The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-01-05
GOOSE LIVER PASTE
Barred From Banquet of Lord
Mayor of London.
HITS ALSATIAN FARMS
Where the EnIarging of Goose
Liver Is an Industry.

To only one town in Europe the an
I nouncement in the Daily News Of the
action taken by the Humanitarian League
with a view 10 inducing the city author
tiles TO remove pate de foie gras from the
menu of the Guildhall banquet to the
/ Prince and Princess of Wales is a mat
+ ter Of prime Importance. 1t is not, per-
] hars, generally known that the principal
/ seat OF manufacture Of this delicacy is
/ at Strassburg, and when the news Of the
! step taken in London became known
among the purveyors of this speciality,
I great interest was naturally aroused.
One of the largest dealers, in fact, went
so far as 10 admit to me that the ex-
clusion of pate de foie gras from English
tables would be a serious matter for
! Strassburg, There are at the present
! time scores of manufacturers Of pate, or,
+ as the German dealers style it, ''gansel-
eberpastete," giving employment, in one
way or another, to some hundreds of
/ people in Strassburg and its neighbor-
hood. Some of these dealers are re-
nowned for the excellency of their wares
throughout the world Every gourmand
is able to distinguish as easily between
the article made by a first-class firm
and the output of a second-rate manu-
facturer, as the palate of the connoisseur
in wines can pronounce the difference
between Chateau Lafitte and an inferior
brand
Strassburg sends out its famous pate
to every great city in the civiloized
] ,rr
from Switzerland are good customers of
the shops of the Alsatian capital, but
Paris ranks easily first in the consump-
ton of the renowned paste. Next, how
ever, in regard to the extent of its de-
mand comes London, hence, the undis-
guised alarm with which some of the
Strassburg exporters greeted the news
Of the memorial OF the Lord Mayor. Nat
urally, it was insisted that in the event
OF royal acquiescence in the movement
the DEGREES fthe leaders of the English
fashion would promptly go forth against
pate de foie gras, and its disappearance
from the tables of high society would
spell something like disaster to some
firms engaged in meeting the require
ments OF the English markets. As it
was put to me by one shrewd dealer,
thousands of pounds are spent every
year by the caterers of the West End
among Strassburg firms, and the partial
cessation of these orders would have
a far-reaching effect in this city.
Pate de foie gras. of course. a product
of nineteenth century righteousness, for
the Roman Emperors. with their pea
cocks brains and larhs' tongues, never
dreamed of this delicacy which now forms
the staple industry in Strassburg. Its
present popularity is due almost entirely
to the rage for it which sprung up in
the Partisan society during the second
empire. The aristocracy of France hav-
ing launched the article into favor the
British gourmand, never slow TO follow
in the footsteps of Paris, speedily adopted
the idea, and from that time to the pres
ent the demand has steadily increased
in every country. Some idea of the
extent of the trade may be gathered
from the fact that twenty years ago
the value Of the fat liver pies" sent out
from strassburg amounted TO 600, 900
yearly. while at the present moment it is
estimated to reach e15O.O00. It seems at
first sight incredible that an article of
such q large figure; yet such is the
fact
st. Martins Day may be said to mark
the commencement of the pate sea
son proper, for, although the Strass-
burg dealers in licatessen-waren' al
ways keeps a stock on hand labelled
this seasons goods" with which to
supply the requirements of tourists, all
pate obtained before November may be
assumed of inferior quality Early in
the summer the peasants and small far
mers begin the feeding of geese for the
great Strassburg market Nearly every
cottage represents a goose-liver factory.
some villages being famed for the super
iority Of their produce Thus, Wangenau
possesses such a reputation that its
geese command higher price than birds
fed in neighboring places. As for the
process of fattening it is not to be dis
puted that the Humanitarian League has
some Justification for its attitude. In
deed. a visit to room where the birds
are being fed during the three months
required TO bring them to the needful
condition Of corpulency IS calculated TO
excite a degree OF repulsion which would
probably even be shared by the lovers Of
pate de foie gras. Each bird is con-
fined within a box. with such limited
accommodation that while the goose is +
able TO move its head, no other form Of
exercise IS possible. Uueer these circur-
stances, all that is necessary to set up
liver complaint is 20 feed the birds fire.
quently. and upon heavy diet. which
is done by forcing down their outlets
a stiff mixture OF maize meal spiced
with con6iment.
a week or two Of this generous feed /
ing is quite sufficient 70 originate dis !
ease, the liver steadily distends until
the unfortunate bird becomes little
more than mass of liver and TAT /
When. in fact. the goose hiss become /
sufficiently diseased il IS ready for the !
market: and the more advanced the dis I
ease the more valuable the bird IN esti- I
mating the value OF goose liver. how 1
ever. regard Is had &c more considerations !
than weight ard size. Some livers are /
red others are dark brown. while ~
some cases they assume green hue. and /
as these latter are most highly esteem !
81 by epicures of finer liver VIII fetch 4
as much IS e5s Inferior kinds. however. 4
are WORTH only from Is. ca 10 Is Sd Ter 1
pound f
on Wednesday mornings tie shops OF 4
the dealers are crowded by farmers from +
the country stricts. laden vita small .
baskets containing one Of TWO goose liveTs
One Of the most curious sights ~ Strass-
burg during the winter months is the
arrival OF the veaders ri liver "a The