What Does Liver Taste Like? [Answered]

You may recall a certain point in your life where our parents would be in the kitchen preparing particular meat that was a very dark shade of red, emanating a peculiar smell whilst cooking, and tasted nothing like the meat you knew of. If you were like me, you would have avoided that like the plague, but now that we have all had a chance to grow out of our childish ways, we can understand that with well preparation, the taste of liver can be improved.

Unlike meat, the liver has an extremely strong bitter taste, and the taste’s strength varies depending on the animal’s size. The bigger the animal, the stronger the taste – this is probably why we prefer to eat chicken or duck liver – that being said, animal livers are loaded with nutrients, like the majority of foods eating liver every single day can cause negative health effects, although I want you to love the taste of liver as much as I have grown to, I will request that you eat in proportion.

Table of Contents

• What Is Liver?
• How To Make Liver Taste Good?
• What Does Beef Liver Taste Like?
  • Cooked Beef Liver
• Can You Eat Raw Liver?
• What Does Raw Liver Taste Like?
• Raw Liver Vs Cooked Liver
• What Does Lamb Liver Taste Like?
• Why Does Liver Taste So Bad??
• Live-r on!
• FAQs

What Is Liver?

The liver is an organ found in animals, its color appearing the same reddish-brown in various species. Despite its similarities among animals, it does come in all sorts of sizes depending on the size of the animal, so the liver of a duck will be much smaller than the liver of a cow.

The liver can be purchased from local butchers and supermarkets; it should be rid of the veins and washed before cooking preparation.

The taste of liver can be quite disappointing if you are new to the flavors. You may wonder why does liver taste so bad? And the obvious answer would be that liver is not like any typical chicken breast; although the appearance is promising, its taste is typically described as metallic, pungent, rich, or bitter.

You’ve got to remember that liver has worked hard inside its animal, and its hard work will be reflected in its flavors.

How To Make Liver Taste Good?

If you can’t seem to wrap your head around the liver’s bold taste, it can be soaked in milk to get some of the bitterness out of it. Also, the veins running along the flesh of the liver contribute to the intense and unpleasant flavors, so carefully remove those as well.

The taste of liver from a chicken will not taste as strong as the liver from a larger animal; depending on what the animal has eaten, a grass-fed animal’s liver may have a more metallic taste than a chicken’s liver who would have spent its lifetime eating grains in an open field. For better taste, the recommended option would be to buy fresh liver with bold pink, rust, or brown hues.

What Does Beef Liver Taste Like?

You probably know by now that liver is an organ present in every animal, and like the flavor and texture of a chicken breast are different from the mutton of a lamb, the same concept applies to their liver.

Although it’s worth mentioning that beef liver will not necessarily taste the same as calf liver. Even though they came from the same animal, there is a lot of variation as the animal matures.

Whilst beef liver will undoubtedly have its unapologetic rich and metallic flavor, which tastes brilliant when prepared correctly, calf liver is sweeter and soft in texture. No specific method or recipe is needed to follow when it comes to cooking any type of liver. A well-cooked liver is signified through its browned outer layer, while the inside is a lovely pink color.

It can sometimes be a hit or miss when it comes to the taste or texture of beef liver. With its already strong, intense flavors that can potentially put you off, it doesn’t tend to become tender unless you get lucky with your pick. But in the case of calf liver, it has a sweet and tender taste, feeling smooth when you bite it off; because of this, calf liver is often considered a delicacy.

Cooked Beef Liver

Beef liver or cow liver has an unpleasant flavor that can be eliminated when soaked in milk for about 10 minutes. Cooked beef liver has a soft meaty squishiness that has a rich flavor and can be cooked as a curry with onions and spices. The beef should be boiled so that the meat will become less hard and rubbery when chewing and instead breaks in your mouth without intense chewing.

I like to add some garlic to the frying onions, followed by a can of tin tomatoes; let that simmer, then throw in some spices and herbs to enhance the flavors of the sauce. You can serve this with some boiled rice, or eat it with bread.

The results are always 10 out of 10. The flavors of the beef, though, still quite a strong blend beautifully with the flavors of the curry sauce so that the intense flavors that were unpleasant just happen to make sense!

Can You Eat Raw Liver?

Eating raw beef liver would mean that you put yourself at potential risk of incurring a severe case of food poisoning whether the meat is fresh or not. Let’s be honest bacteria don’t really care about how to clean anything.

But, there is a safer way to eat raw beef liver, for it contains nutrients that will benefit the body. Firstly you’d want to ensure that the beef liver came from organic, grass-fed, and grass-finished cattle, ensuring no residual toxins or heavy metals are present.

Secondly, before buying, the liver should have been frozen below -20 C for at least 4 days before eating. Similar to Sushi and Sashimi, pre-freezing ensures no pathogens can survive.

What Does Raw Liver Taste Like?

Because raw liver is packed with beneficial nutrients, many choose to eat raw liver as a supplement. This is done by freezing small capsule-sized pieces of raw liver and then eating them on a daily basis. Because the meat is frozen, it is basically tasteless.

Raw liver, when eaten, has a wonderful taste, and the presence of high iron content can be countered with a splash of lemon or lime juice. So what does raw liver really taste like? Well, it tastes just like you’d imagine it to taste – bitter. Raw liver has a thinner texture than the cooked liver. It can be wrapped around vegetables to make it taste delicious. You could even choose to slightly fry the raw pieces of liver and toss them atop a bowl of salad.

Raw Liver Vs Cooked Liver

Raw liver is regarded as a delicacy and eaten in similar ways that many eat sushi. The liver, cooked or raw, contains many nutrients that are good for the body. It helps prevent anemia, assists with fertility, and supports liver function. Raw liver has a thinner texture than the cooked liver. The taste may be slightly bitter as it absorbs the flavor of its surroundings.

When the liver is cooked, it becomes tough and dry – and, more importantly – loses some of its nutrients. It’s important that you purchase high-quality liver if you intend to eat it raw, because naturally, the raw piece of meat would house harmful bacteria, such as salmonella.

What Does Lamb Liver Taste Like?

Lamb’s liver is a highly appreciated type of meat partially due to its mild taste compared to calf liver which has a sweeter flavor. So why does liver taste like metal? The liver contains Myoglobin which contains iron, a metal that transmits metallic or livery flavors to muscles and organs. The higher the myoglobin content, the higher the possibility that the organ will possess metallic flavors.

Why Does Liver Taste So Bad??

A supermarket-bought liver may taste horrible compared to a butcher shop selling meat, and this is mainly because the cattle had been fed different foods, the type of food the animal ate depicts the taste of the meat. Corn-fed cattle will taste very different from grass-fed cattle. Naturally, the liver has a metallic taste because of the presence of myoglobin. These strong flavors can be eliminated when mixed with other flavors, or when soaked in milk for 10 minutes before cooking.

Live-r on!

Indeed the taste and nutritional benefits of raw liver seem to outweigh those of cooked liver; both versions can taste delicious, but it all boils down to how much you’re willing to put your taste buds to the test.

FAQs