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FeaturesApril 10, 2016

The city of Strasbourg, the capital of the Alsace region of France, rivals Paris in the minds of many, and after a recent trip there I can see why. As one travel writer put it, Strasbourg is precisely what you would expect from Paris! Alas, the charms of the City of Light are sometimes obscured these days by the nearly 30 million tourists each year who inevitably take their toll on the city's infrastructure. Not so with Strasbourg...

Foie gras, the epitome of French haute cuisine, as served at the Kammerzell House in Strasbourg, France, home to what many contend is the best version of the delicacy in all of France.
Foie gras, the epitome of French haute cuisine, as served at the Kammerzell House in Strasbourg, France, home to what many contend is the best version of the delicacy in all of France.TOM HARTE

The city of Strasbourg, the capital of the Alsace region of France, rivals Paris in the minds of many, and after a recent trip there I can see why. As one travel writer put it, Strasbourg is precisely what you would expect from Paris!

Alas, the charms of the City of Light are sometimes obscured these days by the nearly 30 million tourists each year who inevitably take their toll on the city's infrastructure. Not so with Strasbourg.

This is not to say I would ever turn down the chance to visit Paris again, but I've discovered Strasbourg can be every bit as alluring.

It's the city where Gutenberg printed his first Bible, where "La Marseillaise" was composed, and where foie gras, the most decadent of French delicacies and the epitome of haute cuisine, is said to be the best in the country, a judgment going at least as far back as Alexander Dumas.

Regular readers of this column can easily guess which of these gifts to the world I think is the most deserving of celebration. Foie gras, literally "fat liver," is one of the most luxurious of foods, ranking right up there with caviar and truffles and just as expensive.

A kiosk outside the famed Kammerzell House in Strasbourg, France, dispenses arguably the city's most famous culinary treasure: foie gras.
A kiosk outside the famed Kammerzell House in Strasbourg, France, dispenses arguably the city's most famous culinary treasure: foie gras.TOM HARTE

It's rich, buttery and delicate and as far removed from ordinary chicken or beef liver as hamburger is from chateaubriand.

Gourmets have been consuming this extravagance for centuries.

As Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat tells us, during the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt the illustrious Ti had painted in his burial chambers graphic depictions of the not-altogether-compassionate process of harvesting foie gras through force-feeding.

The Egyptians were the first to recognize that before geese are about to migrate they overindulge themselves, eating so much food that reserved energy is stored in their livers to sustain them on their travels.

Those enlarged livers became gourmet fare, and it wasn't long before someone got the idea to speed the process along and ensure a year-round supply by cramming food down the birds' throats.

Crocks of foie gras, the decadent French delicacy, for sale at Edouard Artzner, the premier purveyor of the product in Strasbourg, France.
Crocks of foie gras, the decadent French delicacy, for sale at Edouard Artzner, the premier purveyor of the product in Strasbourg, France.TOM HARTE

Thus, as Toussaint-Samat observes, foie gras embodies greed twice over: both for the birds and the end user.

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The technique of force-feeding is still in use today in France, the largest producer and the largest consumer of foie gras and, by most accounts, the country that produces the best.

Anyone familiar with the technique of force-feeding naturally might have qualms about it, but I can tell you the French apparently do not, especially in Strasbourg.

Consequently, it is not difficult to find foie gras in Strasbourg, either at a shop like Edouard Artzner, the premiere purveyor, or on a menu, as I did at the famed Kammerzell House, an ornate medieval structure standing in the shadow of the magnificent cathedral there.

There, in what is practically a cathedral itself, it is tempting to take a blind eye toward the traditional practices used to create foie gras.

The facade of Edouard Artzner, the premiere purveyor of foie gras in Strasbourg, France.
The facade of Edouard Artzner, the premiere purveyor of foie gras in Strasbourg, France.TOM HARTE

The stuff is like nothing you've ever tasted: incredibly rich, velvety and memorable.

Of course, all meat products raise the question of whether our gustatory pleasure is worth what is done to provide it. But by its very nature, the production of foie gras raises the question louder.

Some will answer yes and others no, but both should face honestly how they feel about a silly goose.

Faux Gras

Though this pâte recipe, adapted from Food.com, only mimics genuine foie gras, it won't bother your conscience -- and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than the real thing.

  • 1/2 pound chicken livers, trimmed
  • 2 tablespoons minced onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick room temperature butter
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Cover chicken livers with water, add onion, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes. Add salt and simmer 5 minutes longer until tender. Without draining, cool to room temperature.

When cool, drain chicken livers, reserving cooking liquid. In a food processor, puree chicken livers with butter, Worcestershire, mustard, nutmeg, cloves and cayenne until smooth, adding reserved cooking water if necessary. Adjust seasonings.

Place mixture into a greased crock or ramekin, cover directly with plastic wrap and chill at least 24 hours.

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