If you mention French cuisine, what are the top three things that come to mind first? I believe that in the minds of most people, there will definitely be the shadow of foie gras. It is one of the world’s three delicacies along with black truffles and caviar. This world-renowned delicacy is also very expensive. However, despite this, there are still a large number of loyal fans of French foie gras around the world.
However, the sale of foie gras has been banned in multiple regions such as the UK, the United States, Israel, and India.
Taking the United States as an example, the city of Chicago enacted a law prohibiting the sale of foie gras as early as 2006. However, two years later, this ban was overturned. In 2012, California’s law prohibiting the sale of foie gras officially came into effect and has been in effect until today.
The regulations introduced by the New York City Council, which will take effect in October 2022, prohibit the sale and supply of forcibly fed poultry products within the city, with foie gras being the most representative. Violators will face fines ranging from $500 to $2000.
After the ban was introduced, many people applauded and cheered: New York City has finally done something good; This ban should be pushed nationwide.
At the same time, many farmers and foie gras producers claim that the production process of foie gras does not violate humanitarianism and is not as cruel as people imagine.
Many famous French restaurant chefs have also come forward to express their opposition, but overall, the main issue of debate among people is “whether the production process of foie gras goes against humanity?”
To clarify this issue, we first need to understand foie gras
In fact, “Foie gras” is a name translated by Chinese people. In French, “Foie gras” does not refer to the liver of a goose, but rather to “fatty liver” or “fatty liver of a goose or duck.”.
Yes, you’re not mistaken. It’s a liver disease that causes great trouble for humans. Fatty liver in humans is caused by excessive fat intake, alcohol consumption, medication, or other factors that damage liver cells.
Geese or ducks, who do not drink alcohol, eat foods that are not too fatty, and medication effects are even more unlikely, how can they suffer from fatty liver?
Friends who have relevant work or life experience may have seen the liver of normal ducks and geese. In slaughterhouses, there are thousands or even tens of thousands of normal poultry, and no one, no matter how large their appetite is, has suffered from fatty liver. Whether in size or color, they cannot match French goose liver.
The History of French Goose Liver
In the highly acclaimed French food encyclopedia “Larousse Gastronomipue”, foie gras is defined as the liver of geese and ducks fed with special methods.
This so-called special method, also known as “tube feeding technique,” can be traced back to 2500 BC when ancient Egyptians began raising poultry. They discovered that these migrating animals, in order to store enough energy, would eat a large amount of food before migration. At this time, geese or ducks had unusually plump and plump livers.
So they began to force feeding to increase the fat of poultry, which in turn produced plump foie gras.
This delicacy was later introduced to Rome and received high praise from Caesar the Great.
During the reign of Louis XVI, foie gras was presented as a tribute to the French monarch and immediately sought after by the French royal family, nobility, artists, writers, and other upper class individuals. It became a top delicacy.
Ducks that produce fatty liver need to be fed twice a day, and it will mature and be slaughtered in about 100 days; And geese need to be fed three times a day, and their growth cycle also takes 112 days. Therefore, most “French foie gras” on the market now are actually 95% duck liver.
In addition, as a representative of French cuisine, French foie gras has been strongly opposed by French animal conservationists in modern times due to the cruel production process, which has greatly restricted the foie gras industry in France. Hungary, which has a long history of raising geese, is the largest producer of French foie gras in the world today.
How cruel is the production of foie gras?
Years ago, geese or ducks that produced foie gras were kept in small enclosures from birth and never had the chance to swim in the water once in their lifetime. The breeders would rack their brains every day to make them grow up quickly and then move on to the next stage.
However, amidst the voices of animal conservationists, most modern duck farms that produce foie gras have made some improvements, allowing the poultry in these production areas to have a relatively happy childhood.
Ducks are usually kept free for about 10 weeks, while geese take 14 weeks. During this time, they can leisurely take a walk on the grass, bask in the sun, and have the opportunity to play in the water. Their food will also be better.
However, if they successfully grow up, nightmares will come. They will be sent to specialized feeding factories and confined in very small cages. The space is so small that they cannot move and can only stand, unable to change positions, and naturally have no chance to sleep, just to prevent them from consuming any energy during exercise or dying suddenly due to severe fatty liver.
The workers will take a nearly 30cm metal tube from the goose’s mouth, pass it through its throat, and directly reach its stomach. Through this tube, they will pour a mixture of corn and oil, and of course, there will be blood flowing out from piercing the throat.
This cruel punishment is carried out three times a day, pouring one kilogram of food each time until death, usually lasting 18-21 days. To prevent these poor creatures from being released early, Europeans will rack their brains to ensure that they are on the brink of death.
The tenacity of life is the original sin. If a strong goose lives longer than its companions, it will be regarded as a treasure by the “executioners” because they have the opportunity to torture it for longer periods of time and obtain larger fatty liver.
After this process, the weight of foie gras can rapidly increase from less than two liang to 600-1000 grams, and the top grade foie gras can reach a weight of four pounds.
This bloody production method is at least unacceptable to me personally. Although we also slaughter poultry, it will at least make them die happily. How much do these poultry that produce foie gras expect to die during the stuffing period?
Many people are praising foie gras as nutritious and even claiming to be healthy. However, if more than half of the weight of a single food is fat, shouldn’t it be listed as junk food?
As for the so-called rich trace elements, it is understandable, but which food in the world cannot find some shining points?
