Gizzard
Encyclopedia
The gizzard, also referred to as the ventriculus, gastric mill, and gigerium, is an organ
found in the digestive tract of some animals, including bird
s, reptile
s, earthworm
s and some fish
. This specialized stomach
constructed of thick, muscular walls is used for grinding up food; often rocks are instrumental in this process. In certain insects and mollusks, the gizzard features chitin
ous plates or teeth.
giser, which derives from a similar word in Old French
, which itself evolved from the Latin
gigeria, meaning giblets. The Latin word probably derives from a common Proto-Indo-European
source with the Persian
word for liver, which is "jigar".
Birds swallow food and store it in their crop
if necessary. Then the food passes into their glandular stomach, also called the proventriculus
, which is also sometimes referred to as the true stomach. This is the secretory part of the stomach. Then the food passes into the ventriculus (also known as the muscular stomach or gizzard). The gizzard can grind the food with previously-swallowed stones and pass it back to the true stomach, and vice versa. Bird gizzards are lined with a tough layer made of the carbohydrate-protein complex koilin, to protect the muscles in the gizzard and to aid in digestion.
:
These stones are called gizzard stones or gastrolith
s and are usually round and smooth from the polishing action in the animal's stomach. When too smooth to do their required work, they may be passed or regurgitated.
waters worldwide, and the gizzard or mud shad
, found in freshwater lakes and streams from New York to Mexico, have gizzards.
The gillaroo
(Salmo stomachius), a richly colored species of trout
found in the Irish lake, lough Melvin
in County Fermanagh
, has a gizzard which is used to aid the digestion of water snails, the main component of its diet.
s which are believed to have had gizzards based on the discovery of gizzard stones recovered near fossils include:
Claosaurus
had been believed to have a gizzard, but this was A) Edmontosaurus annectens and B) probably based on stream-washed gravel; see Creisler, Benjamin S. 2007. Deciphering duckbills. Page 199 in Carpenter, Kenneth (ed.). Horns and Beaks: Ceratopsian and Ornithopod Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis.
gizzards are a popular food throughout the world. Grilled chicken
gizzards are sold as street food
in Haiti
and throughout Southeast Asia
. In Indonesia
, gizzard and liver are considered as part of a complete fried poultry dish. Stewed gizzards are eaten as a snack in Portugal
, while pickle
d turkey
gizzards are a traditional food in some parts of the Midwestern United States
. In Hungary
it is made with paprika
. In Nigeria
gizzard is either grilled or fried and served with stew and fried plantain
. In the Southern United States, the gizzard is typically served fried, sometimes eaten with hot sauce or honey mustard, or added to crawfish boil along with crawfish sauce
, and it is also used in traditional New Orleans gumbo
. In Chicago, gizzard is battered, deep fried and served with fries and sauce. Gizzard and mashed potato is a popular food in many European countries. In France
, especially the Dordogne
region, gizzards are eaten in the traditional Perigordian Salad, along with walnuts, croutons and lettuce
. The Chamber of Commerce
in Potterville, Michigan
have held a Gizzard Fest each June since 2000; a gizzard-eating contest is among the weekend's events. In Iran some kebab restaurants mix chicken gizzards in their koobideh kebabs to increase the meat content. In Italy
gizzards are often used mixed with other offals.
The word "Sangdana" is commonly used to refer to chicken gizzards in Pakistan. The word is derived from Persian (Sang = stone and dana = grain). It may be served cooked in a curry while barbecued skewered gizzards are also popular.
In Yiddish, gizzards are referred to as "pipik'lach", literally meaning navel
s. The gizzards of kosher species of birds have a green or yellowish membrane lining the inside, which must be peeled off before cooking, as it lends a very bitter taste to the food. In traditional Eastern European Jewish cuisine
, the gizzards, necks, and feet of chickens were often cooked together, although not the liver
, which per Kosher law must be broiled. Kosher butchers often sell roasting chickens with the gizzard, neck, and feet butchered and left in the cavity to be used for making chicken soup
.
