What is foie gras?
Foie gras, French for fat liver, is a rich delicacy made from the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. It is a traditional French food but is controversial because of how the birds are fed.
To produce foie gras, ducks or geese are typically force-fed corn through a tube in the final weeks before slaughter, a process called gavage. This causes their livers to grow many times larger than normal and become rich in fat. The result has a smooth, buttery texture and is often served as a pâté, terrine or seared slices.
France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, where it is considered part of the national culinary heritage and is popular at Christmas and New Year. Hungary and Bulgaria are also major producers.
The controversy
Animal welfare groups argue that force-feeding causes suffering. Production is banned in many countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Israel, and sales are banned in some places, such as California and New York City. Some farms produce alternatives without force-feeding.
Did You Know?
Ancient Egyptians are believed to have discovered that geese fattened themselves naturally before migrating, and they began fattening birds thousands of years ago.