Liver pâté
Leverpostej (Danish pronunciation: [ˈleʊ̯ˀɐpʰosd̥ɑɪ̯ˀ]), lifrarkæfa (Icelandic) (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈlɪvrarcʰai̯va]), leverpostei (Norwegian), leverpastej (Swedish), maksapasteija (Finnish) or leverpastei (Dutch) is a dish which shares some similarities to French pâté, but is instead made of coarsely grounded pork liver and lard, and which is a popular spread in northern Europe.[1] Leverpostej is very similar to the German Braunschweiger thou this contaions meat, and leverpostej most often don't.
Danish leverpostej
In Denmark the liver is formed into a paste to which herbs, salt, pepper and other desired seasoning are added. It is then put into a loaf pan and baked in an oven.
The leverpostej is sliced or spread on Danish dark rye bread (rugbrød) and eaten as an open faced sandwich. It might also be topped with any of a variety of pickled items, such as beets, onions, or cucumbers. It is also traditional to place a slice of saltkød on top of the leverpostejmad.
A more extravagant variation is the prepared Danish open face sandwich (smørrebrød) called Dyrlægens natmad (lit. "Veterinarian's midnight snack")— on a piece of dark rye bread, a layer of leverpostej is topped with a slice of corned beef (salt kød) and a slice of meat aspic (sky). This is all decorated with raw onion rings and cress.[2]
Leverpostej is also served warm on rye bread, or sometimes on warm baguettes called Franskbrød. Traditional toppings include bacon slices and sautéed mushrooms.
Leverpostej was introduced to Denmark in 1847 by the French François Louis Beauvais in Copenhagen.[3] At that time it was considered a luxury item, and was expensive. Today it is a common and reasonably priced food item.[4] Two surveys in 1992 showed that Danes rank leverpostej as their favorite sandwich cold cut.[5]
Stryhn's, started in 1945 on Amager island, south of Copenhagen, is one of Denmark's major marketers of leverpostej. Their Grovhakket (lit. "Coarse mince") brand has been the most purchased leverpostej in Denmark during the past few decades.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Bettina Buhl, curator of the Danish Museum of Agriculture, "Pålæg – fladt eller højtbelagt – en historisk køkkenvandring"
- ^ idadavidsen.dk, "Opskrifter - Dyrlægens natmad"
- ^ tivolihallen.dk, "Vidste du?"
- ^ videnskab.dk, "Madpakken opstod af industrialisering og baconeksport", October 7 2009
- ^ bt.dk, "Leverpostej-katastrofe truer madpakkerne", January 5 2002
- ^ business.dk - "Den danske leverpostej skal fremtidssikres", February 25 2006