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If you visit France and want to try foie gras but find the traditional force-feeding of ducks and geese morally unacceptable, are there humane alternatives for the conscientious eater? Or is it better to abstain from such products altogether on ethical grounds while travelling in France?

Does foie gras sans gavage—foie gras made without force-feeding—actually exist in France?

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    There is a place in Spain that does it relying on Goose/Ducks instinctive gorging behavior during the autumn... And there are companies htat can turn normal goose livers into fois gras like texture/flavor using lipases. But I don't think any of those are done in France. Commented 2 days ago
  • There are vegan imitations of foie gras that are quite good. Commented yesterday

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There’s no foie gras in France which is not produced by force feeding, because under French law force feeding is required in order to call something foie gras.

You may find foie de canard listed, generally as a paté; that does not involve gavage. But it won’t really be the same thing… steak versus hamburger, sort of.

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    Is foie de canard specifically a "fatty" liver, or is it used for all varieties of duck/goose liver? My understanding is that under certain conditions/times of year geese will naturally gorge themselves and develop a fatty liver, no force feeding needed. I believe Neil is looking for that sort of naturally fatty liver, rather than regular non-fatty goose liver. Is there anything specific he should be looking for to get that in particular? Commented 2 days ago
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    Aw, I was hoping it's called sparkling foie if it's not from the force-fed region. Commented yesterday
  • You will often find that ordinary duck liver pâté has a high fat content because it has added fat taken from other parts of a duck or from other animals. Commented yesterday
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I thought you were right, but to my surprise, such alternatives do exist!

Plant-based foie gras:

  • Faux Gras by Gaia
  • Veg'gras by Senfas

The former is a blend of oil, yeast, and starch, seasoned with champagne, truffle, and various spices. The latter contains an additional base ingredient, cashew nuts, and a seasoning composed primarily of white wine and cognac. Much cheaper than real foie gras (around €3 for 100 grams). The French Consumers' Union (UFC) deemed these products much less flavorful.

Foie gras without force-feeding:

A start-up sells this product called Auca, for €142.43 per 125-gram tin but I found people were generally unimpressed, the flavor being closer to pâté (as Sneftel said).

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