View source for Foie gras

{{Short description|French culinary dish}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Italic title}}
{{redirect|Pâté de Foie Gras|the science fiction story|Pâté de Foie Gras (short story)}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = ''Foie gras''
| image            = Foie gras en cocotte.jpg
| image_size       =
| caption          = ''Foie gras'' with mustard seeds and green beans in duck ''[[Au jus|jus]]'' served at [[Guy Savoy|the Guy Savoy restaurant]] of the [[Caesars Palace]], [[Las Vegas]], NV, U.S. at [[BARGE|BARGE 2007]]
| alternate_name   =
| country          =
| region           =
| creator          =
| course           =
| type             = Whole, [[mousse]], [[parfait]], or [[Spread (food)|spread]]
| served           =
| main_ingredient  = [[Liver (food)|Liver]] of a [[Domestic duck|duck]] or [[Domestic goose|goose]]
| variations       =
| calories         =
| other            =
}}

[[Image:Mulard (1).jpg|thumb|right|A [[mulard]] duck, the hybrid used most frequently for foie gras production]]
{{lang|fr|'''Foie gras'''}} ({{lit|[[wikt:gras#Noun 6|fat]] liver}}; {{IPA|fr|fwa ɡʁɑ|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Le Commissaire-foie gras.wav}}, {{IPAc-en|lang|audio=En-us-foie gras.ogg|ˌ|f|w|ɑː|ˈ|ɡ|ɹ|ɑː}}) is a [[specialty food]] product made of the [[liver]] of a [[Domestic duck|duck]] or [[Domestic goose|goose]]. According to French law,<ref>French rural code [http://legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCodeArticle.do;jsessionid=943EF0198AA70E691D551179EB5E5A83.tpdjo05v_3?idArticle=LEGIARTI000006584967&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006071367&dateTexte=20091223 Code rural – Article L654-27-1] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717111531/https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCodeArticle.do;jsessionid=943EF0198AA70E691D551179EB5E5A83.tpdjo05v_3?idArticle=LEGIARTI000006584967&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006071367&dateTexte=20091223 |date=17 July 2020 }}: "{{lang|fr|italic=yes|On entend par foie gras, le foie d'un canard ou d'une oie spécialement engraissé par gavage.}}" ("''Foie gras'' is understood to mean the liver of a duck or a goose that has been especially fattened by ''gavage''").</ref> {{lang|fr|foie gras}} is defined as the liver of a duck or goose fattened by {{lang|fr|gavage}} ([[force feeding]]).

{{lang|fr|Foie gras}} is a [[delicacy]] in [[French cuisine]]. Its flavour is rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike an ordinary duck or goose liver. It is sold whole or is prepared as [[mousse]], [[parfait]], or [[pâté]], and may also be served as an accompaniment to another food item, such as steak. French law states, "{{lang|fr|Foie gras}} belongs to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France."<ref>French rural code [https://archive.today/20120903131017/http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnArticleDeCode?commun=&code=CRURALNL.rcv&art=L654-27-1 L654-27-1]</ref>

The technique of {{lang|fr|gavage}} dates as far back as 2500 BC, when the [[ancient Egyptians]] began confining [[Anatidae|anatid birds]] to be forcedly fed to be fattened as a food source.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/domesticated_animals.htm |title=Ancient Egypt: Farmed and domesticated animals |access-date=2009-04-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171216063505/http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/timelines/topics/domesticated_animals.htm |archive-date=16 December 2017}}</ref> Today, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of ''foie gras'', though there are producers and markets worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China.<ref name="npr.org">{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11118706 |title=A Global Taste Test of Foie Gras and Truffles |website=NPR.org}}</ref>

[[Foie gras controversy|''Gavage''-based ''foie gras'' production is controversial]], due mainly to animal welfare concerns about force-feeding, intensive housing and husbandry, and enlarging the liver to 10 times its usual volume. Several countries and jurisdictions have laws against force-feeding and the production, import, or sale of {{lang|fr|foie gras}}.

==History==
[[Image:Egyptiangeesefeeding.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|A [[bas relief]] depiction of overfeeding geese]]

===Ancient times===
As early as 2500 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 birds as a delicacy remains undetermined.<ref name="McGee_1">{{Harv|McGee|2004|p=167}}: "''Foie gras is the "fat liver" of force-fed geese and ducks. It has been made and appreciated since Roman times and probably long before; the force-feeding of geese is clearly represented in Egyptian art from 2500 BC.''"</ref><ref name="Toussaint-Samat_1">{{Harv|Toussaint-Samat|1994|p=425}}.</ref> 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 to push food down their throats. Tables are positioned to one side, piled with food pellets and a flask for moistening them before feeding the geese.<ref name="Toussaint-Samat_1" /><ref name="Ginor_1">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=2}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200104/living.with.the.animals.htm|title=Saudi Aramco World: Living With the Animals|access-date=29 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061229125957/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200104/living.with.the.animals.htm|archive-date=29 December 2006}}</ref>

The practice of goose fattening spread from Egypt to the Mediterranean.<ref name="Alford_1">{{Harv|Alford|2001|p=36}}.</ref> The earliest reference to fattened geese is from the 5th-century BC Greek poet [[Cratinus]], who wrote of geese-fatteners, yet Egypt maintained its reputation as the source for fattened geese. When the [[Sparta]]n king [[Agesilaus]] visited Egypt in 361 BC, he noted that Egyptian farmers fattened geese and calves.<ref name="Toussaint-Samat_1" /><ref name="Ginor_2">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=3}}.</ref>

It was not until the Roman period, however, that foie gras is mentioned as a distinct food, which the Romans named ''iecur ficatum'';<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sagar|first1=Khan|title=About the history of foie gras|url=https://www.foiegrasgourmet.com/en/the-foie-gras-history|access-date=27 February 2017|work=foiegrasgourmet.com|publisher=Foie Gras Gourmet|date=12 February 2015|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Ginor_3">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=4}}.</ref><ref name="Giacosa_1">{{Harv|Giacosa|1994|p=13}}.</ref> ''iecur'' means [[liver]],<ref name="Langslow_1">{{Harv|Langslow|2000|p=153}} "''A second instance of the restriction of the sense of a Latin anatomical term to animals is ''iecur'' 'the liver' in Theodorus and Cassius. In both, the human liver is always ''hepar'', while ''iecur'' is used of an animal (...)''"</ref> and ''ficatum'' derives from ''[[ficus]]'', meaning fig in [[Latin]].<ref>"Ficus, i" (...) Derivés: (...) ''ficatum'' n. (sc. iecur): d'abord terme de cuisine "foie garni de figues", cf. Hor., S. 2, 8, 88, ''ficis pastum iecur anseris albae'', calque du gr. συκωτόν de même sens, puis, dans le langage populaire, simplement "foie" (...) et passé avec ce sens dans les langues romanes, où ficatum a remplacé ''iecur''. A. Ernout, A. Meillet, ''Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine'', Éd. Klincksieck, Paris 1979.</ref> The emperor [[Elagabalus]] fed his dogs foie gras during the four years of his reign.<ref name="Toussaint-Samat_5">{{Harv|Toussaint-Samat|1994|p=426}}.</ref> [[Pliny the Elder]] (1st century AD) credits his contemporary Roman gastronome [[Marcus Gavius Apicius]] with feeding dried figs to geese to enlarge their livers:

{{Quote|"Apicius made the discovery that we may employ the same artificial method of increasing the size of the liver of the sow, as of that of the goose; it consists in cramming them with dried figs, and when they are fat enough, they are drenched with wine mixed with honey and immediately killed."|Pliny the Elder, ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'', Book VIII. Chapter 77<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin//ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+8.77 Pliny the Elder, ''The Natural History''](eds. [[John Bostock (physician)|John Bostock]], [[Henry Thomas Riley]]). For the original Latin text, see here [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/L/Roman/Texts/Pliny_the_Elder/8*.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220105233033/https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/L/Roman/Texts/Pliny_the_Elder/8%2A.html|date=5 January 2022}}. The Latin text (ed. Karl Friedrich Theodor Mayhoff) of Perseus Digital Library places the corresponding text in a wrong chapter. URL accessed 30 December 2006.</ref>}}

Hence the term ''iecur ficatum'', fig-stuffed liver; feeding figs to enlarge a goose's liver may derive from Hellenistic Alexandria, since much of [[Roman luxury cuisine]] was of Greek inspiration.<ref name="Faas_1">{{Harv|Faas|2002|p=19}}</ref> ''Ficatum'' was closely associated with animal liver and it became the [[Root (linguistics)|root word]] for "liver"<ref>{{cite journal|first=Yakov|last=Malkiel|author-link=Yakov Malkiel|year=1944|title=The Etymology of Portuguese Iguaria|journal=Language|volume=20|issue=3|pages=108–30|jstor=410151|doi=10.2307/410151}}</ref> in each of these languages: ''foie'' in French,<ref name="Walter_1">{{Harv|Walter|2006|p=40}}: "''(...) for example, why it is not the word JECUR (a Latin word taken from the Greek) which has come down to us with the meaning of 'liver', but the Romance word ''ficato'', which has become the French ''foie''. The word ''ficato'' is formed on the Latin word FICUS 'fig', and would appear to have nothing to do with the 'liver' other than the Greeks, followed by the Romans, fattened their geese with figs to obtain particularly fleshy and tasty livers. The FICATUM JECUR or 'fig-fattened goose liver', which was very much sought after, must have become such a common expression that it was shortened to FICATUM (just as the modern French say ''frites'' as an abbreviation of ''pommes de terre frites''). To begin with, the word FICATUM probably designated only edible animal livers, with its meaning then being extended to include the human organ.''"</ref> ''hígado'' in Spanish, ''fígado'' in Portuguese, ''fegato'' in Italian, ''fetge'' in Catalan and Occitan, and ''ficat'' in Romanian, all meaning "liver"; this etymology has been explained in different manners.<ref name="Littré_1">{{Harv|Littré|1863|p=137}}: "''Feûte n'est pas mieux fait que ''foie''; seulement, il conserve le ''t'' du Latin; car on sait que ''foie'' vient de ''ficatum'' (foie d'une oie nourrie de figues, et, de là, foie en général). ''Foie'' en français, ''feûte'' en wallon, ''fetge'' en provençal, ''fégato'' en italien, ''hígado'' en espagnol, ''fígado'' en portugais, témoignent que la bouche romane déplaça l'accent du mot Latin, et, au lieu de ''ficátum'', qui est la prononciation régulière, dit, par anomalie, ''fícatum'' avec l'accent sur l'antépénultième.''"</ref><ref>[http://www.etimo.it/?term=fegato&find=Cerca Dizionario etimologico online: fégato] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929094552/http://www.etimo.it/?term=fegato&find=Cerca|date=29 September 2007}}.</ref>

