Foie gras, caviar and truffles are listed as one of the "world's top three delicacies", especially foie gras (referring to foie gras in haute cuisine, ditto) is often paired with top wines. Only the world's top restaurants offer this upscale cuisine, and the price is naturally not cheap. Do the usual goose also have liver, is it also the world's top food? How expensive is foie gras? How should foie gras be paired with wine?
1. Is foie gras the foie gras eaten at home?
The common goose on the market also has liver, also known as foie gras, which is the legendary top food? wrong! This can't be called a real foie gras. Foie gras in haute cuisine generally costs more than 700 grams, while family foie gras usually weighs only a few tens of grams.
True foie gras is ivory, pale golden or pale bluish yellow with a light pink color, not a reddish color. So foie gras in haute cuisine is not the liver of the goose we see in our family.
2. How did foie gras come about?
The foie gras selected for making foie gras is a specially selected breed, such as the top French Round goose. Within 12 weeks of the goose's birth, the keeper will increase the amount of food the goose will eat day by day, and the goose's stomach and intestines will be trained to be as strong as steel. After 12 weeks, each goose feeder will force about 12 kilograms of corn and grain mixtures to fill the goose's stomach completely. The goose has not yet digested the previous meal, and is fed the next one, for several weeks. Such a pair of "fatty liver" that is 6-10 times larger than normal foie gras is done. The common foie gras is actually the "fatty liver" in the body of a live goose, and because the production process is very cruel, it is also known as one of the world's top cruel delicacies.
3. Why is foie gras so expensive?
Foie gras sells for around €200-300 per pound, so why is foie gras so expensive?
(1) Extremely high nutritional value: Foie gras is rich in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, cholesterol and minerals such as iron, zinc, copper, potassium, phosphorus and sodium, which have the effect of nourishing blood and nourishing the eyes. Foie gras fat content of up to 60%, but most of them are unsaturated fatty acids, very easy to be absorbed by the human body, while rich in copper, triacylglycerol, lecithin, DNA and ribonucleic acid, has a high medicinal value, can increase the enzyme activity in the body, regulate calcium, phosphorus metabolism, reduce blood cholesterol levels, soften blood vessels and prevent cardiovascular disease.
(2) Royal and aristocratic admiration: Eating foie gras dates back to more than 2,000 years ago in the Romans, who initially ate figs with foie gras and presented it to Julius Caesar, who regarded it as a delicacy. Later, when it spread to France, the governor of Alsace was particularly proud of the foie gras method invented by his chef, and invited celebrities to taste it in his house, and many celebrities and writers praised the delicious foie gras, such as the writers Boriat-savarin, George Sand and Alexandre dumas. Later, the governor of the province also offered the prepared foie gras delicacy to Louis XVI to taste, and the king exclaimed that it was the best food in the world, and since then, foie gras has become one of the top dishes in France. Today, foie gras is still loved by the French royal family and nobles, and is one of the royal delicacies for entertaining VIPs.
(3) High production cost: about 12 kilograms of grain should be fed every day, so the cost of feeding is relatively high. At the same time, the risk of dying during feeding is very high, and the survival rate is not as high as that of normally fed geese, so the cost is also higher.
4. French foie gras
"Without French foie gras, it is equivalent to not having eaten French food, and not understanding French foie gras is not an authentic 'foodie'." It can be seen that the status of French foie gras. Although France is not the birthplace of foie gras, it is a holy place for foie gras to flourish. Not only does France produce foie gras in the world, but also European countries such as Hungary and China, but why is it not as famous as French foie gras?
(1) Good breed: There are 3 large goose breeds in France - Strasbourg goose, Round goose and Toulouse goose. The foie gras produced by these three kinds of geese is of good quality, large in size, nutritious and full of aroma after cooking, and the taste is excellent. The most famous of these is The Strasbourg Foie Gras, which Louis XVI tasted in that year.
(2) Long history: Foie gras has a history of thousands of years in France, and the French have a deep study of the breeding, processing and cooking methods of geese, so that the flavor of foie gras produced is more wonderful and unique. This is unmatched by foie gras produced in other countries.
