The french word Foe Gras means a fatty liver, and it is normally used to name different products elaborated with this special ingredient. With the objective to eliminate confusions, we will share a small guide to learn about the different concepts of “entier”, “bloc”, “mousse” and “pâté”, plus how are they made. We have ranked them from the higher to lowest quality according to their Foie Gras contents.
The different products made of or containing foie gras
Foie Gras Entier
This is the highest quality Foie Gras. It is made with only fatty liver. Inside the pack there is a maximum of two pieces of the same liver (same animal). Only process to make it, is to cut the liver and put in into its glass container, before its is cooked in an autoclave. This is the finest product you can find in the market. When you cut it, you see a uniform color and a continuous texture. In a nutshell this is 100% Foie Gras.
Bloc de Foie Gras
It is made of Foie Gras, but in this case this is a mechanical reconstruction coming from different pieces and leftovers of different livers (different animals) which are stirred and condensed into a block shape. To get that there is an industrial process in order that the pieces and sub-products become a paste, which afterwords it is solidified in its pack. Block de Foie Gras is a quality product, but with plenty of processes. The nature of its ingredients make of this a much lower price product.
Mousse de Foie Gras
This is an emulsified product, elaborated with pieces of fatty liver, minced and turned into puree, so they reach that mousse consistency. For its elaboration, it may contain other inputs like veins and sub-cuts. This product contains a minimum of 30% Foie Gras.
Pâté de Foie Gras
This naming is used for a product made with the combination of pieces of foie gras with other meat products. The usual meat in the product is pork, and some times duck and beef. This product has to contain a minimum of 20% foie Gras.
Pâté
This is the last product in this ranking. in its elaboration there is a mix of milk, eggs and spices with liver pieces (low fat one) from chicken or pork. The proportions of each ingredient to change a lot between manufacturers. This product contains no Foie Gras.