===Postclassical Europe===
After the fall of the Roman empire, goose liver temporarily vanished from European cuisine. Some 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 pigs and sheep.<ref name="Ginor_5">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=8}}.</ref> Others claim that the tradition was preserved by the Jews, who learned the method of enlarging a goose's liver during the Roman colonisation of [[Judea]]<ref name="Ginor_6">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=9}}.</ref> or earlier from Egyptians.<ref name="Davidson_1">{{Harv|Davidson|1999|p=311}}: "''The enlarged liver has been counted a delicacy since classical times when the force-feeding of the birds was practised in classical Rome. It is commonly said that the practice dates back even further, to ancient Egypt, and that knowledge of it was possibly acquired by the Jews during their period of 'bondage' there and transmitted by them to the classical civilizations.''"</ref> The Jews carried this culinary knowledge as they migrated farther north and west to Europe.<ref name="Ginor_6"/>

As Jews became established in Western and Central Europe, they soon encountered difficulties in finding a suitable cooking fat for use in dishes containing meat or to be served with meat. [[Lard]] was widely available, but Judaic dietary law, [[Kashrut]], completely forbids it because it comes from an animal considered unclean. [[Butter]], also commonly available, was not in itself proscribed, but it could not be used with or in meals containing meat because kashrut also prohibited mixing meat and dairy products.<ref name="Alford_1" /> Jewish cuisine used [[olive oil]] in the Mediterranean and [[sesame oil]] in [[Babylonia]], but neither cooking medium was readily available in Western and Central Europe. Jews in these regions therefore turned to poultry fat (known in Yiddish as ''[[schmaltz]]''), which could be abundantly produced by overfeeding geese, where fat was needed with meat.<ref name="Ginor_6" /><ref name="Alford_2">{{Harv|Alford|2001|p=37}}.</ref><ref name="momentmag.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.momentmag.com/foie-gras-indelicate-delicacy/|title=Foie Gras: The Indelicate Delicacy|author=Eileen Lavine|work=Moment Magazine|date=2013-11-18}}</ref> 

The delicate taste of the fattened goose's liver was soon appreciated; [[Hans Wilhelm Kirchhof]] of [[Kassel]] wrote in 1562 that the Jews raise fat geese and particularly love their livers. Some [[rabbi]]s were concerned that eating forcibly overfed geese violated Jewish food restrictions. Some rabbis contended that it is not a forbidden food ([[treyf]]) as none of its limbs are damaged and the geese do not feel any pain in their throats from the process.<ref name="momentmag.com" /> This matter remained a debated topic in Jewish dietary law until the Jewish taste for goose liver declined in the 19th century.<ref name="Ginor_6" /> Another kashrut matter, still a problem today, is that even properly slaughtered and inspected meat must be drained of blood before being considered fit to eat. Usually, salting achieves that; however, as the liver is regarded as "(almost) wholly blood", broiling is the only way of kashering. Properly broiling foie gras while preserving its delicate taste is difficult, and therefore rarely practised. Even so, there are restaurants in Israel that offer grilled goose foie gras. Foie gras also resembles the Jewish food staple, [[Chopped liver|chopped liver]].<ref name="momentmag.com"/>

[[Image:Scappi.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Bartolomeo Scappi]]
Appreciation of fattened goose liver spread to gastronomes outside the Jewish community, who could buy in the local Jewish [[ghetto]] of their cities. In 1570, [[Bartolomeo Scappi]], chef de cuisine to [[Pope Pius V]], published his cookbook ''Opera'', wherein he writes that "the liver of [a] domestic goose raised by the Jews is of extreme size and weighs [between] two and three pounds".<ref name="Ginor_7">{{Harv|Ginor|1999|p=11}}.</ref> In 1581, [[Marx Rumpolt]] of [[Mainz]], chef to several German nobles, published the massive cookbook ''Ein Neu Kochbuch'', describing that the Jews of [[Bohemia]] produced livers weighing more than three pounds; he lists recipes for it, including one for goose liver [[mousse]].<ref name="Ginor_7"/><ref name="Toussaint-Samat_6">{{Harv|Toussaint-Samat|1994|p=427}}.</ref> János Keszei, chef to the court of [[Michael I Apafi|Michael Apafi]], the prince of [[Transylvania]], included foie gras recipes in his 1680 cookbook ''A New Book About Cooking'', instructing cooks to "envelop the goose liver in a calf's thin skin, bake it and prepare [a] green or [a] brown sauce to accompany it. I used goose liver fattened by Bohemian Jews; its weight was more than three pounds. You may also prepare a mush of it."

===Cultural significance in France===
Foie gras became a significant part of French culinary tradition during the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly under the reigns of [[Louis XV]] and [[Louis XVI]]. It was served at royal courts as a symbol of luxury and refinement. In 1779, French chef Jean-Joseph Clause elevated foie gras to new heights by creating pâté de foie gras. His innovation earned him a patent in 1784, and he later established a business supplying this delicacy to the French aristocracy. By the early 19th century, Strasbourg had become renowned as the "goose-liver capital of the world".<ref name="gourmetfoodworld.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.gourmetfoodworld.com/history-of-foie-gras-15240/|title=History of foie gras|author=Gourmet Food World}}</ref><ref name="thespruceeats.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/history-of-pate-de-foie-gras-1807640/|title=Pâté de Foie Gras History and French law|author= Peggy Trowbridge Filippone|date=2020-07-05}}</ref> 

After the [[French Revolution]], foie gras transitioned from being an exclusive royal delicacy to one enjoyed by the middle class.{{cn|date=October 2025}} Its production and consumption became particularly associated with Southwest France, including regions like Dordogne and Alsace, where traditional methods of preparation flourished. Today, these regions remain central to foie gras production in France, with over 90% of producers located in the Dordogne Valley.

Foie gras is so deeply embedded in French culture that it is protected under French law, which declares it part of the country's "protected cultural and gastronomical heritage." This legal recognition underscores its importance as a symbol of French culinary excellence.

The legacy of foie gras in France reflects its evolution from a courtly luxury to an enduring emblem of French gastronomy, celebrated at festivals such as the Fest’Oie in Sarlat and enjoyed during holidays and special occasions.

==Production and sales==
{| class="wikitable center"
|-
! Country
! Production (tons, 2005)
! % of total (2005)
! Production (tons, 2014)
! % of total (2014)<ref name="Viva" />
! Production (tons, 2020)
! % of total (2020)
|-
| France
| 18,450<ref name=xinhua>{{cite news|title=China to boost foie gras production|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/11/content_4409586.htm|date=11 April 2006|access-date=12 March 2007|publisher=Xinhua online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070602122944/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/11/content_4409586.htm|archive-date=2 June 2007}}</ref>
| 78.5%
| 19,608<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/766863/production-liver-fat-volume-world/|title=Foie gras: world production by country 2014 {{!}} Statistic|website=Statista|language=en|access-date=2019-05-02}}</ref>
| 74.3%
| 14,266<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=ITAVI: Note de conjoncture Palmipèdes gras - Mars 2021|url=https://www.itavi.asso.fr/publications/note-de-conjoncture-palmipedes-gras-mars-2021|access-date=2023-07-03|website=www.itavi.asso.fr}}</ref>
| 63.7%
|-
| Bulgaria
| 1,500<ref name="xinhua" />
| 6.4%
| 2,600<ref name=":0" />
| 9.8%
| 2,752<ref name=":1" />
| 12.3%
|-
| Hungary
| 1,920<ref name=xinhua/>
| 8.2%
| 2,590<ref name=":0" />
| 9.8%
| 2,147<ref name=":1" />
| 9.6%
|-
| United States
| 340 (2003)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.starchefs.com/features/food_debates/foie_gras/index.shtml|title=Foie Gras Food Debate on StarChefs}}</ref>
| 1.4%
| 250<ref name=":0" />
| 0.9%
|?
|
|-
| Canada
| 200 (2005)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/A8B635A2-01C6-40B1-8CE3-B628A2C17F2F/5950/Bioclips13n18.pdf|title=Bio Clips: L'actualité bioalimentaire|publisher=[[Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Quebec)]] ({{lang|fr|italics=no|direction des études économiques et d'appui aux filières)}}|access-date=2008-02-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228004632/http://www.mapaq.gouv.qc.ca/NR/rdonlyres/A8B635A2-01C6-40B1-8CE3-B628A2C17F2F/5950/Bioclips13n18.pdf|archive-date=28 February 2008}}</ref>
| 0.9%
| 200<ref name=":0" />
| 0.8%
|?
|
|-
| China
| 150<ref name=xinhua/>
| 0.6%
| 500<ref name=":0" />
| 1.9%
|?
|
|-
| Others
| 940
| 4.0%
| 648<ref name=":0" />
| 2.5%
|?
|
|-
! Total
! 23,500<ref name=xinhua/>
! 100%
! 26,396<ref name=":0" />
! 100%
! 22,409<ref name=":1" />
! 100%
|}

In the 21st century, France is the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, though it is produced and consumed in several other countries worldwide, particularly in some other European nations, the United States, and China.<ref name="npr.org"/> Approximately 30,000 people work in the French foie gras industry, with 90% of them residing in the Périgord ([[Dordogne]]), [[Aquitaine]] in the southwest, and [[Alsace]] in the east.<ref>{{cite book|last=Edworthy|first=Niall|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E1KjDQAAQBAJ&q=30%2C000+people+work+in+the+French+foie+gras+industry&pg=PT123|title=The Curious Bird Lover's Handbook|date=2017-03-23|publisher=Transworld|isbn=978-1-4735-4399-7|language=en}}</ref> The European Union recognizes the foie gras produced according to traditional farming methods (''label rouge'') in southwestern France with a [[protected geographical indication]].{{Cn|date=August 2021}}

