12/100: Fried Livermush - biscuits and such
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12/100: Fried Livermush

Years ago when I was very homesick and living in Maryland I bought two books- Adam Lucas’  The Best Game Ever and Bob Garner’s Guide to North Carolina BarbecueReading about the historic 1957 UNC team that my grandfather was a part of and the foods from home that I missed so dearly made me feel a little better, a little more connected to home. Those books made me feel as though even while I was not living in North Carolina, North Carolina was a part of me, always.

livermush 3

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of talking with Bob Garner, and I was immediately reminded me of that feeling, that desire to connect with my roots. His most recent book, Foods That Make You Say Mmm-mm, takes him across the state, looking into the regional foods and food traditions that are unique to North Carolina. As he puts it, some foods have “stuck” more than others to North Carolina. Yes, you can find traditional Southern foods throughout the state, but there are some foods that you can only find in little pockets of North Carolina, and that’s what he’s exploring.

FoodsThatMakeYouSayMmm

photographs courtesy of Bob Garner

Talking to Bob is like taking a masters level course in North Carolina food culture. As soon as I held the book I knew he would be an incredible resource for Tasting North Carolina, and so I took advantage of our conversation to ask him his input. As expected, he had a lot of amazing suggestions. We talked about the sonker of Surry County, the muddle of Lenoir County, and the liver mush of Cleveland County.

livermush 1

Cleveland County is located in Western North Carolina and is, among other things, the home of Earl Scruggs. It is also the home of Livermush, a pate-like dish that is comprised of pork liver, head meats, and cornmeal. Despite the rather off-putting name (it’s sometimes called liver pudding), liver mush is a beloved Cleveland County treat, a legacy of the German immigrants who settled in Southwestern North Carolina.

cleveland

Coincidentally, a few days after I spoke with Bob I ran into a friend from Cleveland County. She had remembered that I was working on this project and brought me some of her favorite brand of liver mush- Neese’s- and gave me some instructions for eating it. She said that while most people like it fried and served with eggs and grits she prefers it with a touch of maple syrup. The next morning I fried up a batch and served it with freshly baked buttermilk biscuits and a healthy serving of maple syrup.

livermush 5

Bob Garner has spent his career doing exactly what I’m hoping to do with this project- connect with people from across the state to learn their stories and celebrate their culture and history. Tasting North Carolina grew out of a desire to reconnect with my home state, and thanks to people like Bob I know more and more about my roots every day.

livermush 4

Fried Livermush Biscuit

1lb block of livermush or liverpudding

Maple syrup

drop biscuits:

4 cups flour

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsps salt

2 sticks butter

2 1/4 cups buttermilk

Heat oven to 400F.

Mix together dry ingredients. Cube butter and work in with your hands, breaking the butter up into small pieces and mixing in with the dry ingredients, until the texture resembles cornmeal. Stir in the buttermilk.

Use a spoon to drop the dough into a drop biscuit pan or onto a lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Slice liver mush into 1/2″ slices. Fry in a buttered skillet for 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Serve on a sliced hot biscuit with a generous drizzle of maple syrup.

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9 Comments

  • Blessing

    10.02.2015 at 12:09 Reply

    Your post have just proved how easy it is to bake biscuits. The biscuits look very delicious and appetising.
    Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  • Kristen

    10.02.2015 at 14:22 Reply

    I love history and I find many of the stories and traditions of the mid-Atlantic states fascinating. I haven’t ever heard of liver mush/pudding and in fact I have never even seen pork liver in any store. I am so used to chicken and beef liver, it’s funny that pig liver never occurred to me to try.

  • Laura

    10.02.2015 at 20:13 Reply

    I’ve never heard of liver mush and have to admit that the name doesn’t make me want to run right out and buy it. But you’ve done a great job of selling it – and I can even imagine that scrapple eaters would line up to try it. Me – I’d rather read your wonderful story and look at the pictures:)

    • Elena Rosemond-Hoerr

      11.02.2015 at 10:03 Reply

      Thanks Laura! To be honest, I was super hesitant because liver mush was new to me and I’ve never been a scrapple person! I was surprised by how good it was- sort of like breakfast sausage with the maple syrup!

  • Donna

    13.02.2015 at 06:35 Reply

    My husband (an NC native) loves this stuff. He takes a cooler with him when he goes home to bring back a pound or two of Neese’s.

  • Miranda @ Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt

    15.02.2015 at 10:14 Reply

    I have never heard of livermush, but it kind of reminds me of spam with how it’s fried down. Did the maple syrup make it enjoyable? I doubt I’m going to find it at the grocery store up here in New York, but if I ever come across some, I have to get it. I would love to find out what it tastes like.

    • Elena Rosemond-Hoerr

      18.02.2015 at 09:18 Reply

      Yeah, it’s not unlike spam at all. The maple syrup made it taste pretty good, kind of like breakfast sausage!

  • Biscuits and Such » Lovely Internet 2.20.15:

    20.02.2015 at 10:45 Reply

    […] 1. Southern Food. Like a hug from the Lord. I’m not mad at it. (livermush!) […]

  • Martha's boy

    12.08.2017 at 04:44 Reply

    Born and raised in Western NC . Live in NYC now and often dine in some of the most “respected” restaurants in the city. Nothing compares to a livermush sandwich on white toast with grits. My friends all think I’m crazy for talking about livermush all the time.

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