Does all pate contain liver?

Question

The title says it all? I simply do not like organ meat. I had a very expensive french meal in Montreal once that was pate de fois gras, sweebreads and the like and it just wasn't for me. 

I'm just not sure if it "has" to have liver in it to be a pate. I had a charcuterie platter recently that had a pate as one of the selections and approached it very carefully. It did not have a "livery" flavor, rather a pork sausage type flavor. 

Sorry for the neophyte question, but I couldn't get a good answer elsewhere. 

Thanks.

Answer

No. Pate refers to something that's been finely minced and "formed". Mostly it's meat, but there are vegetable pates and terrines available, pate de campagne is generally a chunkier "country style" porky terrine that may or may not have liver in it.

That said, when I've seen pate served, it most commonly means that it contains liver.

Answer

No apology needed, we were all beginners at some point. The short answer to your question ("Does all pate contain liver?") is no.

Pate mixtures can be made from poultry, veal, pork, vegetables, etc. and do not automatically contain liver. When the pate name contains the word "foie" it will contain liver (since foie is French for liver). Country pate may or may not contain liver, depends on the person making the mixture. You would be safest to simply ask if you want to avoid liver but a well-made pate should not taste exclusively "liver-y" unless, of course, it is a liver pate. 

The same pate mixture, baked in a crockery or metal pan without a crust, is called a terrine, so you might want to ask about liver content here also.

Answer

Thank you all for your help. Now I won't feel foolish in asking whether the pate has liver in it. I was at a french restaurant the other night and the server described the pate plate and I thought it sounded good but just assumed that it was all liver based so I wouldn't like it.

Answer

I have had mackerel pate and tuna pate and other smoked fish pates. The best we used to get was Buckling Pate made in Sweden in the 70s. Oh if only I could still get that.

Answer

i have the same issue as you. i can't wait for the offal faze to end. 

and, i just recently realized that the answer is no. a restaurant's menu kindly listed what was in the pate in the description. it was really a great revelation and the restaurant made some extra money by listing for sharing information.

Answer

There are vegetable pates, i'm sure that pate purists will have their say, but in the interest of global acceptance I introduce the concept of vegetable pates. I have seen and tasted them, some of them were really good, whether or not they were authentic.

Answer

It just means paste of whatever is in it, so it doesn't **have** to contain liver. But it usually does. So asking is the best solution.

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Does all pate contain liver?

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