Liver and onions

Liver and onions

Tortillas con biste de higado, a Venezuelan version of the dish
Place of origin	UK and Germany
Main ingredients	Liver and onions
Ingredients generally used	Bacon, butter, lard
Variations	Fegato alla Veneziana, fegato alla Romana

Liver and onions is a dish consisting of slices of liver (usually pork, beef or, in the United Kingdom, lamb) and onions; onion is favoured as an accompaniment to liver as the flavour of onion "cuts" the somewhat metallic flavour of liver, which can be off-putting to some eaters. The liver and the onions are usually fried or cooked together, but sometimes they may be fried separately and mixed together afterwards. The liver is often cut in fine slices, but it also may be diced.

Liver and onions is widely eaten in the UK and in Germany, where it is usually eaten along with boiled or mashed potatoes. Calf's or lamb's liver are the usual choices in the UK and is often accompanied by fried bacon.

In the French traditional recipe the liver is fried with butter and bacon. In Catalan cuisine olive oil is used, instead of butter, and fried garlic is added to the mixture. In Italian cuisine, the fegato alla Veneziana recipe includes a dash of red wine or vinegar and the fegato alla Romana a dash of white wine and is cooked in lard.

In the United States, liver and onions once enjoyed widespread popularity and could usually be found on the menus of diners and American home-style restaurants. This meal is currently more common to the cuisines of southern and upper midwestern style foods.

Beef liver and onions is still widely popular in Latin America (Spanish: hígado (de res) encebollado, Portuguese: fígado (bovino) acebolado), where it is often eaten along with tortillas or rice.