Hungary is the world's second-largest foie gras (''libamáj'') producer and the largest exporter (although Bulgaria sometimes had a higher production in recent years, see table above). France is the principal market for Hungarian foie gras – mainly exported raw. Approximately 30,000 Hungarian goose farmers are dependent on the foie gras industry.<ref name="Hungary">{{cite web|url=http://www.cee-foodindustry.com/news/ng.asp?id=49055-hungary-facing-foie|title=Food Ingredients & Food Science – Additives, Flavours, Starch|work=FoodNavigator.com}}</ref> French food companies spice, process, and cook the foie gras so it may be sold as a French product in its domestic and export markets.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3346185.stm|work=BBC News|title=Hungary foie gras farms under threat|date=12 January 2004|access-date=2 May 2010|first=Nick|last=Thorpe}}</ref>

===2005===
In 2005, France produced 18,450 tonnes of foie gras (78.5% of the world's estimated total production of 23,500 tonnes), of which 96% was duck liver and 4% goose liver. Total French consumption of foie gras this year was 19,000 tonnes.<ref name=xinhua/> In 2005, Hungary, the world's second-largest foie gras producer, exported 1,920 tonnes,<ref name="Hungary" /> and Bulgaria produced 1,500 tons of foie gras.<ref name=xinhua/>

The demand for foie gras in the Far East is such that China has become a sizeable producer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Foie Gras|url=http://www.esdaw.eu/foie-gras.html|website=European Society of Dog and Animal Welfare|access-date=17 October 2018}}</ref> Madagascar is a small but rapidly growing producer of high-quality foie gras.<ref>Rakotomalala, M. [http://www.lexpressmada.com/elevage-madagascar/43302-la-filiere-foie-gras-se-porte-bien.html Élevage – La filière foie gras se porte bien] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928041904/http://www.lexpressmada.com/elevage-madagascar/43302-la-filiere-foie-gras-se-porte-bien.html|date=28 September 2013}}. Express de Madagascar. No. 5632. 15 May 2013.</ref>

===2011===
In 2011, in Bulgaria (which started production in 1960), five million mule ducks were raised for foie gras on 800 farms, making Bulgaria the second-largest European producer.<ref name="Marinova">{{cite journal|author1=Marinova-Petkova, A.|author2=Georgiev, G.|author3=Petkov, T.|author4=Darnell, D.|author5=Franks, J.|author6=Kayali, G.|author7=McKenzie, P.|year=2016|title=Influenza surveillance on 'foie gras' duck farms in Bulgaria, 2008–2012|journal=[[Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses]]|volume=10|issue=2|pages=98–108|doi=10.1111/irv.12368|pmid=26663739|pmc=4746559}}</ref>

===2012===
In 2012, France produced approximately 19,000 tonnes of foie gras, representing 75% of the world's production in that year. This required the force-feeding of around 38 million ducks and geese.<ref name="Guardian2012">{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|title=Foie gras: French farmers defend 'tradition' after ban in California|author=Willsher, K.|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/05/french-foie-gras-farmers-fight-ban|date=5 August 2012|access-date=28 May 2015}}</ref> World production in 2015 is estimated as 27,000 tonnes.<ref name="Viva"/>

===2014–2015===
In 2014, the whole of the EU produced approximately 25,000 tonnes of foie gras – 23,000 tonnes of duck foie gras and 2,000 tonnes of goose foie gras.<ref name="EU2014">{{cite web|title=The foie gras sector in a few figures|publisher=Euro Foie Gras|url=http://www.eurofoiegras.com/en/page/figures_p135/|access-date=28 May 2015|archive-date=14 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514082149/http://www.eurofoiegras.com/en/page/figures_p135/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The same year, France was producing 72% of world foie gras production, of which 97% was from ducks.<ref name="Francois">{{cite journal|pmid=24976256|doi=10.1021/jf5006963|journal=[[Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry]]|date=2014|volume=62|issue=29|pages=7140–7150|title=Mule duck 'foie gras' show different metabolic states according to their quality phenotypes by using a proteomic approach. Comparison of 2 statistical methods|last1=François|first1=Y.|last2=Marie-Etancelin|first2=C.|last3=Vignal|first3=A.|last4=Viala|first4=D.|last5=Davail|first5=S.|last6=Molette|first6=C.}}<!--|access-date=May 26, 2015--></ref>

In 2014, France produced 19,608 tons of foie gras (74.3% of the world's estimated total production).<ref name=":0" />

[[File:Foie Gras with Hawthorn.jpeg|thumb|Foie gras served with hawthorn puree at the ''[[Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant]]'', at [[Dongcheng, Beijing|Zi Wei Park, Nanxincang, Dongcheng, Beijing]] in 2016]]

In 2015, it was reported that in France, sales of foie gras may be waning, and an OpinionWay poll found that 47% of the French population supported a ban on force-feeding.<ref name="Telegraph 2015">{{cite news|newspaper=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11363488/First-foie-gras-trial-under-way-in-France.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11363488/First-foie-gras-trial-under-way-in-France.html|archive-date=11 January 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|title=First foie gras trial under way in France|author=Samuel, H.|year=2015|access-date=28 May 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Huffington2015">{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mimi-bekhechi/foie-gras-cruelty-charges-long-overdue_b_6955232.html|work=The Huffington Post|year=2015|title=Cruelty charges long overdue for foie gras farmers|author=Bekhechi, M.|access-date=28 May 2015}}</ref>

===2015–2016===
{{Update section|date=July 2019}}

In 2016, it was reported that France produces an estimated 75% of the world's foie gras and southwestern France produces approximately 70% of that total. In 2016, it could retail for upwards of $65 a pound.<ref name="Houck">{{cite news|title=France places temporary ban on foie gras production|author=Houck, B.|date=12 May 2016|access-date=23 July 2016|publisher=Eater|url=http://www.eater.com/2016/5/12/11662702/france-ban-foie-gras-production-bird-flu}}</ref>

In late 2015, there were several outbreaks of the highly contagious [[Influenza A virus subtype H5N1|H5N1 bird flu]] in France, which escalated in 2016. This led to Algeria, China, Egypt, Japan, Morocco, South Korea, Thailand and Tunisia banning French poultry exports, including foie gras, and France to initiate increased bio-security protocols which cost an estimated 220 million euros. One of these measures was the halting of production in southwestern France from early April 2016 for an anticipated period of three months to reduce the spread of the virus. Exports of foie gras from France are expected to decrease from 4,560 tonnes in 2015 to 3,160 in 2016.<ref name="Houck" /><ref name="Samuel">{{cite news|author=Samuel, H.|date=29 June 2016|access-date=23 July 2016|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/29/french-foie-gras-faces-soaring-prices-at-christmas-in-wake-of-bi/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/29/french-foie-gras-faces-soaring-prices-at-christmas-in-wake-of-bi/|archive-date=11 January 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|title=French foie gras faces soaring prices at Christmas in the wake of bird flu scare|newspaper=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Rousseau">{{cite news|title=Fear in France as bird flu spreads|author=Rousseau, O.|url=http://www.globalmeatnews.com/Safety-Legislation/Fear-in-France-as-bird-flu-spreads|access-date=23 July 2016|date= 10 December 2015|publisher=GlobalMeat news.com}}</ref>

The largest producer in the United States is Hudson Valley Foie Gras in New York, which processes approximately 350,000 ducks annually.<ref name="DeSoucey2016" />

==Forms==
{{More citations needed|section|date=August 2021}} 
[[File:Foie gras DSC00180.jpg|thumb|An entire foie gras (ready for cooking in a [[Terrine (cookware)|terrine]])]]
[[Image:Moulard Duck Foie Gras with Pickled Pear.jpg|thumb|A Moulard duck foie gras torchon with pickled pear]]
In France, foie gras exists in different, legally defined presentations, ordered by expense:<ref>[http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/texteconsolide/ADHQG.htm Decree 93-999 August 9, 1993] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011233307/http://legifrance.gouv.fr/texteconsolide/ADHQG.htm|date=11 October 2007}} defining legal categories and terms for foie gras in France</ref>

* {{lang|fr|foie gras entier}} ("whole foie gras"), made of one or two whole liver lobes; either {{lang|fr|cuit}} ("cooked"), {{lang|fr|mi-cuit}} ("semi-cooked"), or {{lang|fr|frais}} ("fresh");
* {{lang|fr|foie gras}}, made of pieces of livers reassembled together;
* {{lang|fr|bloc de foie gras}}, a fully cooked, moulded block composed of 98% or more foie gras; if termed {{lang|fr|avec morceaux}} ("with pieces"), it must contain at least 50% foie gras pieces for goose, and 30% for duck.

Additionally, there is {{lang|fr|pâté de foie gras}}, {{lang|fr|mousse de foie gras}} (either must contain 50% or more foie gras), {{lang|fr|parfait de foie gras}} (must contain 75% or more foie gras), and other preparations (no legal obligation established).

Fully cooked preparations are generally sold in either glass containers or metal cans for long-term preservation. Whole, fresh foie gras is usually unavailable in France outside Christmas, except in some producers' markets in the producing regions. Frozen whole foie gras sometimes is sold in French supermarkets.

