A plaque remaining from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.

Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.

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Entry from January 17, 2013
Livermush (Liver Mush)

Livermush (or “liver mush”) is a dish that is similar to scrapple, except a pig’s liver is used instead of a pig’s feet. Cornmeal, sage an pepper are added, making it resemble a liver pudding.
 
“Liver mush” has been cited in print since at least 1906. The dish has been most popular in North Carolina.
 
   
Wikipedia: Livermush
Livermush (not to be confused with liver pudding) is a Southern United States food product composed of pig liver, head parts, and cornmeal. It is commonly spiced with pepper and sage.
 
Shelby, North Carolina hosts an annual Livermush Exposition, which began in 1987 to celebrate the unique delicacy. In that year the Cleveland County Commissioners and the Shelby City Council passed resolutions proclaiming that “livermush is the most delicious, most economical and most versatile of meats.” Other towns in North Carolina that have livermush festivals include Drexel and Marion. Sonny’s Grill in Blowing Rock, NC, now closed, was famous for its livermush.
 
(Oxford English Dictionary)
liver mush n. N. Amer. regional (south.) a type of savoury pudding made with pig’s liver and cornmeal, typically served pressed into thick square cakes; cf. liver pudding n. at Compounds 1a.
1906 Landmark (Statesville, N. Carolina) (Electronic text) 7 Dec.,  Mr Crouch sent in some of the products—sausage, liver mush and souse.
2000 D. Porter Midnight in Savannah 258   ‘The boy’s right about that,’ Norma said, plopping some fried eggs and liver mush down in front of him.
 
27 November 1906, The Daily Record (Greensboro, NC), pg. 5, col. 5:
I will keep on hand liver mush most of the time, selling it for 10 cents per pound.
 
Chronicling America
1 December 1908, The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, SC), pg. 3, col. 5:
Liver Mush.
Boil together a skull and a haslet (liver and lights, but not heart) until thoroughly done, take out the bones, mash together, season with sage and onions, put meal sufficient to make a stiff dough, boil half an hour, pour in a mold, and when cold cut in slices and fry as needed for breakfast.
 
9 November 1913, Greensboro (NC) Daily News, “Scrapple and Such,” pg. 4, col. 4:
As like as not the (Charlotte—ed.) News will aver that scrapple is the same thing as livermush, liverhash, liverpudding and souse, that each is a mere variation of sausage, and that a plentiful dosage of cracklin’s would immeasurably improve any of ‘em.
 
24 January 1914, Greensboro (NC) Daily News, pg. 4, col. 1:
“If the Greensboro News don’t want to call it liverel or livermush, ponhorse is eminently correct,” advises that w.k. authority, the Charlotte News. We are willing to call scrapple anything if it will respond, which the same is has so far utterly and misera bly failed to do.
     
Google Books
The American Home
Volume 12
1934
Pg. 105:
Scrapple, with the omission of the pig’s feet and addition of the pig’s liver, becomes the mountain liver-mush.
 
Food Republic
Word Of The Day: Livermush
Sep 26, 2012 12:31 pm
(...)
Livermush is a concoction made with pig innards, cornmeal, sage and pepper. Quite the facsimile for such an innocuous recipe. Surprisingly the dish is catching on up here like truck wheels on the pavement down South.

Posted by Barry Popik
New York CityFood/Drink • Thursday, January 17, 2013 • Permalink


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