Foie gras

Foie gras
is a culinary specialty made from fresh liver from the breeding and fattening by force-feeding of geese and ducks, and a popular and well-known festive delicacy in French cuisine. It is eaten raw, semi-cooked or cooked, and can be offered as fresh or canned products, eaten alone or as an accompaniment to other dishes such as meat. According to French law, “foie gras is part of the cultural and gastronomic heritage protected in France. By foie gras we mean the liver of a duck or a goose specially fattened by force-feeding”.
If the force-feeding technique dates from when the ancient Egyptians began to force-feed birds to fatten them up, the consumption of foie gras itself was first reported in ancient Rome.
Today, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, followed by the rest of Europe, the United States and China.
Due to controversies over animal force-feeding, several countries or jurisdictions have enacted laws against the production or marketing of products obtained by force-feeding under pressure from animal welfare groups. An alternative is to recognize and promote natural force-feeding.

The book collects from knowledgeable sources a great number of possible preparations, but also describes what foie gras actually is as well as its history, then tries to answer questions like «Why is foie gras so expensive?», «What is foie gras and why is it banned?», «What are the alternatives to force-feeding?».


Further information about what this book is and what is not can be found in the introduction to the series, which can be read by clicking below the links to the other cookbooks included in g a s  t r o n o m e s collection.
The book ends by listing the written sources from where the recipes are taken, which can also serve as a mi-bibliography and further reading.

Here are a few recipes, as listed in the Contents page:


 1. Artichoke Bottoms, Bayard Style
 2. Artichoke Bottoms, Colbert Fashion
 3. Aspic de Foie Gras
 4. Attereaux, Villeroi Style
 5. Ballettes Of Foie Gras à L’Imperiale
 6. Ballotines Of Duckling, Freneuse Style
 7. Boned Capon, Stuffed, Banker’s Fashion
 8. Boudin Of Chicken, Lucullus Style
 9. Breasts Of Chicken, Opera Style
 10. Brown Purée For Egyptian Cream
 11. Buttered Eggs
 12. Canapé MonteCarlo
 13. Capon Souffled
 14. Capon, Derby Fashion
 15. Chaud froid Of Lamb Cutlets As Pears
 16. Chaud froid Of Squab, Bohemian Fashion
 17. Chaudfroid Of Chicken Legs As Ducklings
 18. Chaudfroid of Reed birds
 19. Chestnut Timbals, St. Hubert Style
 20. Chicken à La Savoy
 21. Chicken, Turtle Fashion
 22. Chickens à La Chanceliere
 23. Cold pies and how to make them
 24. Cold Turkey à La Grande Duchesse
 25. Consommé, Infanta Style
 26. Cotelettes De Pigeon à La DUxelles
 27. Cream Mixture à La Montreal
 28. Cream Of Rabbit à La Duxelle
 29. Crème De Lapereau à la Reine
 30. Crepinettes à La Belgrave
 31. Crepinettes à la D’Estine
 32. Crepinettes à la Favorite
 33. Croustade à la Champenoise
 34. Croustade of Larks
 35. Eggs à l’imperatrice
 36. Eggs À la belmont
 37. Eggs à la Belmont
 38. Eggs à La Commodore
 39. Eggs à la livingstone
 40. Eggs à la Mme Morton
 41. Eggs Benoit
 42. Eggs Chateaubriand
 43. Eggs Cocotte, Hackett
 44. Eggs Epicurienne
 45. Eggs gourmet
 46. Eggs Henri IV
 47. Eggs mirabeau
 48. Eggs Mirabel
 49. Eggs Talleyrand
 50. Eggs Troubadour
 51. Eggs, Balfour
 52. Eggs, Strasbourgeoise
 53. Eggs, Waterloo
 54. Escalopes Of Pigeons à La Lisbonne
 55. Farce For Chicken à La Chanceliere
 56. Farce For Cold Pigeons, Partridge, Etc
 57. Farce For Larks à La Sotterville
 58. Farce For Pigeons Farced With Truffles
 59. Farce For Turban à La Piemontaise
 60. Fat Goose Liver Collops, Diplomat Style...