Whole foie gras is readily available from gourmet retailers in Canada, the United States, Hungary, Argentina and regions with a sizeable market for the product. In the US, raw foie gras is classified as Grade A, B or C. Grade A is typically the highest in fat and especially suited for low-temperature preparation because the veins are relatively few and the resulting terrine will be more aesthetically appealing because it displays little blood. Grade B is accepted for higher temperature preparation because the higher proportion of protein gives the liver more structure after being seared. Grade C livers are generally reserved for making sauces as well as other preparations where a higher proportion of blood-filled veins will not impair the appearance of the dish.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}

==Production methods==

===Species, breeds, and sex used===

====Geese====
Traditionally, foie gras was produced from special breeds of geese. However, by 2004, geese accounted for less than 10% of the total global foie gras production<ref name="Guémené">{{cite journal|title=The past, present and future of force-feeding and 'foie gras' production|author1=Guémené D. |author2=Guy, G.|journal=World's Poultry Science Journal|volume=60|issue=2|year=2004|pages=210–222|url=http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=601276&fileId=S0043933904000194|doi=10.1079/wps200414|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and by 2014 only 5% of total French production.<ref name="CIFOG">{{cite web|title=Foie gras production|url=http://foiegras-factsandtruth.com/breeding/palmipeds|year=2014|publisher=CIFOG|access-date=27 May 2015}}</ref> Goose breeds used in modern foie gras production are primarily the grey Landes goose (''Anser anser'')<ref name="CIFOG" /> and the [[Toulouse goose]].<ref name="Ravo">{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9802E0DB1639F937A1575AC0A96E958260|work=The New York Times|title=A Cornucopia of Native Foie Gras; Partners' Efforts Produce Menu Delicacy in Abundance|first=Nick|last=Ravo|date=24 September 1998|access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref><ref>[http://www.patrimoine-biologique.midipyrenees.fr/fiche.asp?FK_cat_animal=1&page=2 Toulouse Goose] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111194101/http://www.patrimoine-biologique.midipyrenees.fr/fiche.asp?FK_cat_animal=1&page=2|date=11 November 2007}} Pyrenees Biological Academy (in French)</ref>{{Better source needed|date=February 2015}}

In 2016, Hungary was producing 80% of the world's goose foie gras; however, production rates are likely to drop in 2017 due to outbreaks of bird flu.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hungary's foie gras industry down with flu as millions of birds die|agency=Reuters|author=Than, K.|date=25 January 2017|access-date=26 January 2017|url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/hungarys-foie-gras-industry-down-flu-millions-birds-141848197.html}}</ref>

====Ducks====
In 2014, ducks accounted for 95% of foie gras production.<ref name="CIFOG" /> The breeds primarily used are the [[Muscovy duck]] (''Cairina moschata'')<ref name="CIFOG" /> (also called the Barbary duck) and the hybrid cross of a male Muscovy duck and a female [[American Pekin|Pekin duck]] (''Anas platyrhynchos domestica'') called the [[Mulard]] duck.<ref name="CIFOG" /> This hybrid is sterile and is, therefore, sometimes referred to as a "mule" duck. Mulards are estimated to account for about 35% of all foie gras consumed in the US.<ref name="Skippon" /> About 95% of duck foie gras production from France comes from force-fed Mulards and the remaining 5% from the Muscovy duck.<ref name="Marie" />

After hatching, the Mulard ducklings are sexed. Males put on more weight than females, so the females are [[Chick culling|slaughtered]]. A new method has been recently developed, allowing to identify the sex of the duck in the egg, based on its eye colour.<ref>{{cite web|title=Les services Grimaud Frères|url=https://grimaudfreres.com/nos-services/|access-date=2023-07-03|website=Grimaud Freres|language=fr-FR}}</ref> This new method should replace the slaughter of females after hatching within a few years.<ref>{{cite web|date=2021-10-08|title=Foie gras: va-t-on interdire le broyage des canetons femelles?|url=https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1081454/article/2021-10-08/foie-gras-va-t-interdire-le-broyage-des-canetons-femelles|access-date=2023-07-03|website=La Voix du Nord|language=fr}}</ref>

===Physiological basis===
[[File:Collective cage used in the foie gras industry.jpg|thumb|220x220px|Collectives cages are the main housing system since the ban of individual cages ("épinettes") in Europe.]]

The basis of foie gras production is the ability that some [[waterfowl]] have to expand their esophagus and to gain weight, particularly in the liver,{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} in preparation for migration.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://food.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2020-12/sci-com_scah_out17_en.pdf |title=EU Report }}&nbsp;{{small|(277&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, section 4</ref> Wild geese may consume 300&nbsp;grams of protein and another 800&nbsp;grams of grasses per day. Farmed geese allowed to graze on carrots adapt to eating 100&nbsp;grams of protein but may consume up to 2500&nbsp;grams of carrots per day. The increasing amount of feed given before force-feeding and during the force-feeding itself cause the expansion of the lower part of the esophagus.<ref name="Skippon" /> However, the primary birds used for foie gras, the Mulard and Muscovy duck, cannot fly well and therefore do not migrate.

====Pre-feeding phase====
The pre-force feeding phase consists of three stages.<ref name="CIFOG" />
# The first stage ("start-up") lasts from 1 to 28 days of age (0–4 weeks). During this stage, the young birds are housed in large, indoor groups (e.g. 2,100<ref name="Marie" />), usually on straw.
# The second stage ("growth") lasts from 28 to 63 days of age (4–9 weeks). The birds are moved outside to feed on grasses ''ad libitum''. The birds are given additional feed, but access to this is limited by time. This stage aims to take advantage of the natural dilation capacity of the esophagus of some wildfowl.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://food.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2020-12/sci-com_scah_out17_en.pdf|title=EU Report}}&nbsp;{{small|(277&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}} EU Scientific Report, p19</ref>
# The third stage ("pre-fattening") lasts from 63 to 81 days of age<ref name=":2">{{cite web |last=Xicluna |first=Pascal |date=2019-06-05 |title=Le bien-être et la protection des canards gras |url=https://agriculture.gouv.fr/le-bien-etre-et-la-protection-des-canards-gras |website=agriculture.gouv.fr}}</ref> (9–12 weeks). The birds are brought inside for gradually longer periods while introduced to a high-starch diet. This is a feeding transition where the food is distributed by meals, first in restricted amounts and time and, after that, greatly increased.

====Feeding phase====
The next production phase, which the French call {{lang|fr|gavage}} or {{lang|fr|finition d'engraissement}}, or "completion of fattening", involves forced daily ingestion of controlled amounts of feed for 10 to 12 days<ref name=":2" /> for ducks (10.5 on average<ref name=":3">{{cite web|title=ITAVI : Peut-on obtenir du foie gras avec un seul repas par jour?|url=https://www.itavi.asso.fr/publications/peut-on-obtenir-du-foie-gras-avec-un-seul-repas-par-jour|access-date=2023-07-04|website=www.itavi.asso.fr}}</ref>) and 15 to 18 days with geese. During this phase, ducks are usually fed twice daily, while geese are usually fed three times daily.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gavage d'Oies & Canards: une Méthode d'Engraissement Maîtrisée|url=https://elevage-gavage.fr/le-gavage/la-phase-de-gavage|access-date=2023-07-04|website=elevage-gavage.fr}}</ref> To facilitate the handling of ducks during gavage, these birds are housed throughout this phase in one of the following systems:<ref name=":4">{{cite journal|last1=EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (AHAW Panel)|last2=Nielsen|first2=Søren Saxmose|last3=Alvarez|first3=Julio|last4=Bicout|first4=Dominique Joseph|last5=Calistri|first5=Paolo|last6=Canali|first6=Elisabetta|last7=Drewe|first7=Julian Ashley|last8=Garin-Bastuji|first8=Bruno|last9=Gonzales Rojas|first9=Jose Luis|last10=Schmidt|first10=Christian Gortázar|last11=Herskin|first11=Mette|last12=Michel|first12=Virginie|last13=Miranda Chueca|first13=Miguel Ángel|last14=Padalino|first14=Barbara|last15=Roberts|first15=Helen Clare|date=May 2023|title=Welfare of ducks, geese and quail on farm|journal=EFSA Journal|volume=21|issue=5|pages=e07992|doi=10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7992|pmc=10186070|pmid=37200855}}</ref>

* Elevated collective cages indoor
* Elevated collective pens indoor
* Ground pens indoor

Individual cages ("épinettes" in French) have been banned in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|title=Recommandation concernant les canards domestiques (Anas platyrhynchos)|url=https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectID=090000168052fac6|access-date=2023-07-04|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>

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.<ref>"[https://ec.europa.eu/food/sites/food/files/safety/docs/sci-com_scah_out17_en.pdf Welfare Aspects of the Production of Foie Gras in Ducks and Geese] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505081548/https://ec.europa.eu/food/sites/food/files/safety/docs/sci-com_scah_out17_en.pdf|date=5 May 2021}}", p. 29</ref>

[[File:Foie gras - gavage in Rocamadour, France.jpg|thumb|Modern {{lang|fr|gavage}} feeding process]]
In modern production, the bird is typically fed a controlled amount of feed, depending on the stage of the fattening process, the bird's weight, and the amount of feed the bird last ingested.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tours.inra.fr/sra/internet/images/equipes/comportement/foiefras/Diapositive4.jpg|title=tours.inra.fr|access-date=24 September 2017|archive-date=19 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719015800/http://www.val-de-loire.inra.fr/|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the start of production, a bird might be fed a dry weight of {{convert|250|g|0}} of food per day and up to {{convert|1000|g}} (in dry weight) by the end of the process. The actual amount of food force-fed is much greater because water is added to the dry feed. For pellets, the typical composition is about 53% dry and 47% liquid (by weight). This is the equivalent of around 1,900 grams per day in total mass.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/00071660120088489|title=Force-feeding procedure and physiological indicators of stress in male mule ducks|year=2001|last1=Guémené|first1=D.|last2=Guy|first2=G.|last3=Noirault|first3=J.|last4=Garreau-Mills|first4=M.|last5=Gouraud|first5=P.|last6=Faure|first6=J. M.|journal=British Poultry Science|volume=42|issue=5|pages=650–657|pmid=11811918|s2cid=9966682}}</ref> For whole grain, the cooked weight is about 1.4 times the dry weight.<ref>{{cite web|title=Précis sur le gavage|url=https://www.faf.fr/Documents/Pr%c3%a9cis%20sur%20le%20Gavage.pdf|website=FAF SAS}}</ref>

