It is a french root vegetable and also known as a chinese artichoke. They are available during late fall and is actually a member of the mint family pronounced "crone". My apologies though I spelled it wrong. It is spelled crosnes.
The only thing that has a trademark on it is the name. The ingredient list is not copywritten. As far as the trend, I'm not expecting it to become a trend just a great dish made from foie gras. yes, there is an outcry on how foie is produced but until there is a national ban on foie I will be...
I have another great dish that I will share all the details about. Its a duck breast rubbed with ground fresh fennel seed served with sweet potato puree, fennelkraut, blackberry duck reduction and blackberries.