I first tasted foie gras de canard on January 26th, 1997. It was love at first bite! Back then, it was rare to see foie gras on a menu in the United States and my experience in France was just beginning. Today, foie gras is common on the menus of French and non-French restaurants in major U.S. cities, and I’ve eaten foie gras many times in many different ways in my travels through France.

Foie gras is the fattened liver of a goose or duck. Until the 1960s, a foie gras was usually the liver of a goose. Since then, the opposite is the case. Modern breeding techniques have produced a breed of ducks that was much hardier than geese. This new breed is relatively resistant to disease and had a strong body with a large esophagus. Today, when the type of bird is not specified, foie gras is taken to be the liver of a duck.

History

The concept of force-feeding geese is not a new one. The four-thousand-year-old tomb of Mereruka in Egypt contains a bas relief depicting the force-feeding of geese with pellets of grain. It is not clear whether these birds were being force-fed for their livers or to simply produce larger geese. Larger geese produce more fat and goose fat comes from an animal considered “clean” by the ancient Egyptians. Pig fat (lard) which comes from an animal was banned as food.

Two millennia later, the ancient Greeks were also known to have practiced force-feeding their geese, but it was not until the Roman Empire did foie gras definitely become a delicacy. Apparently, for the Romans, dried figs were the preferred feed for fattening their geese. They would also soak the eviscerated liver in honey-sweetened milk to further enlarge its size.

When the Roman Empire came to an end, so apparently did force-feeding geese in the lands they conquered. There is evidence, however, to suggest that the Ashkenazi Jews of Western and Central Europe continued the practice. As the Jews moved farther north, olive oil became scarcer and an alternative, nondairy cooking fat was required. Jewish dietary laws did not allow dairy and nondairy products to be cooked or served together. Poultry fat, which is considered nondairy, provided an answer. Once again, force-feeding geese provided a means of increasing the amount of fat produced by the animal.

By the middle of the sixteenth century, the French along with many other European countries were again force-feeding geese. In 1651, the first French recipes for preparing foie gras appeared in La Varenne’s Le Cuisinier François. The livers were generally cooked whole and served warm.

The creation of pâté de foie gras de Strasbourg is credited to Jean-Pierre Clause around 1780. He was not the first European chef to combine foie gras with other meats, salt, and spices to produce a forcemeat that was baked in a pastry crust, but he was certainly responsible for promoting the dish into prominence. Whereas fresh foie gras is highly perishable, a pâté could be sealed in lard and kept fresh for days in the warmer months and for weeks in the cooler ones. In the following century, as modern canning methods became common, purer forms of foie gras could also be preserved for a long period.

As grand cuisine developed in France following the revolution, so did the many ways to prepare foie gras. During this period, foie gras from ducks became more common although it never approached the popularity of goose foie gras.

In the 1960s, new breeding techniques made commercial production of mulard ducks feasible. The mulard is a sterile hybrid produced by mating a Pekin hen and a Moscovy drake. Unlike geese, the mulard is relatively resistant to disease and stress. Raising ducks became significantly more cost effective than raising geese, and today, the vast majority of foie gras produced is from ducks.

Geese Versus Ducks

Besides differences in cost effectiveness and ease of production, there are other differences between duck foie gras and goose foie gras. Duck foie gras are generally smaller than those from geese. Although the ducks I eviscerated in France had livers in the range of two to three pounds, the duck livers I’ve purchased in the United States have been in the one to one-and-a-half pound range.

During cooking, a mulard duck foie gras will render 15 to 20 percent of its fat, a Moscovy duck foie gras will render 25 to 30 percent, and a goose foie gras 35 to 45 percent. Low heat methods of preparation render less fat than high heat.

These days, fresh duck foie gras is significantly less expensive than fresh goose foie gras — if you can even find fresh goose foie gras! In France, it’s possible to obtain whole fresh goose foie gras in some parts of the country, but I’ve never seen it even advertised in the United States. If found in the U.S., it has been cooked and processed.

Foie Gras Production

To produce a mulard duck, a female Pekin duck is artificially inseminated with the sperm of a male Moscovy duck. Eggs laid in a single week are placed in the incubator all at once so that all the ducklings in a cycle are hatched within a single 24-hour period. Incubation takes about 28 days. About half of the eggs will eventually hatch. The females are sold to other duck farmers to raise for meat and the males are raised to produce foie gras.

For the next 12 to 14 weeks, the ducks are allowed to grow in open, grassy pens. The ducks are free to move around within the pens. The feed is supplemented with hay for fiber to aid in digestion. The hay also helps to expand the duck’s esophagus.