The feed is administered using a funnel fitted with a long metal or plastic tube (20–30&nbsp;cm long), which forces the feed into the bird's esophagus. If an [[Auger (drill)|auger]] is used, the feeding takes about 45 to 60 seconds, however, modern systems usually use a tube fed by a pneumatic pump with an operation time of 2 to 3 seconds per duck. During feeding, efforts are made to avoid damaging the bird's esophagus, which could cause injury or death, although researchers have found evidence of inflammation of the walls of the proventriculus after the first session of force-feeding.<ref>Serviere, J, Bernadet, MD and Guy, G. 2003. "Is nociception a sensory component associated with force-feeding? Neurophysiological approach in the mule duck". 2nd World Waterfowl Conference. Alexandria, Egypt</ref> There is also an indication of inflammation of the esophagus in the later stages of fattening.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.avma.org/reference/backgrounders/foie_gras_bgnd.asp|title=Foie Gras Production Backgrounder<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=24 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425174224/http://www.avma.org/reference/backgrounders/foie_gras_bgnd.asp|archive-date=25 April 2009}}</ref> Several studies have also demonstrated that mortality rates can be significantly elevated during the gavage period.<ref name="EU Report">{{cite web|url=https://food.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2020-12/sci-com_scah_out17_en.pdf|title=Animal welfare - Food Safety - European Commission}}</ref><ref>Koehl, PF and Chinzi, D. 1996. "Les resultats technico-economiques des ateliers de palmidpedes a foie gras de 1987 a 1994". 2eme journees de la recherche sur les palmipedes a foie gras. 75.</ref><ref>Chinzi, D and Koehl, PF. 1998. "Caracteristiques desateliers d'elevage et de gavage de canards et mulards. Relations avec les performances et techniques et economiques". Proceedings des 3eme journees de la recherche sur les palmipedes a foie gras. 107.</ref>

The feed, usually corn boiled with fat (to facilitate ingestion), deposits large amounts of fat in the liver, thereby producing the buttery consistency sought by some [[Epicure (gourmet)|gastronomes]].

Ducks reared for foie gras are typically slaughtered at 100 days of age, although modern production methods with shortened pre-feeding and force feeding phases allow for an earlier slaughter, around 93 days.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> For geese, slaughter typically takes place at 112 days.<ref name="Viva" /> The bird's liver is 6 to 10 times its ordinary size at this time.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://food.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2020-12/sci-com_scah_out17_en.pdf |title=EU Report }}&nbsp;{{small|(277&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}, p60</ref> Storage of fat in the liver produces [[steatosis]] of the liver cells.

===Alternative production===
[[Foie gras controversy|Ethical concerns]] have driven a recent interest in alternative production methods that produce fattened liver without gavage, and, {{As of|2023|June|lc=y}}, at least 16 producers offered a meat-based foie gras alternative.<ref name="4PList" /> The resulting products do not conform to the French legal standard for "foie gras", but can be labeled "fatty goose liver" inside France. Outside France, they may be marked as "ethical foie gras" or "humane foie gras", although these terms also describe gavage-based foie gras production tempered by concern with the animal's welfare (e.g., feeding through rubber hoses instead of steel pipes). 

These alternative methods are controversial,<ref>{{cite news|last=Glass|first=Juliet|date=25 April 2007|title=Foie Gras Makers Struggle to Please Critics and Chefs|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/dining/25foie.html|url-access=subscription}}</ref> in part because substitutes for gavage do not produce the same results.<ref>{{cite report|author=Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare|title=Welfare Aspects of the Production of Foie Gras in Ducks and Geese|publisher=[[UN Food and Agriculture Organization]]|year=1998|page=57|chapter=Alternative Methods of Production|chapter-url=http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes/animal-welfare/news-detail/en/c/20463/}}</ref> 

The current method, developed in [[Extremadura]], Spain, involves timing the slaughter to coincide with the winter migration, when the livers naturally fatten. Prior to slaughter, the birds are allowed to eat freely, termed {{lang|la|ad libitum}}.<ref>{{cite news|last=Keeley|first=Graham|date=January 2, 2007|title=French are in a flap as Spanish force the issue over foie gras|work=[[The Times]]|publisher=Times Newspapers|location=London|url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/europe/article1265675.ece|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611230731/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/markets/europe/article1265675.ece|archive-date=2011-06-11}}</ref><ref name=Barber>
* {{cite news|last=Barber|first=Dan|author-link=Dan Barber|date=18 January 2015|title=The farmer who makes 'ethical' foie gras|journal=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/18/the-farmer-who-makes-ethical-foie-gras}} Excerpted from ''The Third Plate'', [[Little, Brown & Co.]]  
* {{cite speech|url=https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_a_foie_gras_parable|title=A foie gras parable|last=Barber|first= Dan|date= November 2008|event=[[TED (conference)|TED]]|access-date=2014-01-14|archive-date=22 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222031438/http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_s_surprising_foie_gras_parable.html|url-status=live}}</ref> For this innovation, the producer, [[Patería de Sousa]], won the {{lang|fr|italic=no|Coup de Coeur}} award at the {{lang|fr|italic=no|[[SIAL Paris|Salon International d'Alimentation]]}} 2006.<ref name=Barber /><ref>{{cite news|date=2006-10-16|title= El Salón Internacional de la Alimentación de París, SIAL 2006, reconoce a la empresa extremeña 'La Patería de Sousa'|trans-title=The International Food Exposition in Paris, SIAL 2006, recognizes the Extremadura company "La Patería de Sousa"|url=http://www.regiondigital.com/modulos/mod_periodico/pub/mostrar_noticia.php?id=47071|department= Economia|newspaper=Extremadura Press|language=es|location=[[Badajoz]], Spain|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128130319/http://www.regiondigital.com/modulos/mod_periodico/pub/mostrar_noticia.php?id=47071|archive-date= 2007-11-28|access-date= 2014-01-16|quote=La entidad ha recibido el Premio 'Coups de Coeur', en la categoría de Foie Gras, tras presentar a concurso su especialidad, única en el mundo, Foie Gras de Ganso Ibérico de alimentación ecológica y no forzada.|trans-quote=The company has been awarded the "Coups de Coeur" award in the Foie Gras category after entering into the competition its specialty, unique in the world, of Foie Gras from Iberian geese that eat organic food and are not force-fed.}}</ref> Because gavage fattens goose livers to substantially larger than their natural size, de Sousa's technique is less [[efficient]] at producing a fixed [[mass]] of foie gras, and composes a small fraction of the market.<ref>{{cite news|date=14 January 2015|title=Can foie gras ever be ethical?|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/14/can-foie-gras-ever-be-ethical}}</ref> 

To achieve similar efficiency per mass to gavage, the British supermarket chain [[Waitrose]] sells a product which it calls {{lang|fr|faux gras}} (but see {{Slink||Vegan alternatives}}), made from free-range British goose or duck liver blended with additional fat.<ref>{{cite news|author=Morris|first=Sophie|date=13 January 2012|title=Is it ever OK to eat foie gras?|work=[[The Independent]]|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/it-ever-ok-eat-foie-gras-6289019.html|access-date=28 December 2020}}</ref> Subsequently, researchers at the German {{Ill|Institute of Home Economics (Germany)|lt=Institute of Home Economics (DIL)|de|Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik}} and the company GMT developed [[Pascalization|a process]] to apply additional fat to duck [[liver meat]] at [[high pressure]]. Even trained chefs struggle to distinguish the result from traditional foie gras.<ref>{{cite news|last=van Dinther|first=Mac|date=2018-12-20|title=Nagemaakte foie gras smelt net zo goed op de tong|language=nl-NL|trans-title=Counterfeit foie gras melts in the mouth equally well|website=[[De Volkskrant]]|publisher=DPG Media B. V.|department=Nieuws: Foie Gras|url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/gs-be99c7ef|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|access-date=2019-09-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921182912/https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/nagemaakte-foie-gras-smelt-net-zo-goed-op-de-tong~be99c7ef/|archive-date=September 21, 2019}}</ref> 

More radical approaches are possible. A duck or goose with damaged [[ventromedial nucleus]] in the hypothalamus will feel less satiety after eating and therefore eat more. In [[lesioning]] experiments, this effect more than doubled the bird's {{lang|la|ad libitum}} food consumption.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Felix|first1=Bernadette|last2=Auffray|first2=P.|last3=Marcilloux|first3=J. C.|last4=Royer|first4=L.|year=1980|title=Effect of induced hypothalamic hyperphagia and forced-feeding on organ weight and tissular development in Landes geese|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00897676/document|journal=Reproduction, Nutrition, Development|volume=20|issue=3A|pages=709–17|doi=10.1051/rnd:19800413|pmid=6961479|doi-access=free}}</ref> Alternatively, [[human microbiome]] studies on [[obesity]] led French researchers at [[Aviwell]] develop a probiotic preparation that produces fatty livers in geese over six months without gavage.<ref>{{cite web|last=Campbell|first=Lindsay|date=2019-11-18|title=This French startup wants to be the future of foie gras|url=https://modernfarmer.com/2019/11/this-french-startup-wants-to-be-the-future-of-foie-gras/|access-date=2019-12-04|website=Modern Farmer}}</ref>

===Vegan alternatives===
[[File:GAIA Faux Gras 2.jpg|thumb|Vegan foie gras on a cracker]]
A Spanish company began selling a vegan alternative to ''foie gras'' called Fuah, in 2022. The product is made from [[cashew nut]]s, coconut oil, and [[beetroot]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kassam |first=Ashifa |title='Fuah!' sure: the vegan foie gras selling out across Spain |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jan/02/fuah-vegan-foie-gras-selling-out-europe-us |access-date=2023-01-03 |work=the Guardian |date=2023-01-02 |language=en}}</ref> The American product ''Faux Gras'' is a vegan, nut-based spread.<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.regalvegan.com/site/products/faux-gras/ |title=Faux Gras™ « the Regal Vegan |access-date=2016-08-22 |archive-date=2016-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160725134618/http://www.regalvegan.com/site/products/faux-gras/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> In {{as of|bare=y|June 2023}}, an animal welfare non-governmental organization found at least 14 producers of vegetarian or vegan alternatives to ''foie gras''.<ref name="4PList">{{cite web |date=June 2023 |title=Liste des alternatives au fois gras |trans-title=List of fois gras alternatives |url=https://media.4-paws.org/9/5/2/f/952f3021b7a13b5ea67293b90ead43f13f1a8133/Liste%20alternatives%20foie%20gras%202023.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230828181616/https://media.4-paws.org/9/5/2/f/952f3021b7a13b5ea67293b90ead43f13f1a8133/Liste%20alternatives%20foie%20gras%202023.pdf |archive-date=28 August 2023 |access-date=28 August 2023 |website=[[Four Paws|Quattre Pattes]] en [[Switzerland|Suisse]] |language=fr-ch |publication-place=Zurich |quote=}}</ref>

==Preparations==
[[Image:Foie-gras.jpg|thumb|Foie gras with shallots and figs]]

Generally, French preparations of foie gras are made over low heat, as fat melts faster from the traditional goose foie gras than the duck foie gras produced in most other parts of the world. American and other New World preparations, typically employing duck foie gras, have more recipes and dish preparations for serving foie gras hot rather than cool or cold.

