Foie gras pate
Foie gras ( French : pâté de foie gras) is made of foie gras and frequently truffles prepared pie .
history
Even the Egyptians fattened geese. The ancient Romans already appreciated the value of fat goose livers. In his satires, Horace speaks of the liver of the white goose fattened with juicy figs. The actual foie gras pate is an invention of Maître Close, mouth cook of Marshal von Contades, who came to Strasbourg in 1762 as military governor of the province of Alsace . When the Marshal was recalled to Paris during the Revolution, Close stayed in Strasbourg and established himself as a pastry maker. In 1873 there were 23 pastry bakers in Strasbourg whose annual turnover was estimated at around one million euros.
Preservation
Goose liver pate comes in porcelain containers (terrines) or in a baked form made from bread dough ( croûte ), which is often not eaten. The latter shape is more valued because it offers an unmistakable sign of freshness, because such a pie would spoil if kept for a long time. Hermetically sealed or canned, the pie will keep longer, but will lose a lot of its quality.
Today's production
Many companies in Alsace are involved in the preparation of this delicacy and the fattening of the geese, for example in Colmar and Strasbourg; outside of Alsace, the Périgord and Gascony are known for their foie gras. The fattening process with various types of grain ( maize , wheat , oats, etc.), which is common for the production of fat goose livers , and which in some European countries (including Germany) is viewed by parts of society and by the legislature as cruelty to animals and is therefore forbidden, is called stuffing or noodles .
Others
- Isaac Asimov published a short story in 1956 called ' Foie Gras ' ( foie gras ).