Where did foie gras start its long journey?

The history of foie gras goes back thousands of years, starting in ancient Egypt, some 5,000 years ago. According to written records, it was at this time that people began to breed geese and at the same time to stuff them and use their fatty livers for food.

The stuffing routine then spread to the Mediterranean. A Greek memoir written in 500 BC, recorded by Cratinus, tells the secrets of the art of cooking in verse.
The Romans also knew and consumed foie gras: from the writings of Pliny we know Marcus Gavius Apicius, who fed his geese dried figs to make their livers grow larger. For a long time, until the discovery of America and the spread of maize, geese were not fattened on maize, but on other feed, mainly figs.

History in Hungary

In Hungary, the boom in goose farming - and of course the consumption of geese and foie gras - began in the 1960s, when farms and maize production became more and more important. Orosháza became a prominent centre and foie gras became one of our most sought-after exports worldwide.

Hungary is nowadays also one of the first countries to produce fatty liver. The production of foie gras in Hungary surpasses that of France, and its quality is highly recognised all over the world. Foie gras is a clear Hungaricum, one of the leading culinary delights, and a great attraction for foreigners visiting our country and of course for Hungarian gourmets. It is therefore no coincidence that almost 100% of the gastronomic units and restaurants in Hungary offer foie gras in some form.

The famous foie gras cream

One of the most popular and widespread forms of consumption of foie gras is foie gras cream. It is easy to prepare and can be kept in the fridge for weeks without preservatives.

Here's a super homemade foie gras recipe for four people:

2 tablespoons of foie gras or butter
1 large head of red onion
50 dkg of foie gras bacon
1 bunch of parsley
1 tsp marjoram
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
5 cloves of garlic
1. Finely chop the onion, then sauté it very slowly in the melted fat until translucent. Then add the crushed garlic, parsley and marjoram and mix well.

2. While the onion and spice base is softening, clean the foie gras and chop it into small pieces. The liver is then added to the onion and cooked for a very short time, just until crispy on the outside.
It should never be allowed to dry out, as it will become chewy and lose its flavour and creaminess.

3. The liver is then seasoned with salt and pepper to taste, and the mustard is added, then put it in the blender and let it rip: blend the mixture thoroughly.

After that, you can add extra seasoning if you like. Put the cream in a jar with a clasp and it will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

Pro tip: if you put it in a souffle dish and steam it in a 100 degree water bath in the oven for about 1 hour, you can keep the cream in the fridge for up to weeks.

If you want to try a really cool interpretation of foie gras, head to KIOSK, where the foie gras cream is served in a hazelnut bundt with strawberries and toasted brioche.