Tjvjik, tzhvzhik or dzhvzhig ( hy, տժվժիկ) is an Armenian dish which is mainly based on liver (lamb, beef, pork or chicken). In addition to liver it can include any other

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but usually excludes muscle. Offal may also refe ...

. It is considered an easy dish to prepare.

Etymology

From hy, տժվժալ ("to make hissing sounds") +‎ -իկ (diminutive suffix), probably because of the sound of frying.

Preparation and ingredients

After unwrapping the liver, the

bile Bile (from Latin ''bilis''), or gall, is a dark-green-to-yellowish-brown fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver (liver bile ...

is removed, and the

lungs The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of th ...

are washed. The

kidneys The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...

are also unwrapped and cut in half. The

esophagus The esophagus (American English) or oesophagus (British English; both ), non-technically known also as the food pipe or gullet, is an organ in vertebrates through which food passes, aided by peristaltic contractions, from the pharynx to the ...

is turned inside out and well-washed. Prepared offal and

tail fat Tail fat is the fat of some breeds of sheep, especially of fat-tailed sheep. It is fat accumulated in baggy deposits in the hind parts of a sheep on both sides of its tail and on the first 3–5 vertebrae of the tail. The weight of this part of a ...

are washed, cut into equal pieces, put in a pan and fried until half-cooked. Then hopped onion is added, along with

tomato purée Tomato purée is a thick liquid made by cooking and straining tomatoes. The difference between tomato paste, tomato purée, and tomato sauce is consistency; tomato puree has a thicker consistency and a deeper flavour than sauce. Differences The ...

(optional), salt, and pepper. The pan should be covered with a lid to cook tjvjik until tender. The dish is usually served with

parsley Parsley, or garden parsley (''Petroselinum crispum'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, southern Italy, Greece, Por ...

. Tjvjik-with-mung-sprouts.png, Tjvjik with mung sprouts

In popular culture

In the story of the writer

Atrpet Sargis Mubayeajian ( hy, Սարգիս Մուբայաջյան; January 31, 1860 – May 27, 1937), better known by his pen name Atrpet (''Adrbed'' in Western Armenian, hy, Ատրպետ), was a prolific and multifarious Armenian writer. Biogr ...

(Sarkis Mubaiyajyan), the plot revolves around a piece of liver that a rich man gives to a poor man. The story was screened in 1961 as a

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

Arman Manaryan Arman Manaryan ( hy, Արման Մանարյան; December 15, 1929 – February 16, 2016) was an Iranian-born Armenian film director. He was the brother of actor Yervand Manaryan. He repatriated to Soviet Armenia in 1946 and graduated from the Y ...

at the

Armenfilm Armenfilm (russian: Арменфильм; hy, Արմենֆիլմ), also known as Hayfilm ( hy, Հայֆիլմ), is an Armenian film studio located in Yerevan. The studio was founded on 16 April 1923 as a production unit of the Soviet State Cinem ...

studio and became the first ever film in the

Western Armenian Western Armenian ( Classical spelling: , ) is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Eastern Armenian. It is based mainly on the Istanbul Armenian dialect, as opposed to Eastern Armenian, which is mainly based ...

language. According to the book ''Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore'', the expression "don't make a story about tzhvzhik" became part of Armenian colloquial language. It's used when there is too much curiosity or a bit too much talk about a particular dish and how tasty it is. In 2006, DJ Serjo, one of the most notable Armenian

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

producers, released his first album named ''Tjvjik''.

Bibliography

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References

{{Cuisine of Armenia Armenian cuisine Caucasian cuisine Liver (food) Fried foods Offal

Etymology

Preparation and ingredients

In popular culture

See also

Bibliography

References