MAGAZINE

Device converter



Weather

 

Classified ads

Put an ad on this website

Recently added

articles > Food / Wine events

Food / Wine

Debat on the French Foie gras

By Amelie Ducauroy
19/12/2005


Foie gras in the French culture
Article extracted from The Independent 22/10/05

Foie gras is a travesty for some, a delicacy for others. But for French politicians it is part of France's cultural heritage, to be protected like a great work of art.

Indeed, the problem is that animal rights groups oppose the force-feeding of ducks and geese needed to make the gourmet product that is a specialty of south-west France. The politicians did not shy away from telling it like it is, defining Foie Gras as "the emblematic element of the French gastronomy and culture".

The move comes amid growing criticism of the method used to obtain foie gras - stuffing the duck or goose for a 10-day period to fatten the liver and create the unctuous pâté. However, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, which fights cruelty to animals, called it "veritable torture for geese and ducks", and asked consumers to stop eating foie gras - a mainstay of the French Christmas season.

Laying out the amendment, French deputies gave a nod to detractors, but concluded  that their concerns were untenable. Research shows "in an incontestable way" that claims of cruelty are untrue, they said.
They finally concluded that the product "perfectly fulfils" criteria defining the national patrimony "and the link to terroir [land] that characterises the originality of the French food model".


Tell us what you think by voting in favour or against the force-feeding of ducks on the right hand side of the homepage.

LEAVE A COMMENT

Comments are moderated. They are displayed after an administrator validation.

:

You can reload the captcha by clicking on it