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Centuries ago, the Egyptians discovered the succulent flavor of goose foie gras. At the time, migratory geese gathered in the Nile delta before beginning their migration and stuffed themselves with figs in preparation for their long-distance flights. This overeating made their liver get fat and delicious. That is why the Egyptians soon started to reproduce this natural phenomenon and overfeed geese with figs and cereals.
This tradition was perpetuated across the centuries and is still carried on in the South-West of France by small, independent, traditional producers. But, with the growth of the foie gras market, industrial producers started to appear and develop new processes in order to reach more productivity, regardless of consequences on quality and animals' well-being.
The following table presents the pretty big differences between the traditional way of making foie gras in the South-West of France and the industrial process.
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Traditional process |
Industrial process |
| Animals' Origin |
Ducks and geese are received by the producer just after their hatching. They all come from the producer's region in the South-West of France. |
Some industrial producers guarantee the French origin of their ducks and geese.
But, for cost reasons, many of them import the animals from Eastern Europe, either after their hatching or much later. |
| Breeding Conditions |
Ducks and geese are bred by the producer, in their natural state, in the open air, for 12 to 14 weeks until they reach a sufficient size. |
Most industrial producers do not breed the animals. They buy the fully-grown animals from French farms or Eastern Europe providers. The ducks and geese used in the industrial process have rarely been bred in the open air. |
| Intensive Feeding Conditions |
Ducks and geese are fed intensively for 2 to 3 weeks with non genetically modified corn grain cultivated by the producer or a neighboring farm. Their liver thus grows progressively and naturally.
During this intensive feeding period, they are sheltered in a wide collective shed which is either well ventilated or air-conditioned in summer. |
Ducks and geese are fattened with mashed cereals and food substitutes which make their liver swell rapidly in less than 2 weeks.
Many industrial producers keep them trapped in small individual cages where they can hardly spread their wings, so that they do not transform the food they receive into energy instead of fat. |
| Veterinary Treatments |
All veterinary treatments applied to the animals are natural as the producer only uses homeopathy and herbal medicine. Thus, there is no trace of veterinary treatment in the animals' meat and liver. |
Many industrial producers use antibiotics, which have consequences on the foie gras flavor, composition and consistency.
The unnatural food and treatments given to the animals by the industrial producers may for example make their liver retain water. |
| Foie Gras Processing |
The producer classifies the raw livers according to their size and aspect. In general, grade 1 livers are used to make foie gras entier, grade 2 livers for bloc de foie gras and grade 3 livers for foie gras specialties.
As regards foie gras entier, the producer makes a final check after the cooking. If there is an excess of fat in the glass jar, the foie gras is rejected. |
Industrial producers generally use grade 1 or 2 livers to make foie gras entier. All other livers are mixed to make bloc de foie gras or foie gras specialties. |
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Fleur-de-Lys.fr only works with small, independent, uniquely dedicated producers following the traditional processing methods.
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