Byzhi – the oldest dish of Turkic hunters

Byzhi.

One of the tastiest sausages is "byzhi," which is made from the intestines of a manually slaughtered ram and is stuffed with the animal's blood, among other things. Usually, when preparing byzhi, other internal organs are also stuffed along with the intestines: the duodenum, the stomach, toguz kat — the book (one of the sections of the stomach), and choychek karyn — the sleeve (the part of the stomach following the rumen).

Byzhi is a kind of stuffed sausage.

For byzhi, only the blood, meat, liver, stomach, etc., of a freshly slaughtered animal, most often a ram, are used.

The combination of products in the filling gives a unique taste and aroma. This sausage can be fried, boiled in broth, or steamed.

Blood sausages are an integral part of Kyrgyz cuisine, just like boiled meat dishes or flour products.

Meat, liver, blood, rice, talcan (toasted flour) or flour, onions, garlic, black and red pepper, various herbs and spices — this is far from a complete list of the ingredients in the filling.

Our fathers prepared byzhi for small family celebrations.

They became quite widespread and popular and had a significant influence on the formation and development of national cuisine.

Regular Byzhi

Necessary ingredients:
Intestines of one ram
Meat - 1-1.5 kg.
Fat - 350-400 g.
Rice - 400-500 g.
Talcan or flour - 3-4 tablespoons
Liver - 1/2 piece.
Spleen - 1 piece.
Blood - 500-700 g.
Onion - 300 g.
Garlic - 1 head
Greens, spices, salt to taste

Clean the intestines, rinse in 4-5 waters, and soak in salted water.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: pour water over the meat (preferably from the neck) and boil for 20-30 minutes over high heat.

Remove the meat when it is half-cooked, cool it, chop it, or pass it through a meat grinder.

Add rice to the broth and boil until half-cooked.

Add rice, finely chopped onion, garlic, internal fat to the meat filling, sprinkle with pepper, cumin, salt, mix thoroughly, and place in a cool place for a while.

In another bowl, mash the liver and spleen, add blood, and mix with the prepared filling, adding 1-2 tablespoons of flour or talcan.

The thickened blood should be salted and mashed, and it will be suitable for consumption (the consistency of the filling should be slightly thinner than porridge; otherwise, it will be difficult to fill the intestines).

Tie one end of the intestine, and fill it with the prepared filling from the other end.

Every 30-35 cm, tie with thread to create a bundle similar to a bundle of sausages or wieners.

In the tied areas, leave voids 6 to 8 mm wide, as the rice swells during cooking, and the casing may burst. Lower the finished byzhi into water and boil over low heat for 40-50 minutes. Bubbles that appear during boiling under the casing must be pierced with a thin needle.
Cool the finished byzhi slightly, cut into circles, and arrange on plates.

Tolturma Byzhi

Necessary ingredients:
Intestines of one ram
Meat - 1-1.5 kg.
Fat - 350-400 g.
Rice - 400-500 g.
Talcan or flour - 3-4 tablespoons
Liver - 1/2 piece.
Spleen - 1 piece.
Blood - 500-700 g.
Onion - 300 g.
Garlic - 1 head
Greens, spices, salt to taste

Usually, when preparing byzhi, other internal organs are also stuffed along with the intestines: the duodenum, the stomach, toguz kat — the book (one of the sections of the stomach), and choychek karyn — the sleeve (the part of the stomach following the rumen). For filling these internal organs, the filling is made a little thicker than usual.

The cooking method is the same as in the previous recipe.

Cooking time is 1-1.5 hours.

Meat Byzhi

Necessary ingredients:
Fatty intestine - 1 piece.
Meat - 0.9-1 kg.
Fat - 150-200 g.
Tail fat - 75-100 g.
Liver - 100 g.
Blood - 1 cup
Onion - 2 pieces.
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Paprika, black pepper, cumin, salt to taste

Pass the meat through a meat grinder, add blood, mashed and crushed liver, finely chopped internal fat, chopped onion, garlic, sprinkle with pepper, cumin, salt, mix thoroughly, and place in a cool place.

Turn the intestine inside out and tie one end, filling it with the prepared filling from the other end.

Every 30-40 cm, tie the intestine with thread.

Lower the byzhi into a cauldron with water and boil over low heat for 1.5-2 hours.

Cut the finished byzhi into circles and serve with a vegetable salad.

