Foie gras a food product that is made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage (force-feeding corn) ,according to French law, though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding. A pastry containing paté de foie gras tout court, was formerly known as “Strasbourg pie” (or “Strasburg pie” ) in English on account of that city`s being a major producer of foie gras.
Foie gras is a popular and well-known delicacy in French cuisine. Its flavor is described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike an ordinary duck or goose liver. Foie gras is sold whole, or is prepared into mousse, parfait, or paté (the lowest quality), and may also be serve as an accompaniment to another food item, such as steak. French law states that “Foie gras belongs to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France.”
The technique of gavage dates back as far as 2500 BC, when the ancient Egyptians began keeping birds for food and deliberately fattened the birds through force-feeding. Today, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, though it is produced and consumed worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China.
The Physiological basis of foie gras production is migratory birds` capacity for weight gain, particularly in the liver, in preparation for migration. Toulouse geese and Mulard ducks are a cross breed between a male Muscovy Duck and a female Pekin duck, and are estimated to account for about 35% of all ducks consumed in the US. Typical foie gras production involves force-feeding birds more food than they would eat in the wild, and much more than they would voluntarily eat domestically. The feed, usually corn boiled with fat (to facilitate ingestion ), deposits large amounts large amounts of fat in the liver, thereby producing the buttery consistency sought by the gastronome.
Gavage-based foie gras production is controversial, due to the force feeding procedure used. A number of countries and other jurisdictions have laws against force feeding or the sale of foie gras.
鹅肝酱与鱼子酱、松露并列为“世界三大珍馐”。作为美食大国法国的著名料理，征服了世人的味觉。尝过它的人，都会情不自禁爱上它。然而，这种从过分喂饲鹅身上取肝的方式是对鹅的残忍虐待，因此环保组织发起拒吃鹅肝酱的运动。尽管这种抗议从未停止过，但无可争议的是，它的确是一种少有的美味。
鹅肝酱的历史
As early as 2005 BC, the ancient Egyptians learned that many birds could be fattened through forced overfeeding and began this practice. Whether they particularly sought the fattened livers of migratory birds as a delicacy remains undetermined? In the necropolis of Saqqara, in the tomb of Mereruka, an important royal official, there is a bas relief scene wherein workers grasp geese around the necks in order to push food down their throats. At the side stand tables piled with more food pellets, and a flask for moistening the feed before giving it to the geese.
After the fall of the Roman empire, goose liver temporarily vanished from European cuisine. Some people claim that Gallic farmers preserved the foie gras tradition until the rest of Europe rediscovered it centuries later, but the medieval French peasant`s food animals were mainly pig rediscovered it centuries later, but the medieval French preserved by the Jews, who learned the method of enlarging a goose`s liver during the Roman colonization of Judea or earlier from Egyptians. The Jews carried this culinary knowledge as they migrated farther north and west to Europe.
A number of countries and other jurisdictions have laws against force feeding or the sale of foie gras due to how it is traditionally produced. In modern gavage-based foie gras production, force-feeding takes place 12-18 days before slaughter. The duck or goose is typically fed with a controlled amount of corn mash through a tube inserted in the animal`s cuticle-lined esophagus.
Foie gras production has been banned in some nations because of the force-feeding process, including some members of the European Union, Turkey, and Israel. Foie gras producers ,maintain that force feeding ducks and geese is not uncomfortable for the animals. Nor is it hazardous to their health.
如此美味的鹅肝酱一度濒临失传，幸而终在法国发扬光大。由于鹅肝成本高昂，因此人们一般通常只会在大节日（例如圣诞或新年）才享用鹅肝酱，并且鹅肝酱不耐保存，极易被霉菌侵蚀，所以大多数鹅肝酱中含有大量鹅油以防止变质。
Something about Foie gras 关于鹅肝酱的一些谈论
Foie Gras is a recipe based on the fatty liver of a goose or duck.
鹅肝酱是一道用鹅或者鸭肥胖的肝脏制成的美食。
Many people are concerned about the use of force-feeding in the production of foie gras.
许多人对“填鸭式”喂养的鹅生产鹅肝酱的行为表示担心。
The delicate goose-liver pate, pate de foie gras, was invented by Jean Pierre Clause in Strasbourg, France around 1778.
美味的鹅肝酱馅饼是让·皮埃尔·克劳斯1778年左右在法国的斯特拉斯堡发明的。
Foie gras is from the liver of a force-fed duck or goose. It is a practice that animal protection groups say is cruel.
鹅肝是来自于那些被填鸭式喂养的鸭子或鹅身上获取的。这种行为被动物保护组织指称为残忍的行为。
Confined to wire isolation cages by the gras industry, these ducks are suspended above a pit their own feces.
这些鸭子被关在“鹅肝”业特制的隔离笼中，身下是它们的粪便坑。
Only the highest quality of caviar, foie gras, tuna, prime Matsuzaka sirloin and golden live lobster, cooked with rose salt`s rock and superior olive oil makes Moonsha Teppanyaki a unique dining experience.
