Yum…liverwurst! If you haven’t tried it yet, you’re missing out. Liverwurst, also known as leberwurst, literally means ”liver sausage”. It’s popular all over Europe, especially in Austria and Germany where it probably originated.
As the name suggests, liverwurst is made from liver – usually, pig or calf liver – plus onion and spices like black pepper, nutmeg, and allspice.
Different regions in Germany have their own recipes for the specialty and the addition of things like onion or bacon is crucial to the regional identity of the sausage.
You may be wondering how long you can keep the sausage and how to store it for optimal freshness. We’re here to answer all your questions in that regard so please keep reading.
How To Tell If Liverwurst Has Gone Bad
How Long Can Liverwurst Be Stored?
Liverwurst is a fresh meat product and isn’t smoked or dried so it needs to be refrigerated. It should be eaten within six days. Check the “sell by” and “use by” dates as these will go a long way toward telling you if the sausage has gone bad or not.
How Else Can You Tell If The Sausage Is Bad?
As with any foodstuffs, when checking for freshness, use your senses:
- Smell
The sausage should have an appetizing meaty aroma. It should not smell sour or have a foul smell. If it does, toss it immediately.
- Sight
Liverwurst should be a uniform greyish or light brown meaty color. There should be no traces of green or white mold on it. The sausage should have a firm or spreadable consistency and should not be watery.
- Taste
Perhaps your liverwurst looks and smells good so you decide to go ahead and eat some. If it tastes sour or unpleasant in any way, throw it out. It should have a salty, savory, meaty flavor.
- Touch
Liverwurst either has a firm texture that is easily sliced or is spreadable and creamy, like pate. It should not feel dry, grainy, slimy, or watery.
How To Buy Liverwurst
For optimal freshness and quality, buy liverwurst from a butcher who makes small batches of it. Alternatively, you can sometimes find it in farmer’s market stalls where it is sold by artisanal cooks.
Supermarket liverwurst can be good if it’s bought from an upmarket deli counter.
Always check the dates on the sausage and buy the freshest batch possible. It is best not to buy this sausage in bulk. Purchase only as much as you can finish within a few days.
How To Store Liverwurst
- Keep the cold chain when purchasing and taking the meat home by using a cooler. Put it into the fridge as soon as you get home.
- Liverwurst can be frozen for up to three months but the texture and flavor may be affected.
- It can be stored in the fridge for up to six days.
How To Store Liverwurst
Now that you’ve determined that your liverwurst is fresh, you may be wondering how to eat it. The sausage is delicious if sliced or spread onto crackers, bread, or even hot toast. Accompany it with dill pickles and mustard. It is particularly good on rye bread.
To Conclude
As we’ve seen, there are several ways to tell if liverwurst has gone bad.
- If the “use by” date has come and gone
- If it has not been refrigerated
- If it smells bad
- If the texture is dry or watery
- If it is not the right color or you see mold on it
- If it tastes sour or otherwise unpleasant
As with all foods, it is better to throw liverwurst out than risk ending up in the emergency room. Our advice, as always, is “If in doubt, toss it out.”