Lifrarpylsa is the second of Iceland's two slátur (slaughter) dishes — a liver sausage of sheep's liver, blood, oats, rye, suet, and spices, stuffed into a sheep's stomach and boiled. Eaten warm with mashed potatoes and butter, it is the hearty dish of autumn and the Þorrablót feast, the companion to blóðmör.
Lifrarpylsa (literally 'liver sausage') is the second of Iceland's two slátur dishes (the other being blóðmör, blood pudding). Made at the autumn slaughter, it uses the sheep's liver — ground with blood, oats, rye flour, suet, and warm spices (cinnamon, cloves) — stuffed into a cleaned sheep's stomach and boiled. Like blóðmör, it belongs to Þorramatur (the midwinter feast) and the autumn slaughtering season. The two slátur dishes are often made together and served together, the blood pudding dark and sweet, the liver sausage lighter and more savory.
A slice of liver sausage, warm, soft, with a distinct liver-and-spice aroma and a slightly crumbly texture from the oats. The cinnamon and clove are present but gentle. Eaten with mashed potatoes and a knob of butter, it is hearty, savory, and unmistakably Icelandic — the taste of the autumn slaughter.
The liver must be finely ground (a meat grinder or food processor), and the blood binds it into a sliceable solid. The oats and rye give body and absorb moisture; the suet gives richness. The spice (cinnamon, cloves, sometimes allspice) is the Icelandic signature — warmer and sweeter than other European liver sausages. The boiling is gentle (a hard boil curdles the blood); the casing must be pricked to vent steam. Like blóðmör, it is best made a day ahead and reheated.
Variations
Some add raisins; the spice mix varies; some use pork liver; some serve it with pickled red cabbage.
On the Palate
Where Lifrarpylsa sits in the Icelandic flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
8 steps · 1 hour 20 min active + 1 hour 10 min waiting
- 15 min
Grind 500 g sheep's liver (or pork liver) finely.
Watch outGrind the liver truly fine and smooth — coarse grind gives a grainy sausage that crumbles instead of slicing clean.
- 23 min
Whisk in 500 ml fresh blood (sheep or pig).
- 35 min
Stir in 150 g rolled oats, 100 g rye flour, 100 g diced suet, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1 tsp salt.
- 45 min
Stuff into a cleaned sheep's stomach (or large casing); tie off the ends; prick in several places.
Watch outPrick the casing all over before cooking — trapped steam swells it and bursts the skin, spilling the mix into the water.
- 5120 min
Place in a pot of cold water; bring slowly to a bare simmer; cook 2 hours.
Watch outBring it up slow to a bare, trembling simmer, never a boil — a hard boil curdles the blood and the sausage falls apart.
- 6720 min
Cool in cold water; rest overnight.
- 78 min
Slice thick; warm gently in a pan with butter.
- 82 min
Serve with mashed potatoes and more butter.
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