Question from a Foie Gras Novice

[rushbikes]

I was in Paris last week and noticed there were a few different types of foie gras being sold: entier, mi cuit and in its whole lobe form.

Forgive my ignorance, but what do these mean? I've had foie gras a hundred times in restaurants but never saw these words associated with foie gras on a menu. What I did notice is that the mi cuit and the lobes had to be refrigerated whereas the entier were fine at room temp.

My second question, closely related to the first, is what are the implications for preparation and serving? Are the entier and the mi cuit edible right out of the can/jar in terrine/pate form? I presume the lobe is what most chefs use for seared foie gras, right? I'm not looking for recipes, just a simple, general explanation.

Thanks!

[applehome]

entier = entire (whole) - an entire lobe, for example
cuit = cooked
mi cuit = middle cooked (semi-cooked)

Foie gras that is not entier is made of pieces of liver, reassembled.

Check out wiki, this article looks pretty accurate afaik:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foie_gras