In Hungary, goose foie gras is traditionally fried in goose fat, which is then poured over the foie gras and left to cool; it is also eaten warm, after being fried or roasted, with some chefs smoking the foie gras over a cherry wood fire.

In other parts of the world, foie gras is served in dishes such as foie gras [[sushi]] rolls, in various forms of pasta or alongside [[steak tartare]] or atop a [[steak]] as a garnish.

===Cold preparations===
Traditional low-heat cooking methods result in [[Terrine (food)|terrines]], ''[[pâté]]s'', [[parfait]]s, [[Foam (culinary)|foams]], and [[mousse]]s of foie gras, often flavored with [[truffle]], mushrooms, or [[brandy]] such as [[cognac]] or [[Armagnac (drink)|armagnac]]. These slow-cooked forms of ''foie gras'' are cooled and served at or below room temperature.

In a very traditional form of terrine, ''au torchon'' ("in a towel"), a whole lobe of foie is molded, wrapped in a towel and slow-cooked in a ''[[bain-marie]]''. For added flavor (from the [[Maillard reaction]]), the liver may be seared briefly over a fire of [[grape vine]] clippings (''sarments'') before slow-cooking in a bain-marie; afterwards, it is pressed and served cold, in slices.

Raw foie gras is also cured in salt ("''cru au sel''") and served slightly chilled.<ref name="Au Pied de Cochon">Au Pied de Cochon. Menu. Montreal. 15 June. 2006.</ref>

===Strasbourg pie===
A pastry containing fatty goose liver and other ingredients is known as the "[[Strasbourg|Strasburg]] pie" since Strasbourg was a major producer of foie gras.<ref>''The New Encyclopædia'', ed. Daniel Coit Gilman, Harry Thurston Peck and Frank Moore. (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903): Vol. XIII, 778.</ref>

The Strasburg pie is mentioned in [[William Makepeace Thackeray]]'s novel ''Vanity Fair'' as being popular with the diplomatic corps.<ref>William Makepeace Thackeray, ''Vanity Fair'', Ch. 9.</ref>

[[T. S. Eliot]]'s poem "The Ad-Dressing of Cats", part of ''[[Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats]]'' and also the last song in its musical adaptation ''[[Cats (musical)|Cats]]'', contains the line "And you might now and then supply/Some caviar or Strasbourg pie".<ref>{{cite book|last=Webber|first=Andrew Lloyd|title=Cats: the songs from the musical|date=30 June 1981|publisher=Faber Music|isbn=978-0881882001|page=109}}</ref>

Capt. Aubrey and Dr. Maturin enjoy a "Strasburg pie" in [[Patrick O'Brian]]'s 1988 Napoleonic sea adventure ''[[The Letter of Marque]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=O'Brian|first=Patrick|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=au_T3vsNPIcC&dq=aubrey+maturin+letter+marque+strasbourg+pie&pg=PA189|title=The Letter of Marque (Vol. Book 12) (Aubrey/Maturin Novels)|date=2011-12-05|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|isbn=978-0-393-06365-3|language=en}}</ref>

===Hot preparations===
{{nutritionalvalue|name=Pâté de foie gras, canned|kJ=1933|fat=43.84 g|carbs=4.67 g|fiber=0.0 g|protein=11.40 g|niacin_mg=2.51|thiamin_mg=0.088|riboflavin_mg=0.299|vitA_ug=1001|sodium_mg=697|float=right}}

Given the increased internationalization of cuisines and food supply, ''foie gras'' is increasingly found in hot preparations in the United States, France, and elsewhere. Duck foie gras ("''foie gras de canard''") has a slightly lower fat content and is generally more suitable in texture to cooking at high temperatures than goose foie gras ("''foie gras d'oie''"), but chefs have been able to cook goose ''foie gras'' employing similar techniques developed for duck, albeit with more care.

Raw foie gras can be roasted, sauteed, pan-seared (''poêlé''), or (with care and attention) grilled. As foie gras has high-fat content, contact with heat needs to be brief and, therefore, at a high temperature, lest it burns or melts. Optimal structural integrity for searing requires the foie gras to be cut to a thickness between 15 and 25&nbsp;mm (½ – 1&nbsp;inch), resulting in a rare, uncooked center. Some chefs prefer not to devein the foie gras, as the veins can help preserve the integrity of the fatty liver. It is increasingly common to sear the ''foie gras'' on one side only, leaving the other side uncooked. Practitioners of [[molecular gastronomy]] such as [[Heston Blumenthal]] of [[The Fat Duck]] restaurant first flash-freeze foie gras in [[liquid nitrogen]] as part of the preparation process.<ref name=cryo>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|first=Louise|last=Schwartzkoff|date=2 February 2010|title=Books – The Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal|type=Book review|url=http://www.liquidnitrogen.com.au/liquid-nitrogen-articles/2010/2/2/books/}}</ref>

Hot foie gras requires minimal spices, typically black pepper, paprika (in Hungary) and salt. Chefs have used [[fleur de sel]] as a gourmet seasoning for hot foie gras to add an "important textural accent" with its crunch.<ref name=sel>''Nation's Restaurant News'', 2004.</ref>

===Consumption===
Foie gras is regarded as a gourmet luxury dish.<ref>Serventi 1993, ''cover text''.</ref> In France, it is mainly consumed on special occasions, such as Christmas or New Year's Eve ''[[réveillon]]'' dinners, though the recent increased availability of foie gras has made it a less exceptional dish.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/3308864/The-goose-is-getting-fat.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/3308864/The-goose-is-getting-fat.html|archive-date=11 January 2022|url-access=subscription|url-status=live|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|title=The goose is getting fat Politically incorrect it may be, but foie gras is storming British menus. Anwer Bati reports|date=1 November 2003|access-date=2 May 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In some areas of France, ''foie gras'' is eaten year-round.

Duck foie gras is the slightly cheaper<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> and, since a change of production methods in the 1950s to battery, by far the most common kind, particularly in the US. The taste of duck foie gras is often referred to as musky with a subtle bitterness. Goose foie gras is noted as less gamey and smoother, with a more delicate flavour.<ref>''...&nbsp;goose liver is more delicate and less gamey tasting that its duck equivalent'' '''France: World Food By Stephen Fallon, Michael Rothschild {{ISBN|1-86450-021-2}}, {{ISBN|978-1-86450-021-9}} page 49'''</ref>

==Animal welfare==
{{World laws on foie gras production}}
[[Image:Mulard duck being force fed corn in order to fatten its liver for foie gras production.jpg|thumb|250px|Gavage feeding]]

Gavage-based foie gras production is [[Foie gras controversy|controversial]] due to the animal welfare consequences of the force-feeding procedure, intensive housing and husbandry, an enlarged liver and the potential for being detrimental to human health. Some countries find foie gras to be "morally objectionable".<ref name="DeSoucey">{{cite journal|doi=10.1177/0003122410372226|journal=American Sociological Review|year=2010|volume=75|issue=3|pages=432–455|title=Gastronationalism food traditions and authenticity politics in the European Union|author=DeSoucey, M.|s2cid=29005152}}</ref>{{which|date=January 2016}} One EU committee report noted that up to 1998, there was only a small number of scientific studies on the welfare of birds used for foie gras production; however, the Committee found sufficient evidence to conclude that "force-feeding, as currently practised, is detrimental to the welfare of the birds".<ref name="EU" /> The industry repeatedly faces accusations of torture and cruelty.<ref name="DeSoucey2016">{{cite book|author=DeSoucey, M.|year=2016|title=Contested Tastes: Foie Gras and the Politics of Food|publisher=Princeton University Press}}</ref>

===Suitability of breeds and species===
The production of foie gras occurs on the argument that migrating wildfowl seasonally eat such that their liver naturally enlarges. However, the bird used predominantly in foie gras production is a hybrid of a male Muscovy duck and a female Pekin duck. It has been noted that the Muscovy duck is non-migratory,<ref name="Hoffmann, 1992a">{{cite journal|author=Hoffmann, E.|year=1992|title=A natural history of Cairina moschata, the wild Muscovy duck.|journal=9th International Symposium of Waterfowl|pages=217–219}}</ref> and both the Pekin and the mulard hybrid cannot fly.<ref name="Hoffmann, 1992b">{{cite journal|author=Hoffmann, E.|year=1992|title=Hybrid progeny from Muscovy and domestic ducks|journal=9th International Symposium of Waterfowl|pages=64–66}}</ref> Domestic ducks (including the Pekin) are derived from the [[mallard]] duck, which is sometimes migratory and sometimes not. Therefore, although the domestic goose might be adapted to store food before migration, it is less likely that the Mulard hybrid duck has the same potential.<ref name="EU" />

