What is "giblets"

Giblets \Gib"lets\, n. pl. [OE. gibelet, OF. gibelet game: cf. F. gibelotte stewed rabbit. Cf. Gibbier.] The inmeats, or edible viscera (heart, gizzard, liver, etc.), of poultry.

mid-15c. (in singular, gybelet), from Old French gibelet "game stew," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Frankish *gabaiti "hunting with falcons," related to Old High German beizan "to fly a falcon," literally "to cause to bite," from bizzan "to bite."

n. The internal organs of poultry birds, these organs being used as food.

n. edible viscera of a fowl [syn: giblet]

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, sometimes sealed in a bag in the body cavity. The neck is often included with the giblets, as in the West it is usually separated from the body during butchering.

There are a number of recipes that use giblets. If a bird is to be stuffed, the giblets are traditionally chopped and added to the stuffing; however the USDA recommends cooking giblets separate from the bird. If not, they can be used for other purposes, such as giblet pie or, a Southern U.S. favorite, giblet gravy. With the exception of giblet gravy, the liver is not usually included in these recipes, as its strong flavor tends to overpower other ingredients. It may be used in liver-specific recipes, such as pâté or yakitori. Giblets can also be used to make alicot, a French stew.

In the Turkish cuisine, iç pilav, a traditional pilaf dish, is made with rice, chicken liver, nuts, and spices. Jerusalem mixed grill is an Israeli delicacy made with giblets, usually eaten with pita bread.

Most poultry, especially those sold in supermarkets, is quartered and consequently the giblets are not included. Giblets can be bought separately from a butcher, but the demand for human consumption is low in most Western countries, so they are more often sold to pet food manufacturers.

Giblets may refer to:

• Giblets, the edible offal of a fowl
• Gibs, a gamer slang expression for the remnants of a kill
• Gibelet, a 13th-century Crusader holding, today known as Byblos
• Guelphs and Ghibellines, Crusader factions
• The Giblets, fictional band of turkeys performing parody song "we will eat you"