Foie-mageddon (foie gras + Armageddon)
The state of California instituted a first-in-the-nation ban on foie gras on July 1, 2012. Foie gras lovers dubbed it “foie-mageddon” (foie gras + Armageddon) by June 2012 as the last legal foie gras in California was served.
Other states have been considering their own bans on foie gras, so the “foie-mageddon” term might be used in these states as well as in California. An establishment that sold illegal foie gras after the “foie-mageddon” was dubbed a “duckeasy.”
Wikipedia: Foie gras
Foie gras ( /fwɑːˈɡrɑː/; French: [fwa ɡʁɑ]); French for “fat liver”) is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved althrough gavage (force-feeding corn), according to French law, though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding. A pastry containing pâté de foie gras and bacon, or pâté de foie gras tout court, was formerly known as “Strasbourg pie” (or “Strasburg pie”) in English on account of that city’s being a major producer of foie gras.
Foie gras is a popular and well-known delicacy in French cuisine. Its flavor is described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike that of an ordinary duck or goose liver. Foie gras is sold whole, or is prepared into mousse, parfait, or pâté (the lowest quality), and may also be served as an accompaniment to another food item, such as steak. French law states that “Foie gras belongs to the protected cultural and gastronomical heritage of France.”
The technique of gavage dates as far back as 2500 BC, when the ancient Egyptians began keeping birds for food and deliberately fattened the birds through force-feeding. Today, France is by far the largest producer and consumer of foie gras, though it is produced and consumed worldwide, particularly in other European nations, the United States, and China.
Gavage-based foie gras production is controversial due to the force feeding procedure used. A number of countries and other jurisdictions have laws against force feeding or the sale of foie gras.
The Telegraph (London)
Foie-mageddon: California in one last foie gras binge before statewide ban
A foie gras frenzy is under way in California as the state prepares to become the first in America to ban the controversial delicacy.
By Nick Allen, Los Angeles
3:57PM BST 06 Jun 2012
With a deadline of July 1 looming prices have doubled, restaurant menus are replete with every possible version of the dish, and gastronomes are engaging in one last cholesterol-inducing binge.
California’s decision to ban foie gras, which is made from the liver of a specially fattened duck or goose, was taken in 2004 and signed into law by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, but an eight-year period of grace was allowed.
(...)
With three weeks left to what has been dubbed “foie-mageddon” eateries are churning out dishes and customers are snapping them up.
Eater.com
Thursday, June 28, 2012, by Raphael Brion
Foiemageddon
LA Times critic Jonathan Gold on the looming foie gras ban in California: “[C]an kitchen morality be legislated? Do the ban’s largely vegan supporters see it as a first step toward a larger ban on meat? Does a prohibition on products obtained from over-fattened ducks and geese protect animals or erode liberties — or both?” [LAT]
The West Australian
Chefs hope to overturn ‘foie-mageddon’
AFP, The West Australian
July 2, 2012, 9:19 am
Californian foie gras fans stuffed themselves at gastronomic last suppers at the weekend, hours before a ban on the delicacy comes into force after years of wrangling.
But even before today’s deadline, devotees of the prized French foodstuff - fatty liver, made by force-feeding ducks or geese - have been working on ways to get around the ban.