Foie Gras Vegan - Say No to Cruelty

French cooking is famous for its prestigious and respectable cuisine. Their restaurants all over the world offer all kinds of delicacies, many earning Michelin stars for their dishes.

French people and those considering themselves gourmands take pride in enjoying food with no limitations or regret. They are not stinging on fat, sugar, and other ingredients that would make health enthusiasts frown upon.

The French menu is heavy with all kinds of animals and animal products, like ducks, geese, quails, organ meats and bone marrow, babies of all animal species…

From well known dishes like Boeuf Bourguignon made from teenage cows, Bouillabaisse - a special soup of at least four specific fish species, to lambs used for Lamb Chasseur, Escargot, and Blanquette de Veau - a stew made out of baby cows, as they are considered especially tender and soft to eat.

One of the dishes France and French cuisine is also famous for is Foie Gras. So what is it and what’s behind this world known delicacy?

Foie Gras - Fatty Liver

Foie gras is an extremely fatty liver that is taken from geese and ducks. It is often sold as a whole liver or made into famous pâté or mousse at restaurants.

Why is it a Problem

Aside from the fact that animals need to be killed so that we could take their liver, they are subjected to extremely cruel practices in order for their liver to become fatty and swollen.

This high priced gourmet delicacy is produced by force feeding ducks and geese until their liver swells up to 10x the normal size. It’s actually a diseased liver that is making animals suffer, and people sick when they eat it.

Animals are kept in very small, dirty cages where they can not move, stretch their wings, and rest comfortably. This often results in breathing difficulties, foot and leg injuries, eye infections, and broken wings.

They are force fed 2-3x a day. Workers shove a foot long metal pipe down their throat and brutally stuff food into them, pumping up to 1 - 2 kilos of grain and fat into their stomachs daily.

The process is stressful, painful and violent and often causes ruptures of the beak, esophagus, stomach, and other internal organs, as well as many other ailments.

In between forced feedings, animals are in excruciating agony because their little bodies are not able to process such huge amount of food. This torturous and invasive practice continues over and over again not giving them time to heal from it.

Birds become highly stressed and terrified of the humans who are approaching them with a pipe to force feed them. And how could they not. Since they are restricted in small cages, they can't escape or defend themselves. As a result, they often tear out their own feathers or attack each other.

After two to four weeks of this horror, their livers can no longer function normally. Toxins build up in their suffered bodies and they go into a diseased state called hepatic lipidosis.

Around 700,000 geese and 34.7 million ducks are tortured and slaughtered each year for making foie gras.

France Is the Main Producer

These absurdly cruel practices are still allowed in Europe, China, US, and Canada. France is the largest producer and consumer of foie gras (74%) followed by Bulgaria (13.2%), Hungary (11.3%), and Spain (2.4%).

Many countries banned the sale of foie gras, but the import of this product is still allowed, so lots of restaurants simply circumvent the law by importing it from countries that do produce it.

What We Can Do About It

Demand is what creates the supply. By boycotting the use of foie gras we are giving a clear message to restaurants, suppliers, and producers of this controversial product. We can also sign petitions against it, leave a review of the restaurants that serve foie gras and spread the word to people around us about what’s behind it.

For all gourmet lovers, there is great news. We can make delicious plant based alternative to foie gras that is not causing harm and it’s much healthier for us.

There are more and more talented plant based chefs who recreated famous haute cuisine dishes without cruelty involved. Here is a rich, creamy, and earthy recipe for plant based foie gras that will make your mouth water.

Crafting Vegan Foie Gras at Home

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 400 g cooked lentils or red beans
• 1 tbsp miso paste or soy sauce
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary
• 2 tsp fresh thyme
• 2 tsp fresh sage
• 120 g finely chopped button mushrooms
• A splash of cognac
• A pinch of beet powder
• 120 g toasted walnuts
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• A drizzle of water for the perfect consistency
• Vegan butter (optional)

Instruction

• Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan.
• Roughly chop onion and garlic cloves and add them to the pan. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and cook them until they are translucent.
• Add the chopped button mushrooms. Stir until everything is well cooked. Finely chop rosemary, thyme, and sage and add them. Add cognac and beet powder. Add the contents of the frying pan to a food processor along with the lentils, walnuts and miso paste or soy sauce. Process until almost smooth.
• Transfer the mixture to a jar and add a thin layer of vegan butter on the top (optional). Refrigerate for a few hours before serving. This delicious pâté is best served with good quality vegan bread.