Once Upon A Time

Foie gras is one of my favourite foods, and eating it is almost a spiritual experience for me. The deep, earthy, umami and unfathomable richness transports me to another plain – my reflex is to close my eyes when savouring it.

The media portrayal and public perception of the way foie gras is produced means that lots of people find my enjoyment of it repellent. But the media’s view is skewed. Foie gras is not that bad! I want to tell everyone why it can be a guilt-free pleasure; more so than most animal products. But as with most foods, you need to know how to identify animal-friendly foie gras.

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Growing up, I was aware of an expensive luxury food called ‘foie gras’, that is produced in a way that is unbelievably cruel to animals. Grainy video footage portrayed dire conditions and disgusting force-fed geese that were too fat to stand. How could people do that to another living being? How could the rich gluttons who buy it live with themselves?

The alien concept of force-feeding seemed grim; forcing a creature to do something it doesn’t want to do, and hurting it in the process. So, why would anyone question the fact that foie gras is an unjustifiable indulgence? I certainly didn’t. Until I moved to France, and began writing about food.

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I had tried foie gras before moving to France, putting my love of food and curiosity above animal welfare, because it was simply a gastronomic rite of passage. But the experience was tainted with guilt.

South West France (and other areas, like Alsace) is very proud of its foie gras-producing heritage. Residents vaguely know about attitudes in the UK and elsewhere, but they don’t really take them too seriously. Every type of person, from farm labourers to local dignitaries, enjoy foie gras as a special treat; the winter is one long series of foie gras markets and festivals; there is foie gras on every restaurant menu, and there are frequent roadside signs, directing drivers to farm shops selling their own foie gras.

Seeing the free-range ducks and geese on foie gras farms, I began to wonder exactly what went on that was so horrific. What I was seeing along with local opinions on foie gras didn’t tally with what I had been led to believe. I realised that I didn’t know exactly how foie gras is produced, so had no basis for my increasingly confused perception of it. So, I decided to do some research...

Salted foie gras, melting onto toast