Australian food company Vow is working on lab-grown foie gras that not only takes the cruelty out of producing it, but also aims to make a distinctively tastier version of the delicacy.
Foie gras has its origins in Egypt circa 2500 BCE, and is still popular in French cuisine today. It’s basically the enlarged liver of a duck or goose that has been force fed a high-fat diet. This is said to yield a rich, buttery, and delicate flavor; it is typically served as a topping for bread, made into a pâté, or browned in a skillet and sliced.
Vow is taking a totally different approach. The company is using cultured Japanese quail cells, combined with a plant-based fat mix, fava bean protein, and flavorings. The result is described by the company as “a subtle, gamey flavor profile of Japanese quail with the texture of fatty liver.”
The Sydney-based startup makes its products by using a small sample of ‘handpicked’ animal cells and puts them through a 79-day culturing process.
As an offering from Vow’s high-end Forged brand - which also offers an umami-packed ‘Parfait’ that features cultured Japanese quail - its 'Forged Gras' will primarily be available through restaurants, and is currently served in Singapore and Hong Kong. CEO George Peppou told Wired it costs something like hundreds of dollars per pound.
The product was showcased by New York-based Chef Masa Takayama in dishes like ‘Peking Duck Tacos’ and ‘Maitake Gobo’ last week.
The company has raised US$56 million in funding since it was founded in 2019, and is squarely in the business of inventing bold new ingredients and flavors, as opposed to other companies working to make lab-grown meat more affordable and accessible. That’s good news for connoisseurs looking beyond farms and markets for their next unforgettable bite - and for French geese too.
New Atlas