Foie Gras - The Dark Side Of The Exquisite Delicacy

Video: Foie Gras - The Dark Side Of The Exquisite Delicacy

Video: Foie Gras - The Dark Side Of The Exquisite Delicacy
Video: How Foie Gras Went From Luxury To Controversy | Rise And Fall 2024, December
Foie Gras - The Dark Side Of The Exquisite Delicacy
Foie Gras - The Dark Side Of The Exquisite Delicacy
Anonim

The term foie gras from French means fatty liver of ducks and geese. For goose liver production, workers forcibly inject up to 2 kg of grain and fat into the throats of male ducks twice a day, or three times a day for geese. This method is known as drilling and is performed using a pipe.

Force-feeding causes the birds' liver to swell up to 10 times their normal size. The liver naturally weighs about 50 g, and in order to be classified as a goose liver, the industry requires it to be weighed and weigh at least 300 g.

The method stresses the birds, they have difficulty moving and often attack each other due to the stretching of their bellies and overflow of their liver. These birds can be kept in small individual cages or crowded in poultry farms and sheds. In the process, some ducks die from aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when the nipples choke or vomit on their own.

In addition to such a disease, force-fed birds can suffer from damage to the esophagus, impaired liver function, fungal infections and heat stress.

In a study done on birds fed to increase their goose liver, it resulted in a 20% mortality compared to those in the control group of birds that were not force-fed. Foie gras production is such a brutal process that it is even banned in California.

Goose liver pate
Goose liver pate

Force-feeding is against the law in many countries, including Israel, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom and India, where the import of goose liver is also banned.

Goose liver is a popular and well-known delicacy from French cuisine. The taste of Foie gras is described as oily, rich and delicate, which distinguishes it from ordinary liver. Used in cooking in mousses, dips, pâtés or cooked whole.

France and Hungary are the main producers of foie gras, but the curious thing is that in 2011 Bulgaria was the second country in the production of goose liver. Bulgaria started production in 1960 with over 5 million ducks fattened.

In 2015-2016, France produced about 75% of world production of goose liver, but due to open outbreaks of bird flu led to a ban on French exports from many countries, including China, Egypt, Algeria, Japan, Morocco and others.

Goose liver is considered a luxury gourmet dish. In France, it is consumed mostly on holidays such as Christmas, New Year and on special occasions, but it is also consumed daily by many people.

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