After two and a half years of being off the menu from California's most posh restaurants, foie gras is back due to a Federal Judge overturning the 2004 ban on Wednesday, deeming the law unconstitutional.

Many of California's top chefs are celebrating the decision with foie gras-based feasts at their fine dining establishments, while animal activists groups continue to abhor the decision, saying that the practice of force feeding geese  in order to enlarge their livers for the delicacy is cruel.


Judge Stephen Wilson's ruling to throw out the ban was based on a federal law which supersedes the ban written in 2004 and has been in effect since 2012.  According to the Poultry Products Inspection Act, only the federal government has the power to determine what ingredients may be approved for poultry products.  Therefore, the California legislation, banning force-fed geese from being sold, is illegal.

However, animal rights groups like Animal Legal Defense Fund and the Humane Society have vowed to appeal the decision before the deadline of Feb 6, saying that "state clearly has the right to ban the sale of the products of animal cruelty."

California chefs are already rejoicing the comeback of one of their favorite dishes.  Many restaurants have already announced on social media that they will be putting foie gras back on their menus as early as Wednesday night.

The practice of force-feeding geese to fatten them up and engorge their livers for the rich, creamy delicay, has been around for thousands of years.  Egyptian hieroglyphics show geese being crammed with food and, as history shows, "the Egyptians presented fattened geese as a gift to Agesilaus, King of Sparta," in 400 B.C.E.

Foie gras made it's way to become a delicacy in France via Jews who migrated to France and Germany in the 1100's.  Poultry fat was their staple in the Dark Ages when butter was forbidden.  They kept the tradition of fattening geese alive even after the fall of the Egyptian and Roman Empires. 

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