Foie gras may be one of the most embattled ingredients in the world—just check out the years-long saga of trying to ban it in New York City. But one company has now brought a new version of the delicacy to market.
Cultivated-meat company Vow debuted a foie gras dupe dubbed Forged Gras on Tuesday. Rather than a one-to-one version of foie gras—the fatty liver of ducks and geese—the new creation is sourced from Japanese quail, giving it a subtle gamey flavor. It retains the fatty-liver texture of traditional foie gras, but because it’s created in a lab, it doesn’t require any of the animal intervention that some push back against.
Cannoli with cultured Japanese quail and black truffle
Vow
“At Vow, we’re paving a new path for food by using innovative technology to address real challenges around foods that people want but can’t access,” George Peppou, the company’s CEO, said in a statement. “The launch of Forged Gras continues our mission to bring scarce or never-before-seen foods to millions but does so in a way that seeks to innovate, not imitate. By fostering culinary imagination, we aim to create something entirely new, unconstrained by the tradition of even the oldest delicacies.”
According to a survey that Vow carried out with 1,000 American meat eaters, only 8 percent had tried foie gras before, with the ingredient’s lack of availability one of the main barriers to entry. Of those who hadn’t tasted foie gras, just 5 percent said it was because of ethical concerns. As such, Vow is aiming to create a product that’s different from traditional foie gras beyond the animal-cruelty concerns.
Forged Gras uramaki sushi
Vow
While Forged Gras is not yet available in the United States, Vow celebrated its launch with a dinner crafted by Masa Takayama of the Michelin three-star Masa, using Vow’s foods. Forged Gras will be sold in restaurants in Hong Kong, marking the first sale of cultured meat there. And with Vow’s products also sold in Singapore, it is now the first company to sell multiple lab-grown meat products in various markets. (That woolly mammoth meatball it created back in 2023 was only a one-off, though.)
With other companies working on cultured versions of chicken, steak, and more, we may one day be able to chow down on a completely lab-grown meal. Forged Gras might be the most luxurious of the bunch, though.
