I first tasted foie gras de canard on January 26th, 1997. It was love at first bite! Back then, it was rare to see foie gras on a menu in the United States and my experience in France was just beginning. Today, foie gras is common on the menus of French and non-French restaurants in major U.S. cities, and I’ve eaten foie gras many times in many different ways in my travels through France.      Foie gras is the fattened liver of a goose or duck. Until the 1960s, a foie gras was usually the liver of a goose. Since then, the opposite is the case. Modern breeding techniques have produced a breed of ducks that was much hardier than geese. This new breed is relatively resistant to disease and had a strong body with a large esophagus. Today, when the type of bird is not specified, foie gras is taken to be the liver of a duck. ©2000 Peter Hertzmann, Inc. All rights reserved.