into its stomach to make sure its liver will grow abnormally fat.

After slaughtering the ducks or geese, their livers are harvested and shipped to grocery stores and restaurants where they’re sold and served as an expensive luxury food.

4. Tube-feeding the birds actually doesn’t hurt them.

The process of tube-feeding or gavage does sound painful. However, putting a tube down a bird’s throat does not hurt it because birds actually swallow much larger food in the wild since they are teethless. Gavage, when done correctly, doesn’t actually bother these animals.

5. Foie gras can be unhealthy for humans.

85% percent of calories in foie gras are from fat. A 2-ounce serving of this dish contains 25g. of fat and 85mg. of cholesterol. So consuming foie gras can pose some health risks.

Some people with weak tummies report acquiring stomach cramps and diarrhea (accompanied by nausea and vomiting on some) after eating this delicacy. Recent research suggests that a compound found in fattened duck and goose livers may be linked to a rare disease called amyloidosis, as well as Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes.

6. Eating foie gras also has health benefits.

Both saturated and unsaturated fat are found in foie gras. The saturated type can also be beneficial because according to studies, foods with more saturated fat may be part of a balanced diet. The high fat content keeps you fuller for longer and helps regulating your food intake.

Foie gras is also a good source of vitamin A, which aids our vision and promotes healthy cells. It also contains vitamin B12 as well as iron and copper, all of which boost energy metabolism and help in producing healthy red blood cells.

7. According to Pliny the Elder, foie gras has Roman origins.

In c. 77 A.D., Pliny the Elder wrote in “Naturalis Historia” about the Roman practice of increasing the size of a goose liver by soaking it in milk and honey. The Roman author and naturalist also suggested that the governor of Syria (49 – 48 B.C.) invented this practice as well as the delicacy itself.

8. There is another belief that foie gras originated with the ancient Egyptians.

Ancient Egyptians had observed that migratory geese and ducks stored fat in their livers, which gave them the idea of force-feeding these birds to obtain the fatty liver for consumption.

9. Foie gras price can go from $40 to $80 per pound.

The price of foie gras can vary depending on a few things. When goose is used, it will be more expensive. Where the animal comes from is also a factor and so is the manufacturing process.

Duck foie gras, the slightly cheaper variant, is often described to taste musky with a subtle bitterness. Goose foie gras, on the other hand, is known for being smoother and less gamey, and with a more delicate flavor.

But whatever the animal, place or procedure, you are generally looking at around $40 to $80 price tag per pound of foie gras.

10. Foie gras can be ethical.

When you consume foie gras, you are eating the intentionally diseased liver of an animal that has been raised and handled in inhuman ways. That is not ethical. There are rare exceptions, however, and they come in Halal foie gras.

There are ways that foie gras can be halal, such as no cruel treatment toward the bird and the bird being slaughtered according to Islamic rites. A Halal certifying body will be checking both aspects. So if you want a Halal foie gras, look for the Halal logo. 

11. There are 3 ways to cook foie gras.

Terrine de foie gras involves marinating the whole foie gras in brandy and cooked in a terrine (a kind of meat loaf) at bain-marie (a type of cooking equipment used to melt ingredients).

Foie Gras Torchon (literally meaning “fat liver tea towel”) is a whole foie gras, round in shape and wrapped in a cloth (torchone in French) before cooking.

Pâté de foie gras is deemed the “king of pâtés,” which comes with a hefty price tag. It is not made with the whole liver and can be salt-cured and eaten raw.

12. France consumes over 18,000 tons of foie gras each year.

Foie gras is by far more popular than any other classic French delicacies that repel foreigners such as cuisses de grenouilles (frog legs) and escargot (snails). Foie gras eaten in France amounts to over 18,000 tons annually.

13. There are around 30,000 people working in the foie gras industry in France.

The foie gras produced according to traditional farming methods, or Label Rouge (Red Label), in the southwest of France is recognized by the European Union with aprotected geographical indication. So it’s not surprising that 90% of the approximately 30,000 foie gras workers are in the southwestern natural region of Périgord (Dordogne department) in Aquitaine and Alsace in the east.

14. Also around 30,000 farmers in Hungary are dependent on the foie gras industry.

Hungary is the world’s second-largest producer of foie gras, followed by China, the United States, and Canada. Hungary is also the largest exporter and their number one market is France.

There are more or less 30,000 Hungarian farmers who raise and handle geese for foie gras.

15. Foie gras is banned in some countries and American states.

Foie gras is banned in two American states –  New York and California. Various countries also prohibit foie gras production and consumption, including Germany, Italy, Poland, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

This ban is the result of controversies surrounding the production of this expensive French delicacy.