The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-27
PATE DE FoIE GRAs.
The Making of the "Gourmands'
Delight"
New YORK COmmercial1


There is said to be something ap-
preaching nervousness in the high
class grocery and delicatessen trade all
over the world on account of the pend
ing efforts Of the Humanitarian League
of Great Britain to induce the munich
pal authorities here in London to cut
pate de fOie gras out of the menu at
the Guildhall banquet to the Prince
and Princess of Wales, and at Strass-
burg, the capital city of Alsace-Lor-
raine, there is nothing short of con-
sternation. If London should set the
pace in this matter, all England would
naturally follow, and then the whole
house. of cards on which this trade
is founded-namely. would
probably tumble all over the world
1t is not generally known that the
basis of pate de fOie gras-in fact, the
principal ingredient and practically
the whole thing"-is the diseased liv-
ers of over fattened geese. Strassburg
is the great head-center of its manu-
facture. and the output from there
forms the great bulk Of the trade in
the so-called delicacy. There are at
the present time some scores of man
ufactures of pate, giving employment
TO many hundreds of people in Strass-
burg and it's vicinity.
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
amounte dtO $4,000 yearly, while at
the present moment it is estimated to
reach s160.000. It seems at first sight
incredible that an article OF limited
consumption should represent such a
large figure. yet such is the fact
According to a writer in the Daily
News, st. Martins day marks the COM
mencement of the pate season proper,
for although the Strassburg dealers in
Hdelicatesss n-waren' always keep a
stock on hand labeled this season 8
goods, with which to supply the re-
quirements of tourists. all pate OBJ
tanned before November may be as
suned to be of inferior quality. Early
IN the summer the peasants and small
farmers Of AlSace and Lorraine begin
the feeding OF geese for the great
Strassburg market. Nearly every cot
tage represents a goose liver factory,
some villages being famed for the su-
perlority Of their product. Thus. Wan
genau possesses such a reputation that
ITS geese command a higher price than
birds fed in neighboring places. AS for
the process of fattening. it is not to be
disputed that the Humanitarian league
has some Justification for its attitude
Indeed, visit to a room where the
birds are being fed during the three
months required to bring them to the
needful condition of corpulencv is cal
culated to excite degree of repulsion
which would probably be shared. even
bV the lovers Toara 10 fOfn orroc
bird is confined within a box. with such
limited accommodation that while the
goose is able to move its head no other
form of exercise is possible. Under
these circumstances all that is neces-
sary to set up liver complaint is 10
feed the birds frequently and upon a
heavy diet, which is done by forcing
down their outlets a stiff mixture of
maize meal Spiced with condiment
A week or two Of this generous feed
ing is quite sufficient to originate dis
ease; the liver steadily distends until
the unfortunate bird becomes little
more than a mass of liver and fat
When, in fact. the goose has become
sufficiently diseased it is ready for
market, and the more advanced the dis
order the more valuable the bird. In
estimating the value of a goose liver.
however, regard is had to more consid-
eratiOns than weight and size. Some
livers are red. others are dark brown.
while in some cases they assume a
green hue. and as these latter are most
highly esteemed by epicures. a fine Iiv-
er viii fetch as much as % shillings
Inferior kinds, however, are worth only
from IS Cd to IS Sd per pound.
On Wednesday mornings the shops
Of the dealers are crowded by farmers
from the country districts, laden with
small baskets containing one or two
goose livers. One of the most curious
sights of Strassburg during the winter
months is the arrival of vendors of
liver at the railway station, each with
her-for they are mostly farmers
wives of the shrewd Alsatian type
load of raw material for the dinner ia
bles of the upper 10000 throughout
the world
Besides the actual preparation of the
pate-which is a secret carefully guard
ed by the leading firms-the manufac-
ture Of the cases in which il is sent
out--for sale represents a considerable
industry. The tastefulness and variety
of the designs upon the outside of these
cases are marvellous. Most OF them
bear the unmistakable cachet of Paris
ian origin; for pate de foie gras being
an article restricted by its cost to the
best tables il is held that (presuma bly,
upon the principle WHO drives fat
oxen should himself be fat'') for such a
dainty nothing less than a costly cas-
ket viii suffice. Accordingly, Strass-
burg firms vie with one another in the