In Uganda
, Cameroon
and Nigeria
, the gizzard of a cooked chicken is traditionally set aside for the oldest or most respected male at the table.
Giblets
consist of the heart, liver and gizzard of a bird, and are often eaten themselves or used as the basis for a soup or stock.
In Taiwan, gizzards are often slow-cooked and served hot or cold in slices, with green onions and soy sauce.
In Mainland China, duck gizzard is a common snack, eaten alongside other duck parts such as feet, neck, heart, tongue, or head. Areas famous for their gizzard are Sichuan
and Hubei
provinces. Wuhan
city in Hubei is famous for its spicy gizzard, called Jiujiuya (Simplified Chinese:久久鸭). In Northern China, you can find BBQ duck gizzard.
Organ (anatomy)
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues . The main tissue is the one that is unique for the specific organ. For example, main tissue in the heart is the myocardium, while sporadic are...
found in the digestive tract of some animals, including bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s, earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s and some fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
. This specialized stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
constructed of thick, muscular walls is used for grinding up food; often rocks are instrumental in this process. In certain insects and mollusks, the gizzard features chitin
Chitin
Chitin n is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose, and is found in many places throughout the natural world...
ous plates or teeth.
Etymology
The word "gizzard" comes from the Middle EnglishMiddle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
giser, which derives from a similar word in Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
, which itself evolved from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
gigeria, meaning giblets. The Latin word probably derives from a common Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European language
The Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...
source with the Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
word for liver, which is "jigar".
Structure
Crop (anatomy)
A crop is a thin-walled expanded portion of the alimentary tract used for the storage of food prior to digestion that is found in many animals, including gastropods, earthworms, leeches, insects, birds, and even some dinosaurs.- Bees :Cropping is used by bees to temporarily store nectar of flowers...
if necessary. Then the food passes into their glandular stomach, also called the proventriculus
Proventriculus
The proventriculus is part of the digestive system of birds, invertebrates and insects.-Birds:The proventriculus is a standard part of avian anatomy...
, which is also sometimes referred to as the true stomach. This is the secretory part of the stomach. Then the food passes into the ventriculus (also known as the muscular stomach or gizzard). The gizzard can grind the food with previously-swallowed stones and pass it back to the true stomach, and vice versa. Bird gizzards are lined with a tough layer made of the carbohydrate-protein complex koilin, to protect the muscles in the gizzard and to aid in digestion.
Gizzard stones
Some animals that lack teeth will swallow stones or grit to aid in digestion. All birds have gizzards, but not all will swallow stones or grit. The birds that do, employ the following method of masticationMastication
Mastication or chewing is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth. It is the first step of digestion and it increases the surface area of foods to allow more efficient break down by enzymes. During the mastication process, the food is positioned between the teeth for grinding by...
:
- "A bird swallows small bits of gravel that act as 'teeth' in the gizzard, breaking down hard food such as seeds and thus helping digestion." (Solomon et al., 2002).
These stones are called gizzard stones or gastrolith
Gastrolith
A gastrolith, also called a stomach stone or gizzard stones, is a rock held inside a gastrointestinal tract. Gastroliths are retained in the muscular gizzard and used to grind food in animals lacking suitable grinding teeth. The grain size depends upon the size of the animal and the gastrolith's...
s and are usually round and smooth from the polishing action in the animal's stomach. When too smooth to do their required work, they may be passed or regurgitated.
Birds
All birds have gizzards. The gizzards of emus, turkeys, chickens and ducks are most notable in cuisine (see below).Fish
The mullet (Mugilidae) found in estuarineEstuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
waters worldwide, and the gizzard or mud shad
Shad
The shads or river herrings comprise the genus Alosa, fish related to herring in the family Clupeidae. They are distinct from others in that family by having a deeper body and spawning in rivers. The several species frequent different areas on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea....