5. How to choose foie gras?
(1) Large body size: The weight of foie gras is generally selected for more than 700-800 grams, and the heavier the body, the quality and price of foie gras are relatively higher. Foie gras below 700 can be lowered, and the quality is relatively poor.
(2) Color: Generally foie gras is ivory with light pink, light golden yellow or light blue yellow, rarely with blood color. It is recommended not to choose foie gras with severe blood color, which is generally of poor quality.
(3) Integrity: Injured or broken foie gras is generally not recommended. This type of foie gras is of much lower quality than intact foie gras.
(4) Breeds: Choose famous breeds of geese such as French Strasbourg goose, Round goose and Toulouse goose, and the quality is guaranteed.
6. There are 4 common types of foie gras on the market
(1) Raw foie gras cru: refers to unprocessed foie gras. Its high fat content not only gives it a rich and delicious taste, but also makes it melt in the mouth and taste like silk.
(2) Fresh foie gras (foie gras frais): refers to the processing has been cooked, usually packed in enamel jars or bottles, generally in the cooked food can be purchased, placed in the refrigerator refrigeration can be stored for a week. This type of foie gras is generally of the highest quality.
(3) Impregnated and preserved foie gras (foie gras de conserve): The traditional method is to put it in a bottle, soak it in goose oil to disinfect and sterilize, and then store it in a cool, dry and dark cellar. This type of foie gras can be preserved for several years, and like some wines, it becomes more and more fragrant over a certain period of time.
(4) Foie gras mi-cuit pasteurize:refers to the short cooking time, sterilized and sterilized packaged foie gras. This type of foie gras can be refrigerated for 3 months, even after opening.
7. Foie gras
The "foie gras" in French cuisine is not a seasoning for foie gras made into a paste sauce, but is similar to China's "cake" or "jelly". The high-quality foie gras is made from whole pieces of foie gras, and the next quality foie gras is made from broken foie gras. Foie gras can be eaten raw or after frying and sautéing.
Traditional foie gras method: remove the skin membrane on the surface of the foie gras, cut open the foie gras and remove the blood vessels, sprinkle with salt, pepper, sugar and cardamom powder, then drizzle with brandy, marinate for about 2 hours, put it in a baking dish, bake in the oven (at a temperature of about 140) for about 1 hour, put another empty baking sheet on the baking sheet, add weight, flatten the foie gras from top to bottom, put it in the refrigerator after cooling, and slice it when eating.
8. The classic way to eat foie gras and foie gras sauce
Foie gras and foie gras sauce can be eaten warmly, fried, fried, boiled, steamed and grilled.
The classic way to eat foie gras: Cut the foie gras into thin slices, sandwich it in a heated bread and coat with the sauce. This way of eating can eat the plump foie gras, but also sweet and sour and non-greasy.
Classic how to eat foie gras: Foie gras is also rich in oily and sweet "radon acid", which has a particularly attractive aroma when heated, which is indescribable and can only be known in it. When the tendons are processed clean, the foie gras is heated to 35 degrees, and its fat begins to melt, which is also close to the temperature of the human body, so there is a feeling of melting in the mouth, which is thick and thick, delicate and smooth, with a faint fragrance of foie gras. On the palate it resembles the finest Swiss chocolate, but is more mellow and aromatic.
9. Foie gras and fine wine
When cooking, wines such as cognac, bordeaux and bourgogne are often seasoned, but the top foie gras does not like to be served with too strong red wine, but sauternes is a noble rot wine.
This is because dry red wines are usually high in tannins and have a heavy body structure, and when paired with foie gras, they generally mask the tender flesh of foie gras. Although the dry white wine is relatively light and delicate, the acidity is often high, and when paired with foie gras, it does not bring out the rich flavor of foie gras.
And gui rot wine is a very aromatic sweet wine, the taste is sweet and delicate, full and fat. When paired with foie gras, the aroma of both are aromatic and complement each other; the sweetness of the taste can bring out the richness and delicacy of foie gras, the high acidity of Su tortoisen guifu wine can also solve the greasiness of foie gras; the structural fullness of wine can set off the delicate and silky flesh of foie gras. Therefore, the combination of Su Tortoisen gui rot wine and foie gras has become a golden rule and a rare classic combination.