The Once-Popular Food You Won't See Many People Eating Today

Nostalgic food is pretty big these days as people yearn to relive the simpler and less tumultuous times of their youth. Along with forgotten eats like steak Diane and ambrosia salad, liver and onions made an appearance on our list of foods from the '60s that are weirdly making a comeback, although the challenging dish definitely doesn't hold the sway it once did. In addition to calf's liver and onions, an old-fashioned liver and onions recipe may also include lemon juice, chicken stock, extra virgin olive oil, and plenty of seasonings. It's worth noting that there are many variations on this dish. Some recipes call for chicken livers, while others incorporate gravy into the mix. 

An infamous episode of "Doug," the Nickelodeon cartoon that triggers a rush of nostalgia in '90s babies everywhere, features the titular character attending dinner at his crush Patty Mayonnaise's house, only to find that they're serving liver and onions — much to his disgust. (The gist of his dilemma is summed up nicely in this TikTok clip). I can personally attest to Doug's hatred of this dish, as it was my mom's preferred order at any greasy spoon diner, and I would always balk when it was placed on the table across from me. The meat itself appeared shiny and gelatinous, and childhood me was not a big fan of onions (a food opinion I've thankfully since grown out of). 

The flavor profile of a steaming plate of liver and onions can depend on what type of liver is used in the dish. In general, liver features some gamey bitterness, but there's also a mildly sweet flavor evident in the organ meat. The leanness of liver means it can toughen up rather quickly, so cooks aim for a smooth, yielding tenderness. Calf and chicken livers are considered the most palatable, while beef liver can have a more rigid texture. Beef liver should be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicken livers must reach an internal temp of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The heyday for liver and onions is a few decades past, so it's hard to get a handle on whether this dish is truly missed. For insight, a Facebook post asking commenters to rank the recipe with a yay or nay featured a lot of positive responses. (As one person put it, "Adult me, yes. Kid me, gross!"). On Reddit, a poster found that the dish wasn't as bad as they were made to believe, with a person commenting, "[Liver and onions] really does grow on you the older you get." While the dish is included in the foods Guy Fieri just can't eat (along with chitterlings and scrapple), it appears liver and onions still has some adoring fans out there.