At the end of the growing stage, the ducks are moved indoors to the feeding barn. The ducks have had minimal contact with humans up to this point. To keep stress at a minimum, the same person performs the feeding process from then on with a particular group of ducks. The ducks are fed corn that is partially cooked. The feeder crouches on a small chair in the pen and places the duck between his or her legs. The feeder opens the duck’s bill with one hand and inspects the throat to see that it is empty. With the other hand, the feeder inserts a tube through the esophagus and into the crop of the duck. The tube is connected to a funnel-like device that is filled with the corn. When activated, an auger pushes a measured amount of corn through the tube. The tube is removed from the duck’s bill and the duck waddles off for a drink of water to help digest the corn. The whole process takes just a few seconds.

The ducks are initially force-fed twice a day. The number of feedings is increased to three times a day when the ducks become accustomed to it. At first, the ducks just accumulate extra body fat, but at about the eighteenth day, the liver starts to grow. In another six days the liver will be at its maximum size and the ducks are slaughtered. After the ducks are killed, bled, and cleaned, they are refrigerated to firm up the liver. Later, the liver is eviscerated and the duck butchered. Essentially all of the duck is used in some way including the feathers and the feet.

Animal Rights

If one is against the growing of animal for human consumption, then one is against foie gras. A quick perusal of web sites demanding the end of foie gras production shows that most of these sites fall into this category. There are other sites that simply claim the process to be cruel and inhumane. Unfortunately, of the sites that I have read, they all seem to have many of their facts incorrect. Additionally, their words are designed to alarm the reader, not to provide true evidence in a neutral manner. In looking at a number of animal rights sites, I found that they all generally use the same one or two pictures and most cited a single 10-year old event as their evidence for banning the entire industry.

I am sure there are a couple of farms in the world that mistreat their ducks, but the farms that I have visited certainly did not. It was actually quite fascinating to watch the ducks “line” up to be fed. They certainly didn’t resist the feeder. Since ducks under stress are more prone to disease and do not produce good livers, it is in the producers’ best interest not to harm or stress the ducks.

Waterfowl naturally force-feed themselves in preparation for migration. They store the extra energy as fat. The liver of the duck has evolved as a repository for this fat. They normally gorge on small fish, plants, and insects. Once they have gorged, the birds must drink water to prevent choking. The production process simply has optimized this process.

The anatomy of a duck is different from that of humans and other mammals. Ducks naturally eat their food whole. The food slides down the esophagus to the crop. It is stored in the crop until it can be passed to the stomach and the gizzard. The esophagus is lined with stiff bristles to protect it from damage by the food.

Ducks suffer from different diseases from humans. Some of the critics claim that the ducks’ fattened livers are diseased and that the ducks are suffering from diabetes, cirrhosis, or a condition called “fatty liver”. But diabetes does not occur in ducks, and if a duck develops cirrhosis it is related to the heart, not force-feeding. Furthermore, “fatty liver” is a disease of mammals, not waterfowl.

Purchasing Foie Gras

Depending on your location, fresh foie gras may be available from local sources. If fresh foie gras preparations appear on the menu of a local restaurant, ask the chef where the restaurant obtains its foie gras. My experience in the San Francisco Bay Area is that foie gras purchased from a meat shop will be twice the price of foie gras purchased from restaurant suppliers. Fresh mulard duck foie gras is slightly more expensive than the same grade from a Moscovy duck, but flash-frozen fresh mulard duck foie gras from France is less expensive.

I generally use the frozen foie gras from France because the time I can buy foie gras doesn’t always coincide with when I will be preparing it. I buy a couple of livers and leave them in my freezer until I need them. Fresh, vacuum-packed foie gras must be used within a week of purchase. Frozen foie gras needs to have been flash-frozen and stored below 0 °F (-18 °C).

Fresh foie gras is usually available in three grades. Grade A livers range from 1 to 3 pounds in weight and are preferred for all preparations since visual imperfections are minimized. Grade B livers weigh between 0.8 and 1.5 pounds and have more imperfections. These livers are fine for searing, but should be avoided for terrines and other dishes where appearance is important. Grade C livers are used in preparations where the liver is chopped or puréed. The French have strict rules regarding the grading of foie gras. In the United States, the grading is up to the individual producer.

Initial Preparation

Fresh foie gras is generally sold in individual vacuum-sealed packages. If the foie gras is frozen, defrost it overnight in the refrigerator. An hour before the liver is to be cleaned, remove it from the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature. When chilled, the liver is very stiff. As it warms up, it becomes more flexible.

The liver is cleaned in one of two methods depending on how it will be cooked. If the recipe uses a low heat method of cooking, such as for a terrine, the blood vessels and bile ducts are removed and the liver is ready to use. For high heat cooking methods, the liver is soaked first.