, found in freshwater lakes and streams from New York to Mexico, have gizzards.
The gillaroo
Gillaroo
Gillaroo , is the name of a species of trout which eats primarily snails and is only proven to inhabit Lough Melvin in Ireland.Gillaroo is derived from the Irish for Red Fellow ; this is due to the fish's distinctive colouring. It has a bright, buttery golden colour in its flanks with bright...
(Salmo stomachius), a richly colored species of trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
found in the Irish lake, lough Melvin
Lough Melvin
Lough Melvin is a lake which is internationally renowned for its unique range of plants and animals. It is located in the northwest of Ireland on the border between County Leitrim and County Fermanagh ....
in County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, has a gizzard which is used to aid the digestion of water snails, the main component of its diet.
Invertebrates
Most invertebrates also have gizzards. The gizzard is used to grind up food, and it is part of the digestive system.Dinosaurs
DinosaurDinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s which are believed to have had gizzards based on the discovery of gizzard stones recovered near fossils include:
- PsittacosaurusPsittacosaurusPsittacosaurus is a genus of psittacosaurid ceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of what is now Asia, about 130 to 100 million years ago. It is notable for being the most species-rich dinosaur genus...
- MassospondylusMassospondylusMassospondylus and ) is a genus of prosauropod dinosaur from the early Jurassic Period . It was described by Sir Richard Owen in 1854 from remains found in South Africa, and is thus one of the first dinosaurs to have been named...
- Sellosaurus
- OmeisaurusOmeisaurusOmeisaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic Period of what is now China. Its name comes from Mount Emei, where it was discovered in the lower Shaximiao Formation of Sichuan Province.Like other sauropods, Omeisaurus was herbivorous and large...
- ApatosaurusApatosaurusApatosaurus , also known by the popular but scientifically deprecated synonym Brontosaurus, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived from about 154 to 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period . It was one of the largest land animals that ever existed, with an average length of and a...
- BarosaurusBarosaurusBarosaurus ; Greek barys/βαρυς meaning 'heavy' and saurus/σαυρος meaning 'lizard', 'heavy lizard') was a giant, long-tailed, long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur closely related to the more familiar Diplodocus...
- DicraeosaurusDicraeosaurusDicraeosaurus is a genus of small diplodocoid sauropod dinosaur. It was named for the spines on the back of the neck. The first fossil was described by paleontologist Werner Janensch in 1914.Unlike most diplodocoids, Dicraeosaurus had a large head with a relatively short and wide neck...
- Seismosaurus
Claosaurus
Claosaurus
Claosaurus is a genus of primitive hadrosaurid that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period .Evidence of its existence was first found near the Smoky Hill River in Kansas, USA in the form of partial skull fragments and as an articulated postcranial skeleton...
had been believed to have a gizzard, but this was A) Edmontosaurus annectens and B) probably based on stream-washed gravel; see Creisler, Benjamin S. 2007. Deciphering duckbills. Page 199 in Carpenter, Kenneth (ed.). Horns and Beaks: Ceratopsian and Ornithopod Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press: Bloomington and Indianapolis.
In cuisine
PoultryPoultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
gizzards are a popular food throughout the world. Grilled chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
gizzards are sold as street food
Street food
Street food is ready-to-eat food or drink sold in a street or other public place, such as a market or fair, by a hawker or vendor, often from a portable stall. While some street foods are regional, many are not, having spread beyond their region of origin. Most street food are both finger and fast...
in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and throughout Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. In Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, gizzard and liver are considered as part of a complete fried poultry dish. Stewed gizzards are eaten as a snack in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, while pickle
Pickling
Pickling, also known as brining or corning is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...
d turkey
Turkey (bird)
A turkey is a large bird in the genus Meleagris. One species, Meleagris gallopavo, commonly known as the Wild Turkey, is native to the forests of North America. The domestic turkey is a descendant of this species...
gizzards are a traditional food in some parts of the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. In Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
it is made with paprika
Paprika
Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried fruits of Capsicum annuum . In many European languages, the word paprika refers to bell peppers themselves. The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add color and flavor to dishes. Paprika can range from mild to hot...
