The animal rights groups protesting foie gras, and in some cases threatening violence, are putting pressure on the French to find a way to preserve their food heritage. President Sarkozy is applying to Unesco to have French cuisine listed as part of the world's heritage and this would include foie gras as part of the French artisanal tradition. French wine producing regions such as Saint-Emilion and the Loire Valley already enjoy World Heritage status.

Several star chefs, including Paul Bocuse, Alain Ducasse and Michel Guerard, have been pushing for a French culinary listing for the past couple of years. Guy Savoy, one of the them, said that putting Gallic gastronomy on the Unesco list would protect restaurants and also charcutiers', cheese producers, wine makers and patissiers.

"You can talk about cuisine in numerous countries around the world. But France is the only one to have such diversity and such possibilities for transforming the produce of local artisans, be they on land or sea," he told news agencies.

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