# Why do they force-feed geese to produce pate de foie gras? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244 "2003-10-18T22:13:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/1 "2003-10-18T22:13:19Z")
This week’s _Tom the Dancing Bug_ cartoon by Ruben Bolling, on “The Humane Foie Gras Farm” ([http://www.ucomics.com/tomthedancingbug/](http://www.ucomics.com/tomthedancingbug/)), got me to thinking: **Why** do the poultry farmers force-feed geese and ducks and bloat their livers to produce foie gras? Is it just so they can get more ounces of liver out of each bird? Or does the force-feeding improve the flavor somehow? ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/2 "2003-10-18T22:48:46Z")
The force-feeding causes the liver cells to store excess amounts of fat in their cytoplasm; bad for the bird’s health, but it makes the liver taste delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/3 "2003-10-18T22:53:06Z")
_Pate de fois gras_ is french of “liver of fat goose”, if anyone is interested. ---
**Author:** ![BethCro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cdc98d/32.png) [@BethCro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BethCro)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/4 "2003-10-18T22:53:46Z")
Mmmmmmm … foie gras! I love it. It may be totally unaccceptable to society (ie, those that haven’t tried it) but my god, it’s yummy! ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/5 "2003-10-18T23:28:32Z")
The cartoon is pretty funny actually… ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/6 "2003-10-19T05:31:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*_Pate de fois gras_ is french of “liver of fat goose”, if anyone is interested. \*\* Actually, it means “paste of fat liver” and can be made from the livers of ducks as well as geese. The French for goose is “oie”. [http://fortheloveoffrance.com/catalog/product\_info.php?cPath=21&products\_id=25&osCsid=079932b7be2e35dd315525113e0f0a46](http://fortheloveoffrance.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=25&osCsid=079932b7be2e35dd315525113e0f0a46) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/7 "2003-10-19T08:25:55Z")
By the way, what exactly do they mean by “force-feed”? Do they literally stuff food down their throats? ---
**Author:** ![dodyskin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecc23a/32.png) [@dodyskin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dodyskin)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/8 "2003-10-19T08:46:45Z")
birds are housed in a wing-restricted cage with just their head sticking out. farmers generally use a pneumatic pump. they attach a tube to the pump and stick the other end down the birds throat, in this way they force feed the animal about as third of a kilo or grain and fat in about three seconds. the farmer may do this up to three times a day for about three weeks, or until the birds liver has swelled to approx eight times it’s natural size. ---
**Author:** ![Vision\_of\_Love](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Vision\_of\_Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vision_of_Love)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/9 "2003-10-19T10:42:03Z")
How disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/10 "2003-10-19T12:40:52Z")
… and absolutely, heavenly, delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-force-feed-geese-to-produce-pate-de-foie-gras/208244/11 "2003-10-19T13:21:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fear Itself \* > \*\*Actually, it means “paste of fat liver” and can be made from the livers of ducks as well as geese. The French for goose is “oie”. \*\* When you’re right, you’re right. Thanks.