===Force-feeding procedure===

====Fear====
Geese and ducks show [[avoidance behaviour]] (indicating aversion) toward the person who feeds them and the feeding procedure.<ref name="EU" /><ref name="AVMA" /> The AVMA (Animal Welfare Division) when considering foie gras production stated "The relatively new Mulard breed used in foie gras production seems to be more prone than its parent breeds to fear of people".<ref name="AVMA" /> Although in 1998 the EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare reported seeing this aversion, they noted that at the time, there was no "conclusive" scientific evidence on the aversive nature of force-feeding.<ref name="EU">{{cite web|url=https://food.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2020-12/sci-com_scah_out17_en.pdf|title=Report of the EU Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare on Welfare Aspects of the Production of Foie Gras in Ducks and Geese}} {{small|(277 KB)}}</ref>

====Injury====
That same EU Scientific Committee <ref name="EU"/> also reported that there was usually clear evidence of tissue damage in the esophagus of birds which had been gavage fed, although one 1972 study cited by the report observed no alteration of the esophageal tissue. More recent scientific studies have shown that the esophagus of birds can be injured or inflamed by gavage feeding.<ref name="Skippon" /><ref name="AVMA" /><ref name="Kozák">{{cite journal|title=Foie gras production: pros and cons in the light of animal protection.|author=Kozák, J.|journal=Journal of Animal Welfare, Ethology and Housing Systems|year=2011|volume=7|issue=3|pages=200–209}}</ref><ref name="Servière">{{cite journal|title=Neurogenic inflammation in the upper digestive tract of the mule duck: effect of a chemical algogen and force-feeding|journal=British Poultry Science|volume=52|issue=6|year=2011|doi=10.1080/00071668.2011.640660|pmid=22221246|author=Servière, J.|author2=Carriere, M.|author3=Duvaux-Ponter, C.|author4=Guy, G.|author5=Roussel, S.|pages=792–799|s2cid=41132302|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01000594/file/51557_20120320104312631_1.pdf}}</ref>

====Stress====
After measuring a range of physiological parameters in male Mulard ducks, it was concluded in one study that the acute stress caused by force-feeding is similar at the beginning and end of the commercial production of foie gras.<ref name="Flaments">{{cite journal|journal=British Poultry Science|volume=53|issue=4|year=2012|title=Corticosterone, cortisol, triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase and uric acid plasma concentrations during foie gras production in male mule ducks (Anas platyrhynchos × Cairina moschata)|doi=10.1080/00071668.2012.711468|pmid=23130574|author=Flamenta, A.|author2=Delleura, V.|author3=Poulipoulisa, A.|author4=Marliera, D.|pages=408–413|s2cid=22716210}}</ref> A similar study on Muscovy ducks found that gavage feeding was related to an increase in panting behaviour and serum corticosterone levels, indicating increased stress attributable to this feeding method.<ref name="Mohammed">{{cite journal|journal=Journal of Advanced Veterinary Research|volume=4|issue=4|year=2014|title=Force feeding as a stress factor on Muscovy ducks|author=Mohammed, A. A. A.|author2=Abdel-Rahman, M.|author3=Darwish, M. H. A.}}</ref>

===Housing and husbandry===
In France, at the end of 2015, individual cages were prohibited to improve animal welfare. They were to be replaced by cages housing 4 to 5 birds.<ref name="Marie" />

====Behavioural restriction====
During the force-feeding period, the birds are kept in individual cages with wire or plastic mesh floors or sometimes in small groups on slatted floors. Individual caging restricts movements and behaviours by preventing the birds from standing erect, turning around, or flapping their wings. Birds cannot carry out other natural waterfowl behaviours, such as bathing and swimming.<ref name="Skippon"/> Ducks and geese are social animals, and individual cages prevent such interactions.<ref name="EU" /> According to a 2023 European food safety authority (EFSA) report, even the collective cages and pens currently in use in Europe do not offer enough space to the birds for them to express their natural behaviour.<ref name=":4" />

During the force-feeding period, when the birds are not being fed, they are sometimes kept in near-darkness; this prevents normal investigatory behaviour and results in poor welfare.<ref name="EU" />

====Injury====
Lesions can occur on the [[sternum]] of the birds due to [[necrosis]] of the skin. This is observed more frequently in birds reared in cages rather than on the floor. The prevalence is higher in Mulard ducks (40–70%) compared to under 6% in Muscovy ducks. This is due to the larger pectoralis profundus major and minor muscles in Muscovy ducks compared to Mulards.<ref name="EU" /> The relatively new Mulard breed used in foie gras production seems more prone to developing lesions in the area of the sternum when kept in small cages and to bone breakage during transport and slaughter.<ref name="AVMA" />

Where ducks are fattened in group pens, it has been suggested that the increased effort required to capture and restrain ducks in pens might cause them to experience more stress during force-feeding. Injuries and fatalities during transport and slaughter occur in all types of poultry production; fattened ducks are more susceptible to conditions such as heat stress.

===Enlarged liver===
Foie gras production results in the bird's liver being swollen. In some ducks, liver size changes seasonally, increasing by as much as 30% to 50%, with more pronounced changes in females. However, foie gras production enlarges the livers ten times their normal size.<ref name="Skippon" /><ref name="AVMA" /> This impairs liver function due to the obstruction of blood flow and expands the abdomen, making it difficult for the birds to breathe.<ref name="AVMA">{{cite web|url=https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/LiteratureReviews/Pages/Foie-Gras-Production-Backgrounder.aspx#references|title=Welfare Implications of Foie Gras Production|year=2014|publisher=American Veterinary Medical Association|access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref> Death occurs if the force-feeding is continued.<ref name="Viva">{{cite web |url=https://viva.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/foiegras_factsheet.pdf |title=Torture in a tin: Viva! foie-gras fact sheet |website=[[Viva! (organisation)|Viva!]] |orig-year=Originally published 2014 |date=July 2015 |access-date=28 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710211144/https://viva.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/foiegras_factsheet.pdf |archive-date=10 July 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="EU" />

===Mortality rates===
The mortality rate in force-fed birds varies from 2% to 4%, compared with approximately 0.2% in age-matched, non-force-fed drakes.<ref name="Skippon">{{cite journal|title=The animal health and welfare consequences of foie gras production|author=Skippon, W.|journal=Canadian Veterinary Journal|year=2013|volume=54|issue=4|pages=403–404|pmc=3595949|pmid=24082171}}</ref> Mortality rates do not differ between the force-feeding period and the previous rearing phase, with both being approximately 2.5%.<ref name="Marie">{{cite web|title=Genetics and selection of ducks in France|website=ResearchGate|author=Marie-Etancelin, C.|author2=Chapuis, H.|author3=Brun, J. M.|author4=Larzul, C.|author5=Mialon-Richard, M. M.|author6=Rouvier, R.|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267324850|access-date=25 May 2015}}</ref>

==Controversy==
{{Further|Foie gras controversy}}

The controversial nature of foie gras production was identified in a paper that juxtaposed the views of "foie gras production as the apotheosis of murderous meat production, and those who consider it to be a co-production between humans and animals".<ref name="Heath">{{cite journal|title=The Naturecultures of Foie Gras: Techniques of the Body and a Contested Ethics of Care|author1=Heath, D.|author2=Meneley, A.|journal=Food, Culture and Society|volume=13|issue=3|year=2010|pages=421–452|doi=10.2752/175174410x12699432701024|s2cid=152347835}}</ref>

Animal rights and welfare advocates such as Animal Equality,<ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Ban Foie Gras|url=https://animalequality.org.uk/act/ban-force-feeding|access-date=2022-05-03|website=Animal Equality UK|language=en-GB}}</ref> [[PETA]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://how-to-go-vegan.peta.org/|title=How to Go Vegan & Why in 3 Simple Steps &#124; PETA.org|website=How To Go Vegan}}</ref> [[Viva! (organisation)|Viva!]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Foie Gras |url=https://viva.org.uk/animals/campaigns/foie-gras/ |website=Viva! |access-date=28 September 2024 |date=9 January 2023}}</ref> the [[Humane Society of the United States]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hsus.org/farm/camp/ffa/foie_gras.html|title=Foie Gras<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=24 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622145557/http://www.hsus.org/farm/camp/ffa/foie_gras.html|archive-date=22 June 2007}}</ref> and [[Four Paws|FOUR PAWS]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Foie Gras|url=https://www.four-paws.org/campaigns-topics/topics/farm-animals/foie-gras|access-date=2023-07-07|website=FOUR PAWS International - Animal Welfare Organisation|language=en}}</ref> contend that foie gras production methods, and force-feeding in particular, constitute cruel treatment of animals.

An [[Ipsos MORI]] poll found that 63% of the UK population would like to see a complete ban on the sale of foie gras in the UK.<ref name="Milne">{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/emma-milne/foie-gras-ban_b_2048704.html|work=The Huffington Post|title=Sixty-three per cent of the British public wants foie gras banned|author=Milne, E.|year=2012|access-date=28 May 2015}}</ref>

In 2011 and 2012, Animal Equality conducted investigations inside four foie gras farms in France and five in Spain, exposing the cruelty of force-feeding.<ref name="auto"/> The footage collected reveals ducks covered in blood with broken and torn beaks, birds kept in small metal cages with no room to turn around, and ducks and geese desperately struggling to avoid force-feeding.

