Thursday 23, November
No more foie gras at Borchardt after animal rights protest
Translated literally, foie gras means “fatty liver”, but do you know how it gets made? In order to produce this infamous delicacy, workers insert a pipe down the throat of a male goose three times a day and pump as much as four pounds of grain into their stomach, causing the liver of the bird to swell to 10 times its natural size. In many farms, this force-feeding is repeated on 500 animals every single day.
Until recently, Borchardt, the famous restaurant and celebrity hangout in Mitte, had foie gras on its menu – but this will now change, according to a statement released by the animal rights organisation PETA.
Back in October, PETA received a photograph of the Borchardt menu from an upset “Society Lady” (whatever that means) listing “Grilled foie gras, brioche, port wine shallots”. They made further inquiries and have now received confirmation that the controversial dish will be removed from the menu.
“We are very happy about the management’s animal-friendly decision,” said Tanja Breining, biologist and specialist at PETA. “Numerous birds will be spared the immeasurably cruel torture of stuffing in the future.”
