Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-28
sAVORY FRENCH DISH
AN AMERICAN SUPPLYING PATE,
DE FoIE GRAs.
Engaged in Raising Geese for That
Especial Purpose-The Pro-
cess Employed.

On a twenty-acre farm just beyond Ana
costa an enterprising American is en-
gagged in raising geese for the purpose of
serving pate de foie gras for the American
table and he is said to be making a sue
cess of it.
Many experiments have proved that the
chief constituent of the savory pate de foie
graS can be produced in the United states
as well as abroad. 1t is now known that
a goose's liver can be sweled in few
weeks to the abnormal size required upon
good American cornmeal as well as If the
meal We're exported and stuffed into the
same goose in Germany or southern France.
Last spring a truck farmer living near
Washington asked an acquaintance con-
nected with the Agricultural Department II
he knew anything about the production ana
market prices of pate de foie gras. His at
tention had been attracted to the subject
by a newspaper story describing the ex-
traordinary richness of the French pates
and the high prices paid for them. He at
once said to himself: why cannot raise
pates de foie gras whatever they are. just
easily a Frenchman or DutchnanF
His acquaintance also became interested
in the matter and got all the Information
about pates de foie gras he could. He adj
vised the farmer to make an experiment IN
fattening geese and he laid down set OF
rules for that purpose.
Makes the Trial.
Now this farmer had the facilities for
Just such a trial. Accordingly, ten mature,
healthy geese were separated from the
| flock. wing-clipped and shut up in yard
perhaps forty feet square, with shelter. in
which they had access to a pond perhaps a
dozen feet across. For a time they were
fed literally with corn and chopped green
things, like cabbage leaves, grass, etc.
This a preliminary process to the
forcing one subsequently adopted.
Under these conditions they remained
lively and perfectly healthy and throve
wonderfully, having outgrown their breth-
rem at large by a third in the short space
of half summer. September their treat
ment was changed. The birds were sepa-
rated and each penned up by himself in a
ridiculously small space. The floor was of
sand and gravel. This goose corral was in
| a quiet spot. away from the daily move
ments of farm life.
The forcing process now began, mainly
upon lines supposed to prevail in the for
eign trade Each goose had small feed
ing trough. Each one was Watered once
a day. First and last, several different
kinds of food were tried in this expert
ment. but eventually finely ground corn
meal wet with milk, when there was suff-
Gent otherwise with warm water. was
adopted as the cheapest and most effective.
Cooked meal was not tried.
Necessary Precautions.
The whole trick consisted in keeping the
goose perfectly quiet and his pen thor
oughly clean: and secondly keeping the
goose constantly full of the cornmeal He
was fed even in the night time. No resort
was had to the alleged foreign method of
forcing the food down his throat willy
nilly, and none was necessary.
They grew enormously under this treat
ment. but toward the end very dull and
lethargic, much so that occasionally Cne
would lose his balance and roll over on his
bo ok ~ wholly inc1nah 1a nf recovering
his feet without assistance. OF course,
these novces in the business knew not
when the livers were ripe, but the farmer
did know when the food ceased to have
proper effect upon fattening. and he there
fore concluded that killing time had
rived. Then his acquaintance was con-
suited.
II was no part of their project to go into
the open market with their new commodt ~.
The farmer was brought into conference
with one of Washington's hotelkeepers.
Upon being informed of the experiment
in progress. without making any promises
as to the livers, he babe the farmer 50
home and kill half of the lot and bring
him both the livers and the carcasses. He
agreed to take the dead geese "unsght and
| unseen at 81 apiece. the liver deal to re-
main open until the livers could be seen.
There was, in fact. grave doubts about
the livers, although the theor!st was conf
dent they would be large.
why should this stufing process run
any more to livers than to giZzard?"
The Results.
The five geese were duly killed Some of
the neighbors were inclined to laugh at this
imported method of fatten!ng geese and
scoffed at the purpose of it. When the big
gest goose was opened there a shout
of amazement. In truth the entire cavity
of the body seemed to be filled with liver
and not much else, except the greenSh fat
In which it was incased. The heart and
other organs were dwarfed out of sight.
The liver weighed two pounds and three
ounces. about one-eighth Of the bird s
weight.
The other four livers were nearly equal IN
size. There was no appe arance of disease
about them. The carcasses were fat al,
most beyond concept. on. The skins actually
ooZed goose fat.
The question of producing foe gras dole
on the Potomac seemed to be settled. The
farmer who wrought this result has al
ready matured his plans for a much
greater venture next Sc ,son.