Beef Liver

Name: Beef liver — a large, dense, dark red-brown organ with a strong, rich, mineral flavour, and one of the most nutrient-dense foods. It is eaten as fried liver and onions, in pâté, and minced with beef, and is sold fresh, frozen or as supplements.

Description

Liver has been valued as food for centuries, and is highly valued as a source of nutrients. It was prescribed in the 1920s for pernicious anaemia, which led to the discovery of vitamin B12, and a Nobel Prize in 1934. Traditional dishes include English liver and bacon, Italian fegato alla veneziana (with onions), Jewish chopped liver and Latin American higado encebollado.

Beef liver is stronger in flavour than calf, lamb or chicken liver, and can be bitter and grainy if overcooked. Soaking in milk, slicing thinly, and cooking quickly keeps it tender and mild.

Main nutrition value

Offal is dense in nutrients, including vitamin B12, iron, zinc and other minerals and B vitamins, and much cheaper than muscle meat. Beef liver is one of the richest sources of vitamin A, vitamin B12, folate, iron, copper and riboflavin.

How best to be consumed

Beef liver is sliced thin, and cooked quickly, in small amounts.

1. Remove the outer membrane and any tough tubes, then slice thinly, and soak in milk for 30 minutes if you like a milder flavour.
2. Pan-fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, with onions and bacon, until just cooked, and no longer red.
3. Mince a small amount into beef burgers, meatballs or bolognese to mellow the flavour.
4. Cook to at least 71°C, and avoid overcooking, which makes it tough and bitter.
5. Limit to a small portion once a week at most, as the vitamin A is concentrated.

Overconsumption could cause…

Beef liver is highly nutritious, but must be eaten in moderation.

1. Excess vitamin A (retinol) from eating liver often, which can harm an unborn baby, so pregnant women are usually advised to avoid liver or eat it very rarely. Because vitamin A is stored in the body, regular large servings can also cause toxicity in other people.
2. Too much copper and iron, in people with Wilson's disease or haemochromatosis.
3. Dietary cholesterol, which is higher in organ meats, although current evidence suggests it affects blood cholesterol less than saturated fat does for most people.
4. Gout flare-ups in people with gout, since meat and especially organ meats are high in purines.
5. Accumulated toxins or heavy metals in the liver, and foodborne bacteria if undercooked.

GroupsOrgan MeatsMammals (red meat)High proteinLow sodiumRich in folateRich in ironRich in seleniumRich in vitamin ARich in vitamin B12Rich in zincFresh

Related foodsPork LiverLamb LiverBeef HeartSweetbreadsBeef KidneyLamb Kidney

Wikipedia — Liver (food), used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver_(food)