I eat funky stuff. I’m Peruvian, so it’s normal for me to eat guinea pig, heart and tripe (although I no longer like the latter). I also grew up eating liver and I love it.
Liver is one of the true nature’s super foods. It’s rich in several vitamins (most importantly A and D), and minerals like iron. We’re talking about a mammal’s liver here. Fish liver, particularly cod liver has the added benefit of omega-3 fatty acids, which among other things help to reduce inflammation. Cod liver oil has been regarded as a healthy supplement for ages, but unfortunately people stopped taking it and replaced it with supplements that are usually useless.
One day browsing the shelves of my local health food shop I saw a can of Latvian cod liver in its own oil. It was wickedly expensive ($8.80) but I wanted to give it a shot. We had it for dinner the other night along with some bone broth and avocado.
Taste-wise it was very fishy, with a slight bitter aftertaste. Texture-wise it was soft and fatty, like pate. After the first bite we added some lemon juice which made it much more tastier. We actually enjoyed it. We saved the oil in a jar to have it during the week.
There are some concerns about fatty acid oxidation and contamination by heavy metals and other substances in canned cod liver but apparently it’s safe to eat (see here and here).
More information on cod liver and cod liver oil:
- The Benefits of Liver, Cod Liver Oil, and Dessicated Liver by Chris Masterjohn
- FAQs: All about fermented cod liver oil (and why I don’t take fish oil) from Balanced Bites
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