Why Liver And Onions Haven't Aged Well

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Preferences for foods perpetually evolve, as proved by the many old-school comfort foods that should make a comeback. One such dish that faded from American tables is liver and onions. The pairing — classically made using caramelized onions and fried, flour-dredged liver — is enjoyed across culinary cultures. Cooks in Europe and Asia continue to craft renditions, but in the U.S., the recipe lost appeal — it's even one of two dishes Ina Garten refuses to cook. So to help explain the reason for its decline, Food Republic spoke to Bobby Hicks, founder of Retro Recipes Kitchen and author of "Retro Recipes."

He explained, "It slowly began to fade from cookbooks after the 1950s," by way of a changing relationship to food. Immediately following WWII, the economy boomed, a newfound monetary abundance that translated into the kitchen realm. Amidst such fast-paced changes, the dish harkened to a previous, more difficult era. "In America, we prioritized liver and onions because it was inexpensive and incredibly nutrient-dense," said Hicks. For many, the meal is associated with now-concluded tough times, a sentiment furthered since offal and off-cuts "were viewed as peasant foods for many centuries," he stated.

Subsequently, into the second half of the 20th century, Americans traded such cuts for extra-meaty steaks as well as a new crop of convenient dishes — "foods like canned soups and packaged meals," clarified Hicks. Like that, liver and onions turned outdated. "Millions of people still enjoy the dish," he noted, but largely relegated to a cheap diner and nostalgic home-cooking context.

Liver and onions may have aged out of widespread popularity in the U.S., but such a decline is neither a reflection of the dish's quality nor global status. The pairing of sweet alliums with the earthy, occasionally gamey flavors of various animal livers continues to appeal to diners. "Liver, being incredibly nutrient-dense, is one of the single-greatest proteins," said Bobby Hicks, further cementing the dish's centuries-old popularity.

So while the food has aged out of the U.S., the same can't be said for other cuisines. In Italy, the dish is enjoyed in Venice by the name of fegato alla veneziana, employing calf liver flavored with wine or vinegar, all served alongside polenta. There are Nordic-inspired recipes like pan-fried chicken livers with nettles as well as a British rendition, which pairs lamb liver alongside bacon in a ketchup-flavored gravy. "In French cooking, liver is still absolutely adored for the bold, often 'irony' taste," said Hicks. He noted the offal cut is often used to "wrap around another protein" in the form of a mousse — although the French craft a pan-fried rendition with onions, too. As shown by its far-reaching popularity, "liver absolutely has a place in the culinary lexicon," added Hicks  — all the reason to give this old-school dish a try.