The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1880-07-03
Something Bergh Would Stop.

The conquest of Strasburg by the
Germans has added to the empire city
of sc, 900 people and several millions Of
geese, 150, 900 Of which are devoted to
strange uses. These geese live and die
for the benefit of the few exquisite livers
and the many men and women, especially
men, who like to act the part of the
gourmand and are willing to pay for it /,
as well as to indulge in culinary fib
occasionally. These geese are educated
with sole regard for their liver, the lat
ter being used for the s'pates de foies
gras," which go around the world,
packed in tin boxes or the pots of Sarge
mund, of which the latter are rather
preferable. The first pate of goose-liyer
on record was made by the Romans. In
order to get the liver large and fat the
geese were placed in iron cages, their
heads sticking out in such q way as to
make its withdrawal impossible and life
wretched. To make misery complete a
bright fire was burning close by, keeping
up temperature in which three geese
out of four perished, while the fourth
succeeded, on the strength of three or
four enforced meals day, to develop q
miserable body and an enormous liver.
Roman gentlemen occasionally had their
anseraria where the animals were fed on
figs, as Horace says:
"Pinquibus ct ficis pastum Jecur anseris."-
(Of juicy figs they make food for the
liver OF the goose.
When the luxury of Rome was swept
away by the Teutonic migration of ma
tions, it is reported that the Jews re-
tanned the secret of the goose-liyer, and
the whole secret of the modern pate was
divulged only by the French revolution,
although the philosopher" who helped
to bring it on enjoyed the dish hugely,
provided it was saturated with the
aroma of the truffie. The Jews had a
preference for onions, but Close, q native
of Normandy and chef de cuisine to
Marshal Contade, who was commander
in Alsace from 1862 to 17SS, decided that
large, fat goose-iver was too good for
onions and garlic; he filed it with truf-
hes, surrounded it with daintily chopped
veal, enveloped the affair in the rich
est dough, and gave it a slow
stew. But he insisted on an enor-
nous liver, the Prigor4 truffie and
appreciative feeders. The latter were
found readily among the male and fe-
male bedar-esp,its, the higher clergy and
the intellectual liberals /; men of affairs
are occasionally too prudent to be gor-
mands. In 1888 Close decided to find o
constituency of his own he set himself
in the rue Mesange, and now the dish
enjoys an international reputation. The
Russians admire it greatly it is liked
in France and England, and much used
in America. The Germans call it LebeT-
pastite, and are not quite up to its re-
finements.
America Will never produce much of
this food for mellow palates, unless all
its prevention-of-cruelty societies ad-
journ sine die. For the whole process
of making it is unnatural and not speci-
ally appetizing. The geese are pur-
chased when about nine months old
they are placed in q dark, damp cellar
where they are tied on stone tables with
backs down and their necks unsupported
while wings and feet are separated as far
as possible. For about week the un-
happy creature struggles and screams
against such human fiendishness then
sets in a period of dull resignation,
which lasts five or six weeks. They are
fed once in two hours, or rather forced
to digest little dumplings of stewed
DuCAMAtut anu eACotiluest sAoo bAAAS
process is repeated six times day. Fin
ally the animals approache their natural
end, and the great point is to kill them
just before. They are usually SO far
gone as to be unable to make any resist
ance they have no real meat but their
liver weighs about three pounds, and
consists chiefly of fat. The rest is sold
for about 10 cents. The liver is then
filled with about a pound and a half Of
truff1es, and placed on ice for week.
Then it is cut up into slices, and placed
alternately with the most delicate of fine.
ly chopped meats in tin boxes or earthen
pots, covered with pure and tasteless
fat, and stewed for about five hours.
The article is now ready for the market
of five continents, and the rule is to like
it. The last prevention of-cruelty Off.
| Ger who made his appearance in Stras'
bourg was denounced as socialist
and scarcely escaped with his life.-Bos
fo,, 4f{fey,fiee7.