To prepare the foie gras for low heat cooking, gently separate the two lobes of the liver. The large lobe will be approximately twice the weight of the smaller lobe. The major vessels and ducts on each lobe should be visible at the point where the two lobes were joined. While gently pulling on each vein or duct, follow its course through the liver using a small knife. As the vessel branches, follow the branches to remove as many as possible. The trick here is to remove all the vessels without damaging the liver too much. Sometimes a small pair of pliers helps in removing the vessels. Your hands will become slick with the fat that melts from contact with them. Also remove any discoloration on the surface of the liver. The liver is now ready for use. If not being used immediately, tightly wrap the liver in plastic wrap and store in a refrigerator.

To prepare the foie gras for high heat cooking, gently separate the liver into its two lobes. Trim a small amount of the distal edges of the lobes to expose a row of very fine blood vessels. In a basin large enough to hold the liver, add salt at a rate of 150 grams per liter (5 ounces per quart) to cold water. Dissolve the salt completely and add liver. Cover with a plate to hold the liver below the surface. Let the liver soak for 1 hour. Remove the liver and drain on absorbent paper. Clean the liver of its major vessels and ducts as described above. When done, wrap the lobes tightly, reshaping each lobe into a cylindrical shape, in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until needed. I usually do not cut the foie gras into medallions until it is firmed-up by refrigeration. When I cut the liver, I leave the plastic wrap in place and remove it only just before I put the medallions in the hot pan.

Bibliography

I have not found much written about foie gras worth recommending except for a book called Foie Gras: a Passion by Michael A. Ginor. (Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc in 1999.) Mr. Ginor is the Founder and President of the largest producer of fresh foie gras in the United States. The 90-page introduction to this book provides a comprehensive discussion of the history, production, and preparation of foie gras and was the basis of much of this article.

Recipes

I have found that when I mention foie gras to people who are not familiar with its many preparations, they almost always mention pâté de foie gras — a mixture of foie gras with pork, salt, and spices baked in a pastry crust. These pâtés are generally commercial preparations that use foie gras for flavor, but bulk-up the dish with less expensive ingredients.

The following recipe collection has four recipes where the foie gras is used in an almost pure form with a little seasoning. Foie gras frais en terrine is a preparation of fresh foie gras that is heated until it uniformly reaches to a slightly elevated temperature. It along with the following recipe was previously published on à la carte. Foie gras poché au vin doux is a type of preparation sometimes referred to as foie gras au torchon or foie gras cooked in a towel. The fresh foie gras is wrapped tightly in a piece of muslin and briefly poached in a flavored liquid. Once cool, the cooked foie gras is soaked in the cooled poaching liquid for a number of days. In this case the poaching liquid is flavored with sweet wine. With both preparations, the foie gras is eaten at room temperature with toast.

Foie gras de canard confit à la cuiller and foie gras en bocal are both methods of preserving fresh foie gras. The confit recipe is a variation of traditional confit preparations and can be stored for a number of months under refrigeration. The other recipe is a means of canning a fresh foie gras and does not require refrigeration. Like the previous recipes, with these preparations the foie gras is eaten at room temperature with toast.

Raviole de foie gras aux fines herbes is an elegant, warm preparation where foie gras is the principal ingredient. Because of its rich flavor, foie gras is usually not served these days as a solo preparation.

The following four recipes are warm preparations where the foie gras has equal billing with the other ingredients and where its flavor is complementary to the other flavors. In escalopes de foie gras de canard à la compote d’oignon et pommes, slices of grilled foie gras are eaten with caramelized onions and poached apples — a great combination. Salade de foie gras chaud aux raisins is a recipe previously published on this site that combines grilled foie gras with sautéed raisins and a crisp salad. Œuf frit, foie gras chaud, et coppa grillée is based on a dish I ate a couple of years ago at a Michelin one-star restaurant in Paris called Faucher. The moment I took my first bite of this preparation I knew I had to try to recreate it at home. Pavés de bœuf et foie gras poêlé façon Rossini is a unique way of topping a thick steak with a slice of grilled foie gras.

Faux–filet aux duxelles de foie gras, another recipe previously published here, is a sirloin steak accompanied by the mixture of foie gras and mushrooms. It is a good way of using foie gras scraps. Another way of using leftover, cooked foie gras is to create a mousse de foie gras de canard. Once you make the mousse, choux à la mousse de foie gras is a nice way to use the mousse as part of an hors-d’œuvre.

If you’re familiar with foie gras then maybe some of these recipes will provide you new ideas. If you’re not familiar with foie gras, try a couple of these recipes and see why it was love at first bite. It may be a new love affair for you, too.