those who like to savor foie gras don’t have to think that they’re being cruel, or whatever an animal rights activist might call someone who consumes them
you get to eat, guilt- free =P
faux gras
“Faux” in French meaning fake/ false and “Foie Gras” that literally translates into “fatty liver,” is made from the enlarged livers of male ducks and geese
a substitute for the real thing, this is made on ingredients such as chicken livers, tofu and truffles to recreate the smooth mousse- like texture and buttery taste of foie gras minus the guilt, of course
British- retailer, Waitrose, on the other hand, developed the version of faux gras made without force- feeding the birds- calling it an ethical alternative to the traditional foie gras
having a darker color, faux gras is made from about 50% liver from free- range poultry blended with duck or goose fat
animal- rights activist, with protests led by the advocacy group Farm Sanctuary and its site nofoiegras.com promoted vegetarian pâté substituting the liver with tofu, seitan or chicken- style meat substitutes made from wheat vegetarian, eh? <== i’m certainly not a fan of vegetarian foodstuffs
i wouldn’t elaborate (never, ever) in detail on the production of the signature French delicacy for it’s real gory and inhumane, but its made by force- feeding ducks and geese through metal tubes to expand (say, to swell) their livers to 10 times of the normal- the fattiness gives the dish its rich taste… (enough!, enough!!, enough!!!) if you’re really curious, google it, youtube it, or something
some say its easy to tell that faux gras is fake
Linda Reck from Arlington, Va., who discovered foie gras while taking cooking classes in Italy, says faux gras doesn’t fully capture the richness and sweetness of real foie gras. But she did find that the faux gras she tasted at the restaurant Central in Washington, D.C., was silky and luscious and “not your mother’s chopped liver.”
those who farmed foie gras calls the effort pure quackery… obviously, that’s what they’d say
“It can’t have the same taste or consistency, it is simply ridicule,” says Mr. Durand, who once farmed foie gras with his mother on a family farm in Bergerac, France
some chefs found a way to slip their customers foie gras via a loophole in the Chicago ban (in Philadelphia, San Diego, New York City and the states of New Jersey and Oregon, bans are still under consideration)- since giving foie gras isn’t forbidden, unlike selling it
Didier Durand, owner of Cyrano’s Bistrot in Chicago, used to sell foie gras, grilled brioche and salad. He still sells the brioche and salad (for $60.95) and now offers foie gras on the side, compliments of the chef. The customer has to actually ask for the fois gras, but the high price tag for what looks like just a salad and bread prompts many to inquire. “It is like we are returning to the days of the Prohibition but now we are called ‘Duckeasies,’ ” he says
while other chefs will also surreptitiously serve the real stuff to customers in the know
Josh Steinfeld, an executive compensation consultant in Chicago, refuses to try faux gras. And he still gets his favorite Kobe beef burger with foie gras pate and truffle mayonnaise at the restaurant Sweets and Savories. “The truth is the real foie isn’t gone … and there’s no reason to eat faux gras,” says Mr. Steinfeld, who attended a “farewell to foie gras” dinner at the restaurant — where about 40 people ate almost 15 pounds of foie gras — before the ban went into effect last August. Indeed, Sweets and Savories’ executive chef, David Richards, says he still offers the burger with foie gras as a special for anyone who asks
nah, don’t worry, there are also those who thinks faux gras is the way to go *gives a litle cheer*
I’m a bit like a crack-addict in the sense that I know it’s wrong, but I just can’t help ordering it when I see it on a menu (I know, I’m a terrible person), coming up with excuses like “the duck has already been killed anyway” and “it won’t be long before they ban it here, so I should enjoy it while I still can”. But in my heart I know it’s wrong and that I’m probably going to hell over an hors d’oeuvre
Marc Matsumoto of [No Recipes]
seriously, that is also how i feel when i’m ordering shark fin soup at a Chinese restaurant, though sometimes i’ll say that i’ll prefer the fake ones made from gelatin (pig gelatin, i think) without really meaning it you’ll know what i mean if you get a taste of both yourself and yeah, there’s a stark contrast in the tastes
i grew up eating shark fin soup at family functions and at that time i didn’t know about “shark finning”, which is basically catching the shark from the sea, cut the fin off and the rest of the shark is thrown back into the sea (my dad, however, beg to differ) he says that the rest of the shark is sold as meat for dogs to eat- both the reason being that their meat is of less value and yeah, its like the lowest grade of fish meat that Chinese don’t eat
i’m pretty sure that i’ll never eat foie gras since animal organs are a complete turn- off when it comes to eating them, i’ll straightaway go “Ewww… people eat those? You gotta be kidding me.”
never eaten those yet (someday i might, now that i think about it. Come on, i can’t possibly say no to a food that’s the height of haute cuisine… Or can I???), i can only credit Marc Matsumoto of [No Recipes] for the description of the taste:
it’s a little hard to describe, but it’s like a more ephemeral version of butter that practically vapourizes on contact with your mouth, exploding into a rich serum of flavour as it rises in temperature
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