By Nathan AdkissonThe Daily Northwestern
Nothing says high-class dining like force-fed fatty duck liver.
But pate de foie gras – as it is called in France and gourmet restaurants around the world – has come under fire due to the treatment birds from foie gras farms receive before they are slaughtered.
On Aug. 22, Chicago became the first city in the United States to ban foie gras in restaurants. But outside the city, restaurants continue to serve the dish.
The nearest place to campus to get foie gras is at Narra, 1710 Orrington Ave. The dish is prepared with French toast and vanilla syrup as an appetizer and costs $16, according to the menu.
After the ban went into effect, Narra did not notice an increase in sales of the French delicacy, said Scott Bigney, the new chef at Narra. Narra receives six orders on average for foie gras each week.
“Nobody that I know talked about it in a supportive way,” Bigney said of the ban.
Foie gras is French for “fattened liver.” By the time the bird is slaughtered, the liver is at least 80 percent fat, which foie gras fans say gives it a divine smoothness and flavor.
Foie gras farmers insert a tube down the throats of ducks and pour in a few pounds of cornmeal two or three times a day for four weeks.
Supporters of the ban, including its sponsor, Chicago Ald. Joe Moore, say the process is inhumane and cruel.
Chefs say that preparing foie gras is no worse than boiling live lobster or killing calves to make veal. Opponents of the ban say it opens up the possibility of banning a whole variety of dishes.
Some chefs already have explored creative ways to get around the foie gras ban, which prevents only the sale of the dish.
According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, the owner of Cyrano’s Bistro and Wine Bar said he would give away free foie gras but charged $15.99 for the potatoes and brioche it came with.
But Michael Crissey, a bartender at Cyrano’s, said Sunday that the restaurant had decided to stop the “giveaway.”
“We don’t do that anymore because we want to cooperate with the city,” he said.
Other chefs have modified appetizers using foie gras, substituting the prohibited ingredient with chicken liver. Some don’t use meat at all. Vegetarian “faux gras” has begun to appear in the city.
“I’m a vegetarian and I’m not for the ban,” said Evanston resident Charlie Abplanalp. “It seems so offbeat of all the things to worry about that they pick this.”
Chicago’s ban passed with an overwhelming majority of 48-1, but that won’t deter Narra and other suburban restaurants from serving the dish.
“Chicago is supposed to be this world-class city with great chefs,” Abplanalp said. “With this ban, they’ve become the laughingstock of the culinary world.”
Reach Nathan Adkisson at [email protected]
