What part of the chicken is the “Giblets”?
Giblets are defined as the heart, liver, and gizzard of a poultry carcass. Although often packaged with them, the neck of the bird is not a giblet. The heart is the muscular organ that pumps blood through the body of the bird. The liver has numerous functions in digestion and absorption of foods. Its primary function in digestion and absorption is the production of bile. Bile facilitates the solubilization and absorption of dietary fats and the excretion of certain wastes. The gizzard is the mechanical “stomach” of a bird. It is located just after the true or glandular stomach in the gastrointestinal system. Since poultry have no teeth and swallow feed whole, this muscular organ, sometimes called “hen’s teeth,” mechanically grinds and mixes the bird’s feed.
