The only thing better than foie gras is...foie gras made from baby duck. You know, like baby cow or baby goat but from a duck.
For centuries, a rite of passage for French gourmets has been the eating of the Ortolan. These tiny birdscaptured alive, force-fed, then drowned in Armagnacwere roasted whole and eaten that way, bones and all, while the diner draped his head with a linen napkin to preserve the precious aromas and, some believe, to hide from God.
The Wine Spectator
The eating of the ortolan has ethical eating groups baying for blood. First, it is caught with a net in the forest. Taken alive, its eyes are poked out and the bird is put in a small cage. It's then force-fed oats, millet and figs until it has swollen to four times its normal size. Then the bird is drowned alive in fine cognac. Then, it's roasted whole, in an oven at high heat, for six to eight minutes. Once it reaches the table, a napkin is placed over the eater's head. The technique of eating the ortolan is to put the whole bird into the mouth, with only the beak protruding. Here sadism mingles with masochism. The first taste as you crunch on the bird is the brandied flesh and fat. Then, the bitterness of the guts follow and finally, as the tiny, delicate bones are being chewed on, they will lacerate the diner's gums, with the salty taste of the bleeding gums mingling with the richness of the fat and the bitterness of the organs. Chewing the ortolan takes approximately 15 minutes.
The Connoisseur's Series, The Global Gourmet
I've decided to devout my life to the cause of the ortolan.
Yeech.
Isn't foie gras made from goose rather than duck?
The first time I had it was in Paris about two years ago. I wasn't particularly keen to try it as I'd heard it is cruel, but I have to say it was amazingly delicious. The last time I had it was as an appetizer in Amsterdam two weeks ago where the foie gras was marbled with bitter chocolate. Even more delicious.
I won't pretend it's ethical, and perhaps that reflects poorly on my values, but in the handful of times that I've had it, it has been a fantastic dish. My wife, being Spanish, has no such problems. She could order foie gras followed by veal without batting an eye. I still don't eat veal.
If we knew the plain truth about the origins of what we eat from day to day, I fear that the bulk of us would starve to death.
You highlight my point. I know this might make me sound callous, but I enjoy food entirely too much to go pining away about its origins. I mean sure, If there's a reason for a recall due to contamination, feel free to let me know. However, when it comes to meat especially, we're talking about procedures that involve captive bolt pistols and the slitting of throats. If someone takes a moral stance to how foie gras is prepared, surely there is a case for taking a stance against how all meats are prepared.I just picked up 10 baby chickens yesterday. The plain truth is, I expect 2-4 of them to die within the first week. By mid summer, I expect the remaining 6-8 to eat the grubs out of my lawn/their food, etc...I expect them to grow. By Fall, I'll have some eggs...along the way I'll have a few Chicken Dinners, or Rock Cornish Game Hens.
I won't particularly enjoy the moment of killing them, but I will savor their freshness, and I will eat every tasty morsel of them.
The few who are left to lay eggs will be stew next Spring. That's what I bought them for.
They're cute-- they're in a big box in my basement with a heat lamp, and classical music playing for them. They will live a good life...to the extent that chickens live a good life. Then they will produce and become food. And I will enjoy it.
Foie Gras sounds like a good plan...
If someone takes a moral stance to how foie gras is prepared, surely there is a case for taking a stance against how all meats are prepared.
If someone takes a moral stance to how foie gras is prepared, surely there is a case for taking a stance against how all meats are prepared.
Even Ouch claimed a limit, Ortolon. We all have our personal boundaries.
I try to vote with my wallet as well as encouraging legislation that would require certain standards.