Foie Gras or Fois Gras... This French Food is scrumptious

A Table Everyone has their favourite Foie Gras. In many French families the lady of the house or their mother still cook their own Foie Gras. And of course, everyone has their own recipes and methods.

There are 2 different types of Foie Gras: Foie Gras d'Oie (goose Foie Gras) and Foie Gras de Canard (duck Foie Gras). 

Also Foie Gras vary between the methods used to cook them. Foie Gras can either be mi-cuit (half-cooked) or semi-conserve (in conserve).

Goose Foie Gras has a very rich and subtle taste, whereas duck Foie Gras contains less fat and has stronger flavour and richer aroma.

To serve Foie Gras, place it in the fridge for at least a few hours beforehand. It has to be chilled but not ice-cold. Take it out of the fridge 15 minutes before serving and immediately cut it into 10mm slices. For cutting use a smooth-edged knife and pass it under a hot running tap before use or you can also use a Foie Gras cutter. 

Place the slices of Foie Gras onto chilled plates decorated with a few green salad leaves.

Foie Gras is best served as a starter when the food palate of your guests is still neutral. Offer some toast triangles or crusty farmhouse bread to place a piece of Foie Gras on and enjoy it by letting the Foie Gras melt in the mouth!

Do not serve this delicacy with any butter, gherkins or acidic foods. Instead, as an accompaniment, try some Confit de Vin (wine jelly) and of course, choose a good bottle of sweet white wine like Sauternes. Bon Appetit!

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A bit of History  Foie Gras is a favourite of many gourmands and its history goes back thousands of years! According to an ancient fresco from 2500 BC, Egyptians were the first people to start force-feeding geese with figs.

Egyptians had noticed that the geese stopping over in the marshes of the river Nile were endlessly eating figs to prepare themselves for their long trip back to the North. 

This overeating caused their livers to become naturally fat. 

Egyptians developed a technique to reproduce this work of nature at the hands of men by force-feeding geese with figs. 

Hebrews who were the slaves of Egyptians at the time, copied their masters methods and within centuries, carried it round to the Latin and Greek world and also into central Europe where the Romans learned it. 

This is where the Foie Gras makes its real entrance to the history and books. Like Egyptians, the Romans fed their geese with figs and they actually gave the Foie Gras its name: the word 'foie' means in Latin Jecur Ficatum - (liver caused by figs) and later just the word Ficatum was used where the French word 'foie' eventually derived from.

Then unfortunately, the Foie Gras disappeared for centuries due to the fall of Roman Empire and its civilisation. It will be the 14th century when the Foie Gras makes its re-entrance to France, notably into the Southwest. 

But this time the animals are no longer fed with figs, instead, corn is used which was introduced to France by Christopher Columbus.
In the 16th and 17th century Foie Gras becomes a real part of French gastronomy. The kings Louis XV and Louis XVI give it true success by having it served at their banquets. 

How Foie Gras is Made Nowadays, whether it is a goose or a duck, it is still a very long process before the delicious Foie Gras arrives onto our plates. Goslings and ducklings are kept free outdoors until they are fully grown and only the males are chosen.

The fattening period usually lasts about 3 weeks for geese and 2 for ducks. Cooked corn is used to feed them 2 or 3 times a day.