Foie Gras

Foie gras, pronounced “fwah grah” and meaning “fat liver” in French, is an ancient delicacy that has become both a staple of high-end restaurants and a lightning rod for the animal-rights movement in the United States and parts of Europe. The product is a goose’s or duck’s liver that has grown six to ten times its normal size due to a series of force-feedings, otherwise known as gavage. In the United States, foie gras most often is served hot, its surfaces seared quickly to create a crisp contrast to the soft custard-like interior. The French tend to prefer the traditional cold preparations, such as a terrine (the liver cooked slowly in a covered porcelain dish, then cooled) or torchon (prepared in a rolled towel), which generally take days instead of minutes to complete. The decadent silky texture comes from the liver itself, which has grown full of fat.