Tjvjik (food)

Tjvjik, also spelled tzhvzhik or dzhvzhig, is an Armenian dish built mainly on liver, which may be lamb, beef, pork or chicken, and can include other offal as well. It is regarded as an easy dish to prepare. The offal is washed and cut into even pieces, fried in a pan with tail fat until half cooked, and then chopped onion is added, with optional tomato puree, salt and pepper. The pan is covered so the dish cooks until tender, and it is usually served with parsley. The name comes from the Armenian verb for making hissing sounds with a diminutive ending, probably for the sound of frying. The dish has a place in Armenian popular culture: a story by the writer Atrpet built around a piece of liver was filmed in 1961, and an Armenian saying warns against making a story about tzhvzhik. A 2006 album by DJ Serjo also carries the name.