Foodism
—
Translating to ‘fatty liver’, foie gras, along with truffles and caviar, is a symbol of excess. The decadent duck dish, made from the fatty liver of a duck or goose, was dined upon by ancient Egyptian pharaohs and Roman dictators. It's canonical in classic French cuisine.
Foie gras is a contentious, polarizing product: chefs are either aligned with or maligned against it. It is not alone in its divisiveness: horse meat, beluga caviar, shark fins, and unpasteurized milk have all met debates over ethics, public health, and animal endangerment.
