# Was Liver a common main dish in the past? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669 "2020-08-09T21:06:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dr.Conrad\_Shadowdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ea924/32.png) [@Dr.Conrad\_Shadowdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Conrad_Shadowdale)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/81 "2020-08-11T22:27:36Z")
Fried chicken livers aren’t bad. Beef liver, perhaps less tasty, but ketchup helps. The real treat is chicken gizzards, fried. Delightful and crunchy. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/82 "2020-08-11T22:52:55Z")
I remember when I was a kid (1970’s), my mom made it for my dad a handful of times. You knew it was Liver Day when the whole house stank. I think she quit doing it because only 1 person ate it. I appreciate the taste, actually, but it easily becomes too much of a good thing. I don’t think I could have baked liver and onions, but braunschweiger and pate I like a lot. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2020, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/83 "2020-08-11T23:01:48Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > needscoffee: “No, liver isn’t high in fat” > > Unless the creature you obtain the liver from is morbidly obese or abuses alcohol. 😃 Foie gras notwithstanding… ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2020, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/84 "2020-08-11T23:35:44Z")
I enjoy reading vintage menus. There’s a fairly active subreddit for this: > **[r/VintageMenus](https://old.reddit.com/r/VintageMenus)** > > r/VintageMenus: Old menus - pre-1985. Here’s a few selections with liver items: - [Montgomery Ward Buffeteria - July 1975](https://old.reddit.com/r/VintageMenus/comments/cb8k5z/montgomery_ward_buffeteria_july_1975/) - [Apple Jack’s Coffee Shop & Bakery, El Monte, California, 1976](https://old.reddit.com/r/VintageMenus/comments/9yi2zg/apple_jacks_coffee_shop_bakery_el_monte/) - [Dinner Menu, The Old Brew House, New York City, March 23, 1947.](https://old.reddit.com/r/VintageMenus/comments/9pitm7/dinner_menu_the_old_brew_house_new_york_city/)(This one has chopped chicken livers and liverwurst sandwiches) - [Parry’s Bowl Menu, Wilmington, California / “Please Order By Number”](https://old.reddit.com/r/VintageMenus/comments/aejedb/parrys_bowl_menu_wilmington_california_please/)(The comments on this one ask ‘When was the last time you saw liver & onions on a menu?’) - [Little Jack’s Children’s Menu - Chicago, IL - 1940s/50s](https://old.reddit.com/r/VintageMenus/comments/hurmqe/little_jacks_childrens_menu_chicago_il_1940s50s/)(Some good liver comments in this thread) - [Alan’s Deli-Grill, Los Angeles, 1962](https://old.reddit.com/r/VintageMenus/comments/an1noa/alans_deligrill_los_angeles_1962/) ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/85 "2020-08-12T14:24:28Z")
Whoa! Walt’s wouldn’t be happy about that blatant ripoff of Snow White on the inside of that Little Jack’s Children’s Menu. But man oh man, that is a robust children’s menu! With liver too. Can you imagine going to Little Jack’s as a kid in 1947 as a treat with Mom, and you get your own menu to look at? And then Mom makes you order liver? So you say, “Who the hell are you? Joan Crawford?” And then Mom started dragging you into the bathroom to wash your mouth out with soap, while screaming at you so loud the cops were called? And it turned out really neato because you got to ride in a police car and everything? And then… Sorry… what were we talking about? ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/86 "2020-08-12T16:05:40Z")
My wife had never had liver and onions, but she knew I liked it, so she tried it a few years ago. We’ve had it quite often since then. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/87 "2020-08-12T22:44:36Z")
My wife and I love it. In fact, our favorite restaurant and she always and I sometimes get it there. When we lived in Zurich, one of our favorites was geschnetzeltes Leber zürcher Art, cut up liver, Zurich style. Served with Rösti, a kind of fried potato pancake, exquisite. When I was growing up in the 40s, we certainly had liver from time to time and I liked it. Every once in a while my mother would buy a couple pounds of baby beef liver, fry it up, chop it with hard boiled eggs and mayonnaise (we never used schmaltz) and eat it over a week. Nowadays when we visit one of our kids we boil up the heart and gizzard (BTW, the gizzard is what we called the pupick–see its shape) with a carrot and celery to make a small soup. I would eat the heart and gizzard and the soup. Meantime, we fry the liver, fry some onion and boil an egg. The fried liver can be mashed with a fork and with the egg and mayonaisse, make a bit of chopped turkey liver. Mmm, mmm. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/88 "2020-08-12T23:43:33Z")
I’ve just realized that I’m not sure if I’ve ever had diner-style beef liver before. It wasn’t something I grew up with and I have a vague memory of trying and not caring for it at my grandparents’ but nothing sharp enough to swear to it. I’ve had and enjoyed chopped chicken liver, pates, liver terrines, liver dumpling soup, foie gras, liver sausage/Braunschweiger so I’d like to try fried liver & onions but probably won’t specifically seek it any time soon. Someone get Montgomery Ward corporate on the line and find out if we pronounce the T in Buffeteria! ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/89 "2020-08-12T23:51:58Z")
I think there is a fundamental difference between terms here. “We’re having liver for dinner” vs eating liver. The first is having a nasty stinking hunk of beef liver effused onto your plate. The second is people grinding/milk soaking/blunting with bread/ hiding as 5% of a gravy/ to pretend they like poultry liver. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/90 "2020-08-13T00:38:06Z")
My mother and I bonded when I was a kid in the 60’s when I was the only person in the household who’d split a skillet of liver and onions with her. I can’t say I’ve had it since I was a kid though, but I’d be willing to give it a go. It’s just another part of the cow, I don’t understand the big deal; it does has a strong flavor, so I expect it wouldn’t get universal love, but it’s not horrid as some here seem to think. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/91 "2020-08-13T04:02:27Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Someone get Montgomery Ward corporate on the line and find out if we pronounce the T in Buffeteria! …Can’t…It’s…it’s Swiss Colony now…_sob…_ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669/92 "2020-08-13T08:12:57Z")
I would swear that when I was a kid, I had a 45 of Jay “Dennis the Menace” North singing “I Like Liver and Onions,” but damned if I can find any mention of it on line! ☹ Amazing what memories threads like this can jog… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-liver-a-common-main-dish-in-the-past/917669.md?page=4)