“Eww! Liverwurst!” Thus went a familiar refrain when we were kids and instead of peanut butter and jelly we opened up our lunch box to a liverwurst sandwich. No one, and I mean no one, would trade their sandwich for ours. Even now, just say the word “liverwurst” to an unsuspecting friend and watch their reaction. Sigh. I suspect that if it were called “saucisse de foie de porc” (sausage of pork liver) we wouldn’t have had such a problem with it. But with the combo of “liver” (not every kid’s favorite meal) and “wurst” (sounds a lot like “worst”, as in the worst sandwich ever), we were not predisposed to like it.

Thank goodness we are grown-ups now with more sophisticated palates and an openness to revisit the food prejudices of our youth. (Right? One can only hope.) Seriously, liverwurst tastes a lot like pâté, and is usually made with pork, including up to 20% pork liver. Prepared well, it is absolutely delicious. The question is can you even find it in the stores anymore? We recently found some fantastic liverwurst a local German sausage maker (Morants in Sacramento). Underwood is a brand I remember growing up, though I don’t know how available it is these days.

Liverwurst sandwiches are typically made with rye or whole grain bread, mustard, and onions. Personally I would skip the onions, unless perhaps they are pickled red onions, as the liverwurst is strong enough in flavor and often has onions ground into it. We always had these sandwiches on white bread growing up, so that’s what I use now, but with Italian or French loaf.

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