Gizzard - wikipedia Gizzard For the open source sharding framework, see Gizzard ( Scala framework ). Gizzard of a chicken The gizzard, also referred to as the ventriculus, gastric mill, and gigerium, is an organ found in the digestive tract of some animals, including archosaurs ( pterosaurs, crocodiles, alligators, and dinosaurs, including birds ), earthworms, some gastropods, some fish, and some crustaceans. This specialized stomach constructed of thick muscular walls is used for grinding up food, often aided by particles of stone or grit. In certain insects and molluscs, the gizzard features chitinous plates or teeth. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Structure 2.1 In birds 2.2 Gizzard stones 3 Animals with gizzards 3.1 Fish 3.2 Reptiles 3.3 Birds 3.4 Crustaceans 3.5 Non-avian dinosaurs 3.6 Pterosaurs 4 In cuisine 5 Generic meaning 6 References 6.1 Sources Etymology The word gizzard comes from the Middle English giser, which derives from a similar word in Old French, which itself evolved from the Latin gigeria, meaning giblets. Structure The gizzard ( serial 8 ) of a pigeon, seen at the right of the duodenum between the legs. In birds 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 gizzard ( also known as the muscular stomach or ventriculus ). 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. By comparison, while in birds the stomach occurs in the digestive tract prior to the gizzard, in grasshoppers the gizzard occurs prior to the stomach, while in earthworms there is only a gizzard, and no stomach. Gizzard stones Some animals that lack teeth will swallow stones or grit to aid in fragmenting hard foods. All birds have gizzards, but not all will swallow stones or grit. Those that do employ the following method of chewing : `` 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 gastroliths and usually become round and smooth from the polishing action in the animal 's stomach. When too smooth to do their required work, they may be excreted or regurgitated. Animals with gizzards Fish The mullet ( Mugilidae ) found in estuarine 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 Lough Melvin, a lake in the north of Ireland, has a gizzard which is used to aid the digestion of water snails, the main component of its diet. Reptiles Alligators and crocodiles also have gizzards. Birds All birds have gizzards. The gizzards of emus, turkeys, chickens and ducks are most notable in cuisine ( see below ). Crustaceans Body structure of a typical crustacean -- krill Some crustaceans have a gizzard although this is usually referred to as a gastric mill. Non-avian dinosaurs Dinosaurs that are believed to have had gizzards based on the discovery of gizzard stones recovered near fossils include : Psittacosaurus Massospondylus Sellosaurus Omeisaurus Apatosaurus Barosaurus Dicraeosaurus Seismosaurus The belief that Claosaurus had a gizzard has been discredited on the grounds that the fossil remains this claim was based on were another species and the stones merely from a stream. Pterosaurs At least some pterosaurs seemingly had gizzards. The most notable cases are Pterodaustro ( inferred via gastroliths ) and Rhamphorhynchus ( directly preserved ). In cuisine Fried gizzards and livers Poultry 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 part of a complete fried poultry dish. In Mexico they are eaten with rice or with chicken soup. They are also served grilled and prepared scrambled with eggs, onions, garlic, and salsa ; and served with beans and tortillas for breakfast and other meals. Stewed gizzards are eaten as a snack in Portugal. In Hungary it is made with paprika. In Ghana, it is eaten in a variety of forms ( boiled, fried or grilled ), but one of the most common is as a local khebab ( brochette / skewers ), with spices and optional green peppers and onions In Nigeria gizzard is either grilled or fried and served with stew and fried plantain. Pickled turkey gizzards are a traditional food in some parts of the Midwestern United States. In Chicago, gizzard is battered, deep fried and served with french fries and sauce. The Chamber of Commerce in Potterville, Michigan has held a Gizzard Fest each June since 2000 ; a gizzard - eating contest is among the weekend 's events. 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. Gizzard and mashed potato is a popular food in many European countries. In France, especially the Dordogne region, duck gizzards are eaten in the traditional Périgordian salad, along with walnuts, croutons and lettuce. 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 offal. In Japan, gizzard is called zuri or sunagimo ; usually it is cooked in yakitori ( Japanese style skewered barbecue ). In Kyushu ( southern Japan ), gizzard is fried into karaage. In Korea, chicken gizzard, called dak - ttongjip, is stir - fried and eaten as anju or yasik. The word Sangdana is commonly used to refer to chicken gizzards in Northern India and Pakistan. The word is derived from Persian ( Sang = stone and dana = grain ). Another name for it is Pathri. It may be served cooked in a curry while barbecued skewered gizzards are also popular. In Nepal, gizzard is called jaatey or pangra. It is eaten most often with drinks. In Yiddish, gizzards are referred to as pipik'lach, literally meaning navels. 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 Trinidad and Tobago, gizzards are curried and served with rice or roti bread, it can also be stewed. 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 brand of spicy gizzard, called Jiujiuya ( Simplified Chinese : 久久 鸭 ). In Northern China, one can find barbecued duck gizzard. Generic meaning The term `` gizzard '' can also, by extension, refer to the general guts, innards or entrails of animals. References ^ Jump up to : `` Gizzard ''. Merriam - Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved 2009 - 02 - 05. Jump up ^ K. Sakai ( 2004 ). `` The diphyletic nature of the Infraorder Thalassinidea ( Decapoda, Pleocyemata ) as derived from the morphology of the gastric mill ''. Crustaceana. 77 ( 9 ) : 1117 -- 1129. doi : 10.1163 / 1568540042900268. JSTOR 20107419. Jump up ^ Creisler, Benjamin S ( 2007 ). Horns and Beaks : Ceratopsian and Ornithopod Dinosaurs. Bloomington : Indiana University Press. p. 199. ISBN 978 - 0253348173. Jump up ^ Codorniú et al. 2009 Jump up ^ Wilton, Mark P. ( 2013 ). Pterosaurs : Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691150613. Jump up ^ `` Gizzard Fest ''. Potterville Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2009 - 02 - 05. Jump up ^ Victor Mair ( 2015 ), Chinese words and characters for `` gizzard '', Language Log, 7 January 2015. Sources Solomon, E.P., Berg L.P., and Martin D.W., 2002. Biology Sixth Edition. Thomson Learning Inc., Australia, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, United States pp. 664 Dyce, Sack, Wensing, 2002. Textbook of Veterinary Anatomy Third Edition, Saunders. ISBN 0 - 7216 - 8966 - 3 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gizzard&oldid=811161974 '' Categories : Animal anatomy Dinosaur anatomy Offal Bird anatomy Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from April 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Ido Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Basa Jawa Kreyòl ayisyen Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Português Română Русский Sicilianu Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska ไทย Українська Tiếng Việt Walon 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 19 November 2017, at 22 : 26. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: where is the gizzard located on a chicken
Answer: digestive tract