Ethical Foie Gras: Reality or Just Clever Marketing?
A radical overhaul of a cruel industry
No food has become as controversial in recent years as foie gras. The rich, buttery, decadent foodstuff, made from either duck or goose liver, is one of the most expensive luxury items in the culinary world. Unfortunately, however, it’s also one of the cruellest, and many have called for a worldwide ban on foie gras production and consumption.
History and Methods
There is evidence that foie gras began in Ancient Egypt since a Bas relief appears to depict the feeding process by which foie gras is made. The Ancient Egyptians had a close relationship with their geese and clearly demonstrated the techniques and know-how to make foie gras, most likely after encountering it naturally in their geese before developing the force-feeding techniques. Whether they are the true originators of the foodstuff or simply the first references we have to it will never be known for certain.
Regardless, foie gras quickly spread to Europe via the Roman Empire and after its subsequent fall, and was likely re-introduced by Jewish peoples from the former Roman…
