Origins and celebrations

Foie gras is proud of a long and prestigious history. The first traces of the delicacy go back to the time of ancient Egypt more than 3000 years BC. The Egyptians had observed the bulimia of some birds before their migration and their natural ability to store fat in the liver. They reproduced the technique of assisted feeding on domesticated animals. This technique then spread throughout history especially in Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Roman Empire, this tradition continued in Jewish communities who used to replace butter with goose fat to cook their meat. The Jews then spread the foie gras production in France, especially in Alsace, as well as in Hungary and along the Danube with the migrations of Jews from Bohemia. As palmipeds are fed with corn, farms were progressively deployed in areas where the cultivation of this cereal was developing like in the south-west of France.

The foie gras has therefore become a traditional gastronomic product whose production is closely linked to the culinary identity of some Euro Foie Gras member countries: in France, foie gras is recognized as being part of the Protected Cultural and Gastronomic Heritage and in Hungary, goose liver has obtained the distinction “Hungaricum”: a unique product to which Hungarians attach great importance.

Contributing to the culinary outreach of Europe, foie gras is rooted in the identity of several territories and celebrations are organized. In Hungary, the Goose Festival is celebrated on Saint Martin’s day which marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Other examples in France: the Fest’Oie organized every year in the city of Sarlat to celebrate the goose of Périgord or the regional foie gras festival of the city of Phalsbourg near Strasbourg. These celebrations mean tradition, culture, heritage, conviviality, pleasure and sharing.