In April–May 2013, an investigator from [[Mercy for Animals]] recorded an undercover video at [[Hudson Valley Foie Gras|Hudson Valley Foie Gras farm]] in New York state. The footage showed workers forcefully pushing tubes down ducks' throats. One worker said of the force-feeding process: "Sometimes the duck doesn't get up, and it dies. There have been times that 20 ducks were killed." Hudson Valley operations manager Marcus Henley replied that the farm's mortality statistics are not above average for the poultry industry.<ref name=Tepper2013>{{cite news|last=Tepper|first=Rachel|title=Undercover Foie Gras Footage Shot at Hudson Valley Foie Gras Alleges Cruel Practices (VIDEO)|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/12/undercover-foie-gras-video-hudson-valley_n_3429492.html|access-date=3 April 2014|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=12 June 2013}}</ref> Because Hudson Valley provides foie gras to Amazon.com, Mercy for Animals began a campaign urging Amazon to stop selling foie gras, a move that has already been made by [[Costco]], [[Safeway]], and [[Target Corporation|Target]].<ref name=Zara2013>{{cite news|last=Zara|first=Christopher|title=Amazon Urged To Ban Foie Gras: Animal-Rights Group Calls Retailer A Lame Duck Over Controversial Food|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/amazon-urged-ban-foie-gras-animal-rights-group-calls-retailer-lame-duck-over-controversial-food|access-date=3 April 2014|newspaper=International Business Times|date=12 June 2013}}</ref>

In November 2013, the ''[[Daily Mirror]]'' published a report based on the video they obtained depicting cruelty towards ducks in a farm owned by French firm Ernest Soulard, which is a supplier to celebrity chef [[Gordon Ramsay]]'s restaurants. The restaurant chain suspended purchasing from the supplier following the exposé.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/video-cruelty-chef-gordon-ramsays-2688593|title=VIDEO: Cruelty of chef Gordon Ramsay's foie gras supplier exposed in shocking footage|author=Andy Lines|date=8 November 2013|work=mirror}}</ref>

===Animal research===
The process of force-feeding can make animals sick by stressing the liver. If the stress is prolonged, excess protein may build up and clump together as amyloids, consumption of which has been found to induce [[amyloidosis]] in laboratory mice. It has been hypothesized this may be a route of transmission in humans too, and so be a risk for people with inflammatory complaints such as [[rheumatoid arthritis]].<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.molmed.2010.08.004|title=Prion-like aggregates: Infectious agents in human disease|year=2010|last1=Westermark|first1=Gunilla T.|last2=Westermark|first2=Per|journal=Trends in Molecular Medicine|volume=16|issue=11|pages=501–7|pmid=20870462|type=Review|quote=AA amyloidosis can theoretically be transmitted to humans by the same route; thus, such food might constitute a hazard for individuals with chronic inflammatory disorders such as RA.}}</ref>

===Legislation and bans===
{{Further|Foie gras controversy#Statutory and voluntary bans}}

Several countries and regions have laws against force-feeding or the sale or importation of foie gras; even where it is legal, some retailers have ceased selling it.<ref name="AmazonUKban">{{cite web|publisher=The Bugle|url=http://issuu.com/thebugle/docs/nov_2013/10|date=November 2013|title=Amazon bans foie gras|access-date=13 March 2015|url-access=registration|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101944/http://issuu.com/thebugle/docs/nov_2013/10|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="FortnumMason">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/dec/18/fortnum-mason-foie-gras-protest|title=Fortnum and Mason faces celebrity battle over its sale of 'cruel' foie gras|journal=The Guardian|date=18 December 2011|access-date=14 March 2015|last1=Doward|first1=Jamie|last2=Owen|first2=Jemim}}</ref><ref name="harveynichols">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6930411.stm|title=Harvey Nichols bans 'cruel' pate|publisher=BBC|date=3 August 2007|access-date=12 March 2015}}</ref>

In Switzerland, foie gras production has been prohibited since 1978<ref>{{cite web|last=OSAV |first=Office fédéral de la sécurité alimentaire et des affaires vétérinaires|title=Protection des animaux|url=https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/fr/home/tiere/tierschutz.html|access-date=2023-07-07|website=www.blv.admin.ch|language=fr}}</ref> and force-feeding is explicitly banned since 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fedlex|url=https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/cc/2008/416/fr|access-date=2023-07-07|website=www.fedlex.admin.ch}}</ref>

In Europe, force-feeding is only legal in 5 of the 27 member states:<ref>Standing Committee of the European Convention for the protection of animals kept for farming purposes. Recommendations concerning domestic ducks (anas platyrhynchos). 1999 [accessed 2023 Mar 22]. https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectID=090000168052fac6</ref> France, Belgium,<ref name="Feedblix">{{cite web|date=20 March 2017|title=Foie Gras production banned in Brussels |url=http://feedblix.com/foie-gras-production-banned-brussels/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321052928/http://feedblix.com/foie-gras-production-banned-brussels/|archive-date=21 March 2017|access-date=26 March 2017|publisher=Feedblix}}</ref> Hungary, Bulgaria, Spain. In 2017, foie gras production was banned in [[Brussels]], a largely symbolic measure because of the small number of producers within the city limits.

In 2019, New York City instituted a foie gras ban but was struck down in 2022 by an order from the New York's Agriculture and Markets Department stating in the order that the ban was "unusual", "unreasonabl[e]", and "legislative overreach".<ref>{{cite web|date=December 14, 2022|title=Foie Gras Order|url=https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/20221220agdept.pdf?mod=article_inline}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=December 24, 2022|title=New York City's Foie Gras Ban Once Again Deemed Illegal by New York State|url=https://reason.com/2022/12/24/new-york-citys-foie-gras-ban-once-again-deemed-illegal-by-new-york-state/}}</ref>

In November 2022, the Buckingham Palace household wrote to the PETA campaign group that foie gras was not bought or served in royal residences.<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite web|publisher=Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/11/18/foie-gras-banned-royal-residences-line-king-charless-policy/|date=November 2022|title=Foie gras banned in all royal residences, letter from King Charles's household confirms|access-date=13 March 2015|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="bbc">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-63676759|title=King Charles: Foie gras banned at royal residences|journal=BBC|date=18 November 2022|access-date=18 November 2022}}</ref>

Force-feeding is also prohibited in Israel,<ref>{{cite web|title=Verdict of the Supreme Court of Israel - Foie Gras. 2003|url=https://www.chai-online.org/en/compassion/foiegras/foiegras.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929002321/http://www.chai-online.org/en/compassion/foiegras/foiegras.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=29 September 2007}}</ref> Turkey<ref name=":6">{{cite web|last=L214|date=2019-11-12|title=Le gavage interdit à travers le monde|url=https://www.l214.com/stop-foie-gras/le-gavage-interdit-a-travers-le-monde/|access-date=2023-10-11|website=L214|language=fr-FR}}</ref> and Australia.<ref name=":6" /> Foie gras import is prohibited in India.<ref name=":6" /> Foie gras production and sale is prohibited in California.<ref>{{cite news|date=2019-01-08|title=En Californie, la fin de la bataille du foie gras|language=fr-FR|work=La Croix|url=https://www.la-croix.com/Monde/Ameriques/En-Californie-fin-bataille-foie-gras-2019-01-08-1200993912|access-date=2023-10-11|issn=0242-6056}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Food}}
* [[Delicacy#Risks And Harm Associated with Delicacies|List of delicacies]]
* [[List of duck dishes]]
* [[Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease]], with homologous pathophysiologic aspects
* [[Ortolan bunting]]
* [[Shen Zhu]] – the fattening of pigs in a manner similar to gavage
* [[Specialty foods]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==References==
'''Books'''
{{Refbegin}}
* ''Larousse Gastronomique'', by Prosper Montagne (Ed.), Clarkson Potter, 2001. {{ISBN|0-609-60971-8}}.
* {{cite book|last=Alford|first=Katherine|title=Caviar, Truffles, and Foie Gras|publisher=Chronicle Books|year=2001|isbn=978-0-8118-2791-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Bett|first=Henry|title=Wanderings Among Words|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|year=2003|isbn=978-0-7661-7792-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Davidson|first=Alan|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0-19-211579-9|url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont00davi_0}}
* {{cite book|last=Faas|first=Patrick|title=Around the Table of the Romans: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2002|isbn=978-0-312-23958-9|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312239589}}
* {{cite book|last=Giacosa|first=Ilaria Gozzini|title=A Taste of Ancient Rome|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=1994|isbn=978-0-226-29032-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Ginor|first=Michael A.|title=Foie Gras: A Passion|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|year=1999|isbn=978-0-471-29318-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Langslow|first=David R.|title=Medical Latin in the Roman Empire|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2000|isbn=978-0-19-815279-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Littré|first=Maximilien Paul Emile|title=Histoire de la langue française: Études sur les origines, l'étymologie, la grammaire|publisher=Didier|year=1863|language=fr}}
* {{cite book|last=McGee|first=Harold|title=On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen|publisher=Scribner|year=2004|isbn=978-0-684-80001-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Serventi|first=Silvano|title=La grande histoire du foie gras|publisher=Flammarion|year=1993|isbn=978-2-08-200542-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Toussaint-Samat|first=Maguelonne|title=History of Food|publisher=Blackwell Publishing Professional|year=1994|isbn=978-0-631-19497-2|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/historyoffood0000tous}}
* {{cite book|last=Walter|first=Henriette|title=French Inside Out: The French Language Past and Present|publisher=Routledge|year=2006|isbn=978-0-415-07670-8|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/frenchinsideoutw0000walt}}

'''Articles'''
* {{cite journal|first=Florence|last=Fabricant|title=Peppering with salt: chefs find favor with gourmet versions of common seasoning|journal=Nation's Restaurant News|year=2004|volume=38|issue=9|page=36}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary}}
* [https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/video-cruelty-chef-gordon-ramsays-2688593 Video of foie gras production.]

===Scientific studies===
* Report of the EU Scientific {{cite web|url=https://food.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2020-12/sci-com_scah_out17_en.pdf|title=Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare on Welfare Aspects of the Production of Foie Gras in Ducks and Geese}}&nbsp;{{small|(277&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]])}}

===Alternatives===
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6301715.stm Foie Gras without force-feeding]
* [http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1883412007 Faux Gras – "Foie Gras Without The Cruelty"]
* [https://www.aviwell.fr/en/discovery/ Foie Gras history and using microbiome manipulation without forced feeding] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205050416/https://www.aviwell.fr/en/discovery/|date=5 December 2019}}
* [https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_a_foie_gras_parable Chef Dan Barber tells the story of a small farm in Spain that has found a humane way to produce foie gras]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090813080505/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1915601,00.html Can Ethical Foie Gras Happen in America?] TIME, 12 August 2009

{{French cuisine}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foie Gras}}
[[Category:Foie gras| ]]
[[Category:Cruelty to animals]]
[[Category:Force-feeding]]
[[Category:French cuisine]]
[[Category:Liver (food)]]
[[Category:Occitan cuisine]]
[[Category:Poultry dishes]]
[[Category:Spreads (food)]]