What are the alternatives to foie gras worth?

At first glance, it looks like a classic ballotine of foie gras: rosé on the inside – albeit a little grayish – and bright yellow on the outside. “You could believe in a traditional foie gras from the South-West”, proudly affirms Fabien Borgel, chef of the vegan restaurant 42 degrees, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, by presenting us his “Faux Gras”, a vegetal alternative to the traditional Christmas dish. In recent years, these verrines and jars for vegetarians, vegans, flexitarians or lovers of culinary innovations have multiplied on the shelves of organic stores.

“The main ingredients are fermented miso and cashew nut, sunflower oil, turmeric, coconut oil, nutmeg, black pepper”, explains Fabien Borgel, one of the very few restaurateurs to offer this type of dish. After tasting: the texture is closer to the foam than to duck liver and the taste very strong in spices. What he seeks is above all to create “an illusion, a trompe l’oeil” on the plate and not to fool our taste buds. Initially, the chief did not see elsewhere “not even the interest” of a vegan alternative to foie gras but it gave way to demand. Integrated into the menu three years ago, the “Faux Gras” has become “the flagship product” of the restaurant and its delicatessen at Christmas.

While the ecological mayors of Grenoble, Strasbourg and Lyon have decided to ban foie gras from their official receptions in the name of animal welfare, several regional start-ups have also decided to bet on consumers opposed to the force-feeding of geese and ducks. It is a practice “a little archaic”, Judge Mikel Abeberry, 31, founder of Aberyne, based in Biarritz. This son of restaurateurs launched a few months ago, the “Foie Green” whose idea came to him three years ago during the Christmas holidays: “My father had heart problems and his doctor banned him from cold meats, foie gras, anything that was a little fatty. I went to see if there were any vegetal alternatives and what I have. found did not convince me, either in terms of taste or texture “.

His alternative “top of the line” pushes the resemblance a notch above: the “Foie Green” can be fried. Here again the main ingredient is the cashew nut – neutral in taste and color – which it mixes with sesame puree, cocoa butter, port and spices. First sold on the internet and in organic grocery stores, this plant product spotted by youtubeur and chef Sébastien Kardinal should soon be distributed by Casino. Mikel Abeberry, still in discussion with the group, cannot get over it himself: “The objective was not at all to go to mass distribution from the start. They came to speak with us and they understood that the plant is in the process of gaining momentum.”

On the same niche, we can also cite the “Fair Gras”, launched a year ago by a couple in their thirties from Lyon. The 100% vegetable jar has made a place for itself in a few delicatessens in the capital of French gastronomy: “It shows that this is a product that does not only affect people who are vegans or vegetarians”, explains Sarah Sabatier, co-founder of the company and pastry chef by trade. It was his companion, the British chef Toby Hunt who concocted the recipe.

These alternatives, sold around 80 euros per kilo, the same price as traditional foie gras, do they really have a chance to enter the eating habits of the French? Matteo Neri, head of studies at Xerfi, an independent firm specializing in the analysis of the agri-food sector, doubts this. Despite an increase of almost 9% in 2020, the market for plant-based alternatives is already slowing down: “Growth prospects are rather lackluster compared to other markets, notably UK and Germany. ” He points to the “food conservatism” from France. “There is no room for many new players in this kind of niche segment within a niche market”, he believes.

According to Matteo Neri, another market, guaranteed without animal suffering, is much more promising as the demand for animal protein will explode in emerging countries: in vitro meat.

Cellular foie gras, without force-feeding or breeding … This is what Gourmey promises, a start-up which inaugurated a 1,000 m² production workshop in the capital a few weeks ago. Recipe ? Cells are taken from a duck egg “freshly laid” then we place them in stainless steel tanks “in which they will multiply because they have just the right temperature, the right nutrients of plant origin, explains Nicolas Morin, one of the founders. We will be able to feed our cells as if we were directly feeding a duck “. The cells are harvested after two or three weeks and then placed in jars to take the form of a block of traditional foie gras.

After two years and nearly a thousand tests, adjustments to the cell regime, Nicolas Morin is satisfied: “We succeeded in obtaining a foie gras which is strong in taste. There is a very, very distinctive note of the foie gras, a compact texture, but which also melts on the tongue.” Gourmey does not however have the ambition, says the entrepreneur, to replace traditional foie gras: “We are not at all aiming to do a sleight of hand on the plates of the French who adore foie gras and are attached to this product.”

The target is the consumers “who are not comfortable with the method of producing foie gras. And beyond our borders, to those who do not have access to the product because it is prohibited, as is the case in California and soon in New York City, for example. “ The British government is also considering this option and is even interested in vegan alternatives.

There remains a major obstacle: obtaining authorization to market this cellular fatty liver. So far, only Singapore has given the green light for chicken nuggets produced in vitro. In the European Union, cases are studied by EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). And it is obviously not France which will exert the lobbying in favor of Gourmey. “Count on me so that in France meat remains natural and never artificial”, had tweeted the Minister of Agriculture and Food Julien Denormandie in December 2020.