Liver and onions is a dish consisting of slices of

liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...

(usually

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

or, in the United Kingdom, lamb) and bulb onions. The liver and the onions are usually sautéed or otherwise cooked together, but sometimes they may be sautéed separately and mixed together afterwards. The liver is often cut in fine slices, but it also may be diced.

Description

Liver and onions is widely eaten in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, where it is usually eaten along with boiled or

mashed potatoes Mashed potato or mashed potatoes (American English, American, Canadian English, Canadian, and Australian English), colloquially known as mash (British English), is a dish made by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, usually with added milk, butt ...

. Beef or veal liver is common in the US; veal or lamb liver are the usual choices in the UK. In the French traditional recipe the liver is fried with

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

and

bacon Bacon is a type of Curing (food preservation), salt-cured pork made from various cuts of meat, cuts, typically the pork belly, belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central in ...

. In Catalan cuisine

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

is used instead of butter, and fried

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

is added to the mixture. In Italian cuisine, the ''fegato alla veneziana'' () recipe includes a dash of

red wine Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-colored grape varieties - (red grapes.) The color of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines. The juice fro ...

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

, and the ''fegato alla romana'' ('Rome-style liver') a dash of

white wine White wine is a wine that is Fermentation in winemaking, fermented without undergoing the process of Maceration (wine), maceration, which involves prolonged contact between the juice with the grape skins, seeds, and pulp. The wine color, colou ...

and is cooked in

lard Lard is a Quasi-solid, semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering (animal products), rendering the adipose tissue, fatty tissue of a domestic pig, pig.

. In the United States liver and onions has long been an iconic staple of many diner-style restaurants. It is served either dry, with the liver, onions and sometimes bacon simply sauteed and heaped together, or the onions can be turned into a gravy or sauce with stock and flour added, and with the liver returned to the gravy briefly before plating. Sometimes, QR meals can consist of this dish. This form is sometimes called "smothered liver and onions" but that name is only common in the Deep South. Liver and onions is especially common in the regions of Pennsylvania and the Midwest with a strong Germanic culture, for instance in Amish and Mennonite communities. In large Eastern cities such as New York and Philadelphia, it is simply a popular urban diner food. Beef liver and onions is widely popular in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

(, ), where it is often eaten along with

tortillas A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread from Mesoamerica originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indi ...

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. In Brazil, the traditional recipe calls for potatoes or other root vegetable, prepared most commonly boiled and puréed or as home fries. These recipes have also migrated to the large Latin populations in several US cities and are often found on Honduran, Colombian, Cuban and Dominican menus. One typical US Latin recipe includes tomato and peppers to make a "criollo" gravy for the liver and onions.

Variants

There are variants of this dish using

and lamb livers. These are popular in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, among other countries.

In popular culture

"Liver and Onions" has become an online meme stemming from ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'' episode " The Day the Violence Died". In said episode, Chester J. Lampwick, while talking to Bart, exclaims that he would like to celebrate via eating liver and onions. This clip has been edited into various other ''Simpsons'' scenes in what is known as "Liver and Onionsposting". The most famous instance of this meme comes from a scene in ''The Simpsons'' where Bart and Lisa are laughing at grotesque content. The joke eventually turns into liver and onions. In the '' Doug'' episode "Doug's Dinner Date", it is revealed that liver and onions is Doug's most hated food. In Season 2, Episode 24; "Red Tape" of ''7th Heaven'', a coupon has the Camden family visiting a new restaurant only to discover that the coupons are for liver and onions, much to the revulsion of the children. In the '' Powerpuff Girls'' segment "A Very Special Blossom", Professor Utonium claims his favorite dish is liver and onions. But when the title characters serve it to him as a Father’s Day gift, he is inexplicably hesitant to taste it. In a later segment titled "Lying Around the House", the Powerpuff Girls come to the dining table for lunch, expecting to be given something they enjoy, but instead the Professor serves them liver and onions, which they dislike; thus, they secretly give the dish to the outside dogs.

References

External links

Foie aux oignons French recipe
{{in lang, fr American cuisine British cuisine Canadian cuisine French cuisine German cuisine Liver (food) Italian cuisine Israeli cuisine Spanish cuisine Panamanian cuisine Polish cuisine Venezuelan cuisine Onion-based foods Food combinations Cuisine of Berlin

Description

Variants

In popular culture

See also

References

External links