Virginia & Livermush

[Toby Keil]

Hey all you Virginians, I was watching a recorded episode of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern last night and he went to Virginia and ate something called livermush. Now I am a fan of liver, liverwurst, liver pate, etc, but not sure about a block of liver on a bun with grape jelly on it. Any of you fine folks ever try it? Would like to here your thoughts.

 

[Gary in VA]

it certainly ain't on my menu... ain't even in my vocabulary. Never heard of it.

 

[Larry D.]

Andrew Zimmern aside, there is nothing bizarre about livermush.

And he was too far north. The best livermush is found in NC (and in my somewhat limited experience, the very best is Hunter's Livermush, made in McDowell county). It is made from ground pork liver, spices, corn meal, and probably a few other things, and typically formed into a rectangular loaf. I generally just cut off a slice and heat it in a frying pan, until it's hot and the outside is a little bit crispy. Now, this grape jelly thing is just wrong (as is so much in VA, but that's another story). I like my livermush on a sandwich with a little mustard.

Livermush was a staple food when I was growing up and, as with several other regional foods, I was in college before I realized that not everyone was raised on it. Their loss.

http://southerncuisine.suite101.com/art ... _livermush[/url]

 

[Kloset BBQR]

Sounds like the southern version of scrapple!

 

[ScottyDaQ]

I saw that too.
I'm an organ eater...but with grape jelly? That's what I found odd too Toby. But ... I haven't tried livermush.

 

[LarryWolfe]

Oh man I love liver pudding!!! Haven't had it in years!

Toby, I know Helen has found scrapple in Ca before, look for that. It's not the same, but similar. Scrapple is what is sounds like 'scraps' mixed with corn meal, you slice pan fry and enjoy with ketchup or syrup. If you like scrapple, you'll like liver mush!

 

[Captain Morgan]

I heard all about it growing up in North Carolina....mom never bought it.
We ate chicken livers, but never had liver mush. The oldtimers remember it fondly though.

 

[ScottyDaQ]

I heard all about it growing up in North Carolina....mom never bought it.
We ate chicken livers, but never had liver mush. The oldtimers remember it fondly though.

hot pan
olive oil
thin sliced onion
salt n pepper
chicken livers
butter at the end
/done

 

[Toby Keil]

I heard all about it growing up in North Carolina....mom never bought it.
We ate chicken livers, but never had liver mush. The oldtimers remember it fondly though.

hot pan
olive oil
thin sliced onion
salt n pepper
chicken livers
butter at the end
/done

Love chicken livers, I even have my kids liking them. What's funny is my boy likes beef liver as well but my daughter doesn't. However she will eat the chicken livers.

 

[Hillbilly1]

Chicken livers an gizzards, seasoned flour, cast iron fryin pan, good eatin!

 

[wittdog]

I saw that too.
I'm an organ eater...but with grape jelly? That's what I found odd too Toby. But ... I haven't tried livermush.

All this time I thought Puff was the "organ eater"

 

[swampsauce]

Ok here is a link to the KING of liver puddin as far as I'm concerned.
http://www.neesesausage.com/products/default.htm

I grew up and still eat liver puddin. Slice about as thick as your pinky, flour good, and fry in hot veg oil.Dayum good eats The crunchy outside and soft inside are awsome. Some folks in SC make it with rice, to me not very good. My grandmother made the best Ive ever eaten, but that was years ago. She made her own country ham up till the early 80's in her own smokehouse and all. It was purty cool

 

[LarryWolfe]

Ok here is a link to the KING of liver puddin as far as I'm concerned.
http://www.neesesausage.com/products/default.htm

I grew up and still eat liver puddin. Slice about as thick as your pinky, flour good, and fry in hot veg oil.Dayum good eats The crunchy outside and soft inside are awsome. Some folks in SC make it with rice, to me not very good. My grandmother made the best Ive ever eaten, but that was years ago. She made her own country ham up till the early 80's in her own smokehouse and all. It was purty cool

Neese is the exact brand my father would buy, great stuff!!

 

[Larry D.]

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He just needs to learn to pronounce "mush". It does not rhyme with Bush (as in President Bush), but instead rhymes with "Rush" (as in, Rush liked Bush better than Obama).

And I still think that grape jelly business is bizarre.

 

[bigwheel]

Well I watched a liver mush show too...but would nearly swear it was some type of feastival in the Carolinas. North maybe or perhaps South I get cornfused on things like that. Will agree with Maynard on the efficacy of fried gizzards and livers. Pure livers is too rich which is why they should be alternated 50/50 with gizzards and a few hearts thrown in. That makes everybody happy.

bigwheel

 

[Larry D.]

... and a few hearts thrown in. That makes everybody happy.

bigwheel

My only experience with hearts is that they're like Willy Wonka's "Everlasting Gobstopper" - you can eat on 'em forever and they never get any smaller. There must be some trick to cooking them so that they aren't that tough.

 

[DJ]

Livermush, wowser, does that name ever get my taste buds Xcited? hmmmmm, probably not.
I do however like Scrapple.
dj

 

[bigwheel]

Well my Mama always just fried it up with everything else. Hearts aint near as hard to chew as gizzzards. Just put it in your mouth and swallow it like a pill with a big old slug of sweet tea. That should work for them who aint been blessed in the teeth department.

bigwheel

... and a few hearts thrown in. That makes everybody happy.

bigwheel

My only experience with hearts is that they're like Willy Wonka's "Everlasting Gobstopper" - you can eat on 'em forever and they never get any smaller. There must be some trick to cooking them so that they aren't that tough.

 

[Larry D.]

You're right Larry. The best is made by Hunter's. I'm from Mcdowell and have ate a helluva lot of livermush growing up. My cousin is actually married to the prettiest of the Hunters.

You obviously aren't talking about Jerry.
I went to high school with Jerry and his wife (he was a year ahead of me, she was a year or two behind).