Utterly butterly foie gras obviously doesn?t wash down well with the Indian government, which banned the import of the delicacy earlier this month. Pressure from animal rights groups, citing cruelty to animals, plus an expose by the same groups showing tortured birds at a Spanish foie gras production facility that supplied to Indian restaurants, apparently led to the move. An unexpected notification on the Indian Directorate of Foreign Trade?s website, announcing the import policy for foie gras had been changed from free to prohibited, spelt the end of the food product in India.
The subject of much controversy the world over?only five countries still produce foie gras?the product is actually fatty liver of ducks and geese who are force-fed so that they accumulate fat in their livers. Animal rights groups protest this force-feeding of the birds, which is done by inserting tubes down their throats, and the consequent enlarged livers of the birds.
As foie gras is not produced in India, this means it?s off the tables for good. Understandably, restaurants big on the delicacy are unhappy with the ban, while others couldn?t care less.
?The plight of half-dead, dehydrated chicken who are transported in cages in this summer heat is more pathetic than ducks or geese being force-fed,? feels chef Manish Mehrotra of award-winning Delhi restaurant Indian Accent. His restaurant served two dishes using foie gras, including a signature dish?galawat?besides tandoori foie gras.
With both of them quite popular, the restaurant consumed a substantial 20 kg of foie gras a month. However, they are now no longer on the menu as the restaurant is not giving any more orders for foie gras after the ban.
?Foie gras is available in several countries despite them not producing any. France is still doing it and a large quantity of foie gras is used there. The ban is a sad thing, considering only about 100 kg of foie gras was being consumed in India per month,? says Mehrotra. France is also the largest producer as well as consumer of foie gras.
Foie gras production is banned in most European countries, Argentina and Israel, while both production and sale are banned in California. The five countries still producing foie gras are Belgium, France, Hungary, Spain and Bulgaria.
Producers argue that ducks and geese naturally consume large amounts of food to gain weight before migration. They also contend that had the birds been stressed or injured during force-feeding, they wouldn?t ingest the additional food.
But ITC Hotels? corporate chef Manjit Gill begs to differ. Welcoming the ban, he says his restaurants won?t close down if they don?t serve foie gras. The ITC group restaurants consumed about 3-5 kg of the product every month.
?The ITC group is big on sustainability and natural practices. So we welcome the ban. I am very happy with it. If a human liver gets enlarged, the person is diseased and suffers pain and discomfort. Surely, the birds also feel the same discomfort,? he says, adding that foie gras is not a staple food, so the unnatural practice of producing fatty livers is not justified just for the table.
Moreover, he thinks one ingredient cannot be bigger than a chef?s skills. ?Merely including one ingredient in a dish to elevate its status does not reflect on the chef?s talent. The product may be an exotic delicacy, but the chefs don?t have to do much to it,? he says.
As for finding substitutes, chefs in Chicago have attempted dishes like ?faux gras?, but failed to recreate the same intensity and character of the original. Closer home, chef Mehrotra says there cannot be any substitute for foie gras, the closest being butter. ?And, you can?t cook butter.?
As the controversy rages on, for now, a moment of silence for the product and a hurrah for the birds!