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I Paid: $5 for an 8-ounce tub (prices may vary by region)
The pitch of Faux Gras was instantly appealing: a vegan pâté grabbing the consumer's attention by referencing foie gras. On the product's website, the maker, Regal Vegan, writes: "Not meant to replace goose or duck liver, which is undoubtedly one of the cruelest foods[*] on the market today, Faux Gras™ is meant to give people with a sophisticated palate a treat that isn't harmful."
So, it's a bit of a "have your vegan cake and eat it too" prospect: Faux Gras is not meant to replace foie gras, but it is meant to be a rich and sophisticated vegan pâté. Based on the product's name and my own curiosity, I tasted Faux Gras side by side with its un-PC, animal-derived competitor. And thus: a surprise.
I love foie gras, and I love Faux Gras, too. Spread on crackers or toasts, Faux Gras makes a marvelous appetizer. And while it lacks some of the silky texture, sweetness, and swoon-inducing richness of foie gras, it makes up for those differences by possessing a charm all its own: It's nutty, slightly funky, and complex, with a smooth spreadability and density that make it a substantial premeal snack. The ingredients of Faux Gras reveal some of its tricks: Its base is toasted walnuts and lentils, enhanced by caramelized onions, miso paste, tamari, and ume plum vinegar. The fermented and/or tart supporting players help give the spread some real intensity and subtle layers of flavor.
So while Faux Gras won't render foie gras unnecessary from a purely gastronomic perspective, it is likely to be recognized for being delicious, regardless of one's dietary preferences. And at 60 calories (and no cholesterol!) for two tablespoons, it's a hell of a healthier alternative to its meat-made cousin (roughly 120 calories and anywhere from 40 to 100 milligrams of cholesterol).
*I would side with Michael Pollan and object to the idea that farm-raised foie gras is necessarily more cruel than large-scale industrial chicken farming, but making the case either way is an ethically complicated prospect.
90% of people who claim the foie industry is cruel have absolutely no idea how the animals are fed. Keep wearing cords 365 days a year an not washing your hair.
I find it questionable that the maker of Faux Gras, Regal Vegan, is so against Foie Gras yet they jump at the opportunity to market their product referencing and benefiting from the use of such a similar name. Shame on them for having their foie gras/faux gras and eating it too.
Where is this product sold?
Cool! Good to know.
I for one have not eaten a pulse, or anything resembling a pulse or bean, since I spent two or three days communing with a black eyed pea back in 1973. Talk about sentient beings.....
I call him BEP. I'm his pet. And he tells me to tell you to stop eating artificial Foie Gras. Stop the making of Soy Sauce and Tamari across the world. Now. Or Else.
Aramek: the Real Food Daily cookbook has a recipe for a walnut lentil pate that has sounds pretty similar to Faux Gras. Don't have it in front of me, but I seem to recall it has miso in it, and umeboshi. Easy to make, and very tasty.
This sounds like a similar idea to the mock chopped liver recipe I got from my grandparents. There are a couple variations on it. The base of caramelized onions, walnuts, green beans (their recipe has hard boiled eggs as well), is really tasty. Other recipes I have seen use mushrooms.
I enjoy foie gras and liver of all types, but I would also try this.
It astonishes me that people can turn a blind eye to any kind of animal cruelty. This is one product that tries to address one of many issues. What is wrong with a product that is delicious and also raises awareness? Every product has marketing around it, that's why you know about it & buy it. The meat & dairy industry have enormous marketing campaigns and they are packed with lies about "happy...+READ
It astonishes me that people can turn a blind eye to any kind of animal cruelty. This is one product that tries to address one of many issues. What is wrong with a product that is delicious and also raises awareness? Every product has marketing around it, that's why you know about it & buy it. The meat & dairy industry have enormous marketing campaigns and they are packed with lies about "happy cows" and "best source of calcium". At least the message on Faux Gras is true. I encourage you to open your eyes, your hearts and your palettes to products like this and look into the "cruel thing on the label". You might learn something. You might change your life for the better. Please consider. Thank you!-COLLAPSE
The "cruel" thing on the label draws an immediate and reflexive eyeroll and does not induce me to leap to sample this product. Sadly, it fairly screams to me "marketing concept developed in an echo chamber."
Yeah, the foie equals "cruel" charge just kills me! I mean, there are millions of birds being raised in steel cages and without enough room to even stand, but do people even stop to think about it? No, they worry about the few hundred birds who live in a nice barn. Sorry, but the foie birds are the lucky ones.
Mr. Norton, did you order this online, or does CHOW ship things to you to review? The Faux Gras website says they ship, but, otherwise, they only sell the stuff within New York city limits. :sadface: