Foie gras is made from the fatty liver of ducks or geese that are specially fattened by a process called "gavage," which involves force-feeding the birds a high-starch diet through tubes inserted down their throats, resulting in enlarged, fatty livers. The birds are typically raised outdoors and have access to natural food and water until they are about 81 to 90 days old, after which they undergo the force-feeding phase for around 10 to 16 days to fatten their livers. After slaughtering in regulated conditions, the livers are carefully removed, deveined, seasoned, and cooked to make foie gras. The production process requires skilled handling to ensure the quality of the liver without adding preservatives or artificial colors. The traditional process involves:
- Rearing ducks or geese with access to the outdoors.
- Force-feeding a mixture of boiled grains and fat to enlarge the liver.
- Slaughtering the birds under hygienic conditions.
- Removing and preparing the liver by deveining and seasoning.
- Cooking and preserving the foie gras, often by canning, which preserves its flavor and shelf life.
There are also newer methods being researched to produce foie gras without force-feeding, using enzymes to treat the fat and mimic the natural properties of foie gras, though traditional foie gras is still primarily made through force-feeding.
