Foie Royale

Are you a fan of Foie gras, but do you dislike the forced feeding (read: animal suffering) of the geese? Foie Royale is an amazing alternative. Thanks to an ingenious piece of technology, this foie gras pate is indistinguishable from foie gras.

Foie Gras, but animal-friendly

Foose liver: it is an age-old culinary tradition that – if most of Europe has its way – is in danger of disappearing very soon. There are exceptions, because France considers Foie Gras as culinary heritage. But fair = fair: as delicious as the structure and taste, the animal suffering associated with making foie gras is so terrible. No matter how tasty it may be, you will almost lose your appetite because of the origin of this product. Almost, because despite the controversial origin of foie gras, you could find it on the menu of many star restaurants. But things can be done differently... Foie Royale is a wonderful animal-friendly alternative that makes no concessions to taste and structure. Many restaurants now work with Foie Royale, which was introduced in the Netherlands by star restaurant Bolenius.

How did Foie Royale originate?

Poultry trader Joeri Groot is the initiator of this beautiful product. He saw with his own eyes in France how geese are stuffed 'down their throats' through a pipe and that does not make you happy. He decided to experiment with 'normal' livers. So don't grease it. This turned out not to be a success. Only when he came into contact with the German Institute for Food Technology and in particular with meat technologist Nino Terjung (also known as the Mad Meat Scientist) did a solution come close. Together they developed a concept in which goose fat is pressed into a liver under extremely high pressure. Obviously a liver from a dead goose ;-). This high pressure causes the liver and fat to fuse, making the product indistinguishable from 'real' foie gras.

Origin of the geese

More animal-friendly variants of foie gras have been tried in the past, but it has always been marginal. More animal-friendly and slightly less cruel. This is really different with Foie Royale. The ducks and geese are treated with respect, have plenty of living space, can move freely and are (of course!) not stuffed. Naturally, wings are not clipped and beaks are not corrected. The animals live a carefree life that bears no resemblance to the animal suffering associated with foie gras. So: the pleasures, not the burdens (read: enjoyment without guilt). 

The men behind Foie Royale in the Netherlands? None other than Jonnie Boer (3*** De Librije and Oos Kesbeke (Kesbeke Table Sours). Both gentlemen have a nose for beautiful products, so when they heard that Joeri Groot had invented an animal-friendly alternative to foie gras, they took advantage of this. in. If it were up to Oos and Jonnie, every (home) chef in the Netherlands would choose the animal-friendly Foie Royale foie gras.

Tournedos Rossini

TIP: With Foie Royale you make the ultimate tournedos Rossini. The pleasures, not the burdens (read: guilt) of foie gras. Our chef Ruben Meijboom shows how to prepare this French classic in the film below.