Liver is one of our most underrated ‘superfoods' and is also one of the cheapest and most culturally versatile.
From England to East, Venezuela to , animal liver has been used in traditional dishes for centuries. Today, you’ll find beef, chicken, pork, lamb, goose, calf, rabbit, pig and duck livers sold in supermarkets and butcher shops around the world.
“Liver is an incredibly nutritionally dense food,” says Reem Bashour, a dietitian and nutritionist who runs “Liver contains a lot of iron. In Syria, where I was born, it was always believed that eating liver was good for your blood. Liver also contains significant amounts of folate, vitamin B12, vitamin A and copper.”
The offal punches above its weight as a great source of vitamin D and vitamin K, offering multiple benefits for bone strength. “Eating a single serve of liver once a week can help you to meet your nutritional needs.”
An old ingredient with a modern spin
Once upon a time, liver was a global staple. It was an ingredient that your grandparents or great-grandparents (depending on your age) would have eaten regularly. This is because the animal protein was low-cost, accessible and easy to cook. A small serve of liver offered the masses an opportunity to obtain a lot of nutrients in one hit.
Bashour says that across the Arab world, liver became integral to life as it was such a cost effective way to boost your health. “Many years ago in Syria, people had a lot of tricks up their sleeves on how to add nourishment to meals and cope with hardship. Eating and cooking liver was one of those tricks.
"I guess that’s how it started to become part of what we ate. But now, liver is embedded in our culture and cuisine. Both the rich and the poor in Syria, like many other Arabic-speaking cultures eat it.”
Despite liver’s health status as a nutritionally dense food and cultural history, modern liver love seems to be polarising. “In some higher socio-economic cultures today where people can afford more expensive cuts of meat, liver is looked down upon. Offal may be considered to be the rubbish or left-over part of the animal.
“But the truth is that liver can be eaten in so many different ways. Once you learn how to safely prepare and cook with it, liver is really delicious.”
READ MORE
Quick chicken liver pate
features front and centre in and parfaits, while Lativa is highly regarded for its liverwurst spread over crackers or bread. England and both do liver and onions, while Laos celebrates pork livers in
In Syrian cuisine, Bashour explains, liver is used in a few different ways. “We like eating chicken liver, pan-fried or barbecued, served in olive oil, garlic and lemon with a slice of bread. We also eat raw lamb liver (called qasbeh nayyeh) as part of a meze selection with alcoholic drinks like arak. Or we enjoy cooked lamb liver, cut small to look like cubes of minced meat, sautéed with onion and herbs.”
Across the dining scene in Australia, offal has started to regain some of its old-school popularity as ‘no waste’ chefs seize the chance to discover the flavour combinations that liver can add to meals. Chefs like and utilise fish liver on their menus while in Sydney’s Bondi puts a modern spin on traditional Jewish chicken livers, serving the offal with Yemen Hawaij spices, date syrup, hummus and caramelised onions.
Warnings about liver: who should avoid it
Once you discover your favourite liver recipe, you may never look at offal the same way again. However, it’s essential to note the drawbacks to liver’s health power.
“Liver can be toxic if you eat a lot of it because it is so high in so many nutrients. Even if you are low in iron, we don't recommend having too much liver daily, although weekly is usually fine.”
Bashour explains that liver also contains high amounts of cholesterol so if you've got a heart issue, eating liver regularly is not recommended. As it contains large doses of vitamin A, liver consumption should be avoided by pregnant women. When consumed in excess, vitamin A can also cause toxicity (hypervitaminosis A) in most people.
Kidney patients are advised to consult their doctor before adding regular liver consumption to their diet.
“If livers you don't have any major health issues and you’re not pregnant, then it is safe to eat livers in moderation. You can eat one serving a week. But always remember the importance of safe food preparation and possible toxicities.”
In other words, liver is a healthy protein staple that many people can eat on occasion - for example, when experimenting with foods of different cultures to broaden your culinary awareness or if it is part of your culture's cuisine. It's also a food that most people can have once a week. But don’t go overboard: as is the case with many foods, you can have too much of a good thing.
