We tried and compared four brands of canned liver spread: Reno, Argentina, CDO, and Purefoods.
Canned liver spread has a special place in the Filipino pantry, making for a quick savory spread for your breakfast pandesal, or for adding a savory backbone to dishes like kaldereta and Pinoy-style spaghetti.
While we’ve not been able to find its exact history in the Philippine setting, its origins can be noticeably traced to French pâté or German liverwurst—both forms of forcemeat that may (or actually do, in the case of the latter) contain animal livers, along with its other parts and fillers, processed or pureed into a spreadable paste, thus breathing life and edible appeal into the (typically) less-preferred parts of the animal.
You’ll find a couple of brands in the supermarket today, available at cheap price points that keeps these special spreads accessible to common households. How do Reno, Argentina, CDO, and Purefoods compare? Here's our verdict:
Reno sports a nostalgic label that well looks like it could have been lifted straight from the 60’s. On the back, you’ll notice it says it's made “with cereal”, which we assume acts as an extender for the spread. Whatever “cereal” means, it manifests itself in Reno’s resulting texture and taste.
Texture: The spread has a murky, grayish-pink hue and a notably thick consistency—still spreadable, but stiff like a thick porridge, with chunks of blistered meat in every few spoonfuls. Great for thickening stews.
Flavor: You get a spicy, meaty taste from both pork and beef livers, which then concludes with a peculiar sweetness. That porridge-like thickness we mentioned cushions the spread’s saltiness, making it balanced enough to eat straight with a spoon, but too mild of a presence on bread.
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