TEDTalks: Natural Foie Gras

One of the podcasts that I follow is the TEDTalks podcast.  It delivers videos of presentations from the TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) and other similar conferences, and is tagged with the motto “Ideas worth spreading.”  They’re all interesting on some level, but there are few that stand out to me, and I would like to remember better.

Don Barber (2008) : A surprising parable of foie gras
Don Barber is a chef who tells the story of the best foie gras he has ever had.  Foie gras is a delicacy; it is liver from a goose that has been fattened, almost exclusively through gavage or force feeding; as such it’s become a symbol of animal cruelty.

A Spanish farmer wins a French foie gras competition, and the French, being they way they are, are instantly aghast and looking for scandal and foul play.  Ultimately, the only bad mark against his foie gras was that it didn’t come through gavage.  It was natural.

The geese naturally gorge themselves before the onset of winter.  So this farmer keeps them in fenced area that’s only electrified on the outside to keep out predators.  The area is full of fig trees, peppers, and yellow seeds that are mostly there because the geese enjoy them, but also because they provide natural flavoring.  It’s true heaven on earth for the geese.  So much so that they will call down passing wild geese to join their flock.

This method is actually the original method of foie gras.  The dish was discovered by the slaves of Ancient Egypt.  One day it was fed to the Pharoh, who enjoyed it so much that he wanted it year round.  Thus gavage was used to provide the Pharoh with what he wanted.

The result is goose liver that is delicious straight from the goose without adding spices.  A meat that is unworthy of the greatest chefs, who would try to make it their own.  A meat that respects nature and history.