. In Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
gizzard is either grilled or fried and served with stew and fried plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
. In the Southern United States, the gizzard is typically served fried, sometimes eaten with hot sauce or honey mustard, or added to crawfish boil along with crawfish sauce
Sauce
In cooking, a sauce is liquid, creaming or semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. Sauce is a French word taken from the Latin salsus, meaning salted...
, and it is also used in traditional New Orleans gumbo
Gumbo
Gumbo is a stew or soup that originated in southern Louisiana during the 18th century. It consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and the vegetable holy trinity of celery, bell peppers, and onions...
. In Chicago, gizzard is battered, deep fried and served with fries and sauce. Gizzard and mashed potato is a popular food in many European countries. In France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, especially the Dordogne
Dordogne
Dordogne is a départment in south-west France. The départment is located in the region of Aquitaine, between the Loire valley and the High Pyrénées named after the great river Dordogne that runs through it...
region, gizzards are eaten in the traditional Perigordian Salad, along with walnuts, croutons and lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
. The Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
in Potterville, Michigan
Potterville, Michigan
Potterville is a city in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,168 at the 2000 census.-History:Potterville is named after Linus Potter, who settled his family in the area in November, 1844. Linus was elected supervisor of Benton Township in 1846...
have held a Gizzard Fest each June since 2000; a gizzard-eating contest is among the weekend's events. In Iran some kebab restaurants mix chicken gizzards in their koobideh kebabs to increase the meat content. In Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
gizzards are often used mixed with other offals.
The word "Sangdana" is commonly used to refer to chicken gizzards in Pakistan. The word is derived from Persian (Sang = stone and dana = grain). It may be served cooked in a curry while barbecued skewered gizzards are also popular.
In Yiddish, gizzards are referred to as "pipik'lach", literally meaning navel
Navel
The navel is a scar on the abdomen caused when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby...
s. The gizzards of kosher species of birds have a green or yellowish membrane lining the inside, which must be peeled off before cooking, as it lends a very bitter taste to the food. In traditional Eastern European Jewish cuisine
Jewish cuisine
Jewish Cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Jewish people worldwide. It is a diverse cuisine that has evolved over many centuries, shaped by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish Festival and Sabbath traditions...
, the gizzards, necks, and feet of chickens were often cooked together, although not the liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
, which per Kosher law must be broiled. Kosher butchers often sell roasting chickens with the gizzard, neck, and feet butchered and left in the cavity to be used for making chicken soup
Chicken soup
Chicken soup is a soup made by bringing to a boil and then simmering chicken parts and/or bones in water, with various vegetables and flavorings. The classic chicken soup consists of a clear broth, often served with small pieces of chicken or vegetables, or with noodles or dumplings, or grains such...
.
In Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, the gizzard of a cooked chicken is traditionally set aside for the oldest or most respected male at the table.
Giblets
Giblets
Giblets is a culinary term for the edible offal of a fowl, typically including the heart, gizzard, liver, and other visceral organs.A whole bird from a butcher is often packaged with the giblets...
consist of the heart, liver and gizzard of a bird, and are often eaten themselves or used as the basis for a soup or stock.
In Taiwan, gizzards are often slow-cooked and served hot or cold in slices, with green onions and soy sauce.
In Mainland China, duck gizzard is a common snack, eaten alongside other duck parts such as feet, neck, heart, tongue, or head. Areas famous for their gizzard are Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
and Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
provinces. Wuhan
Wuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
city in Hubei is famous for its spicy gizzard, called Jiujiuya (Simplified Chinese:久久鸭). In Northern China, you can find BBQ duck gizzard.