![\"\"](\"https:\/\/relaisgourmet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/1-porteur-Louvre.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\nThen, our distant ancestors came to spend the winter in the land of Sumer, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (wall decorations featuring geese can be found in Nineveh in Mesopotamia) or near the Nile delta. They wanted to know more about it… Greedy and curious to know the secrets of this imposing and delicious liver, the Egyptians (among others) decided to observe the behavior of the migratory bird. Their patience was rewarded when they realized that geese, in order to “refuel” and prepare for the long journey of migration, gorged themselves on far more food than usual… (the weight of some migrants even increased by 50%). The Egyptians then understood that geese create “foie gras” by accumulating fat in this famous organ. A real “fuel” for their long journey! <\/p>\n\n
* Haruspices<\/p>\n\n Of course, to make sure these incredible delicacies were within easy reach, palmipeds were gradually domesticated. In Egypt, for example (ancient empire 2845-2400 BC), archaeologists have discovered numerous bas-reliefs depicting these procedures at Giza. At Saqqarah, near present-day Cairo, tombs of viziers reveal the breeding of waterfowl. Scenes show, for example, a perfectly perfected method of force-feeding. It was probably the Greeks who passed on the taste for Foie Gras to the Romans. Later, the Hebrews carried on the tradition of breeding and force-feeding of their ancient Egyptian masters. After crossing the Red Sea from Palestine, they later spread to Europe, notably Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland and France. <\/p>\n\n The Mus\u00e9e du Louvre in Paris houses a reproduction of this veritable comic strip. Before the eyes of a deceased man and his son, the barnyard unfolds: geese, ducks, showing how these ducks and geese are fed… and even cranes. Sitting on the floor, two valets prepare a paste in a pot with a bulging bottom, set on a tripod. One of the boys holds a funnel (…). His companion rolls the dough between his hands, forming small, regular balls. Let’s move on to another view. The strands of dough have been neatly arranged in a bowl, and all that’s left to do is to pick them up as they go along and push them into the bird’s beak. The fingers are moved around the goose’s neck, as if massaging it, to help it swallow. Next to the feeders, containers hold a liquid, perhaps oil, to make the food slide more easily. A whole flock of geese and ducks, a little further away, seem to be eagerly awaiting this feast. Some are already stretching their necks. Others are flapping their wings. Or drink, visibly sated.” L’Histoire naturelle et morale de la nourriture, Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, Editions Bordas 1987. <\/p>\n\n This Latin naturalist then put forward two names: Scipio Metellus and Marcus Seius. Men who had distinguished themselves in the previous century in the art of fattening geese. Petronius in his “Satiricon”, the Latin poet Martial, Juvenal in his “satires”, Apicius in “l’art culinaire”. All these Latin authors marvel at the excellence of foies gras. Apicius even invented a precise, highly elaborate recipe for preparing Foie Gras. This is given in his book “de Re Coquinaria”. Other authors, such as Cato, Varron, Celsus and Palladio, went so far as to provide advice on fattening. The geographer Strabo refers to the goose-feeding guards of Aquileia, whom he even nicknamed “goose men”: the “Anserarii”. <\/p>\n\n In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the demographic development of the French countryside led south-western France, among other regions, to start growing new crops. These included corn, potatoes and other crops. What’s more, these crops were not taxed. The breeding of palmipeds took on real economic importance. Numerous books on agriculture and rural home economics attest to this. From time immemorial, the products of fatty palmipeds formed the staple diet of farmers in eastern France (Alsace) and the south-west. In particular, fat, meat and foie gras were preserved in stoneware pots. The aim was to meet winter needs. Goose and duck rearing methods then saw the invention of the embuc (piston funnel). Foie Gras began to be sold on markets, providing a source of income for farmers. <\/p>\n\n It was during this period that the revival of the culinary art associated with Foie Gras took shape. Strasbourg and Toulouse were vying for the title of Foie Gras Capital. The 19th century saw the development of the great Foie Gras “houses”. Many towns in the south-west became major centers of what were known as “Foie Gras Markets”. Some of these famous markets still exist today: Samatan, Brive, Pomarez, Gimont, P\u00e9rigueux, Sarlat and others. They’re still very famous. The South-West and Alsace are regions known the world over for the high tradition and quality of their Foies Gras, among other things. Everywhere on our continent, and of course in France, geese were bred in abundance (Poitou, Vend\u00e9e, Normandy, Picardy etc.). Over time, some of these regions have naturally integrated traditional methods of Foies Gras production with rigor and success. Today, many Eastern European countries have Foie Gras farms. <\/p>\n\n Find more interesting facts about Foie Gras and the Basque Country on our Blog<\/a> and tasty recipes in the Recipe<\/a> section of our website!<\/p>\n\n Sources: La grande histoire du Foie Gras by Silvano Serventi, ed. Flammarion 1993 and L’oie (original title: l’Oca) ed. K\u00f6nemann, 1998 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The history of Foie Gras, an activity that has spanned the centuries […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2268],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-unclassified"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/relaisgourmet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Bas-relief.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\nEarly breeding: a comic strip carved in stone<\/h3>\n\n
Foie Gras from the Old Kingdom (Egypt, 2815-2400 BC):<\/h3>\n\n
As early as 23 AD. Pliny the Elder sought to identify the inventor of Foie Gras: such a great recipe!<\/h3>\n\n
In modern times for Alsace, the South-West and other French regions: new cultures<\/h3>\n\n
The revival of culinary art<\/h3>\n\n