Physical Description
A turkey gizzard looks almost like a raw chicken breast , but a darker color.
Colors: brownish mauve
Tasting Notes
Flavors: Tastes bland like chicken gizzards.
Mouthfeel: Full of gristle, Chewy
Food complements: Bread stuffing
Wine complements: White zinfandel, Sauvignon blanc
Beverage complements: Cranberry juice
Substitutes: Turkey: liver, Heart, Chicken: gizzard, Liver, Heart
Selecting and Buying
Seasonality: january, february, march, april, may, june, july, august, september, opctober, november, december
Peak: november, december
Choosing: If your butcher has fresh gizzards, buy direct from the butcher. Gizzards that come inside your Turkey giblets package will be frozen and not as fresh.
Buying: Some supermarkets in the United States will carry fresh turkey and you can ask the butcher to save the gizzards. You can also receive gizzards when you buy a whole turkey
Procuring: Turkeys are Native to the Americas and can still be found in the wild throughout the Middle Eastern United States. They range from the Northern United States all the way down into Latin America, south of Mexico. Almost all turkey available for sale in the World is farm-grown and then slaughtered on a schedule.
Preparation and Use
When cooking turkey gizzard, ensure that it is cooked thoroughly prior to serving. Cooking all the turkey giblets together in a pot prior to adding them to bread stuffing is an American tradition.
Cleaning: Wash the gizzard with water before adding to your recipe and then wash the sink or bowl it was in to avoid salmonella germs.
Conserving and Storing
Turkey gizzards can be refrigerated or frozen. They will last a long time if frozen. Refrigerated and uncooked, they will last about 4 or 5 days.
Social/Political
For Native Americans throughout the Americas, turkeys provided protein and nourishment. For many tribes eating turkey was woven into ones life.
History: Originating in the Americas, Ben Franklin thought so much of turkey, he fought to have turkey made the national bird instead of the bald eagle. Turkey gizzards are secondary stomachs that are designed to crunch food up by virtue of the turkey swallowing a couple of sharp rocks that get lodged in the gizzard first, aiding in digestion. This organ is believed to have be passed down from dinosaurs.