Byzhi with Blood

Necessary ingredients:
Intestines
Meat - 400-500 g.
Fat - 150-200 g.
Tail fat - 100 g.
Blood - 1-1.5 liters
Liver - 200-250 g.
Onion - 2-3 pieces.
Garlic - 1 head
Rice - 100-150 g.
Cumin, paprika, black ground pepper, salt to taste

Note: for this type of byzhi, a large amount of blood and liver is added to the filling. The color of byzhi with blood is dark red.

Pass the meat through a meat grinder, add mashed liver, blood, finely chopped tail fat and internal fat, chopped onion, and minced garlic, salt, sprinkle with pepper, mix thoroughly, and let sit for a while.

Boil the rice in salted water until half-cooked, mix with the filling, and fill the cleaned and rinsed intestine.

Every 30-40 cm, tie the intestine with thread.

Tie both ends of the filled intestine tightly, lower it into a cauldron with water, and boil for 1-1.5 hours.

Byzhi can be deep-fried.

Yermё Byzhi

Necessary ingredients:
Intestines of one ram
Meat - 1 kg.
Stomach fat casing
Tail fat - 100-150 g.
Fat - 150-200 g.
Liver - 150-200 g.
Blood - 0.8-1 kg.
Rice - 100-150 g.
Raisins - 40-50 g.
Soaked mung beans - 50-60 g.
Cumin - 1 teaspoon (5 g.)
Garlic - 1 head
Paprika - 5-10 g.
Black ground pepper - 5-10 g.
Bay leaves - 3-4 pieces.
Dill - 1 bunch
Salt to taste

From the cleaned and thoroughly rinsed intestines (non-fatty), weave a basket of oval shape, leaving an opening for filling with the filling, and soak in cold salted water.

Pass the meat through a meat grinder, add finely chopped tail fat and internal fat, mashed liver, blood, partially boiled rice, raisins, mung beans, chopped onion and garlic, sprinkle with pepper and cumin, salt, mix well, and let sit for a while in a cool place.

Wrap the filling in the stomach fat casing and carefully place it in the basket.

Tightly braid the neck of the basket. If stomach fat casing is not available, fill the duodenum with filling, tightly tie both ends of the intestine, and place it in the basket.

Boil over low heat for 1-1.5 hours.

Byzhi with Brains in Talas Style

Necessary ingredients:
Brain of one ram
Intestine
Meat - 600-700 g.
Tail fat - 150-200 g.
Liver - 200-250 g.
Blood - 1-1.5 liters
Onion - 2 pieces.
Garlic - 1 head
Cumin, paprika, black pepper, salt to taste

Mash the brains, add the meat passed through a meat grinder, finely chopped fat, mashed liver, blood, chopped onion, and minced garlic, sprinkle with pepper, cumin, salt, and mix well.

Carefully rinse the fatty intestine and fill it with the filling from the wide end.

Lower the finished byzhi into a cauldron with water and boil over low heat for 1-1.5 hours.

Fried Byzhi

Necessary ingredients:
Intestines
Meat - 1 kg.
Fat - 100-120 g.
Tail fat - 100-120 g.
Liver - 100-150 g.
Rice - 100-120 g.
Raisins - 50-60 g.
Mung beans - 40-50 g.
Onion - 2 pieces.
Garlic - 1 head
Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Bay leaves - 1-2 pieces.
Vegetable oil - 2.5-3 kg.
Cumin, paprika, black pepper to taste

Pass the meat through a meat grinder, add partially boiled rice, soaked mung beans, chopped internal fat, fat, raisins, mashed liver, chopped onion, garlic, sprinkle with pepper, cumin, salt, mix, and leave for a while in a cool place.

Cut the thoroughly rinsed intestine into pieces about 20-30 cm long, fill them with the prepared filling, leaving small voids at the ends, and tie tightly.

Place the stuffed sausages in hot water and boil for about 3-5 minutes.

Then lower each ring of byzhi one by one into the heated oil and fry until done.

Serve each sausage on a separate plate with a vegetable salad.

Fried Byzhi with Rice

Necessary ingredients:
Intestines
Meat - 250-300 g.
Rice - 500 g.
Tail fat - 100-150 g.
Liver - 100-150 g.
Carrot - 100-150 g.
Dried melon - 75 g.
Raisins - 50-60 g.
Walnuts - 40-50 g. (crushed)
Bay leaves - 2-3 pieces.
Onion - 2 pieces.
Garlic - 1 head
Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
Cumin, paprika, black ground pepper, salt to taste

Pass the meat through a meat grinder, add partially boiled rice, mashed liver, finely chopped fat, carrot, onion, garlic, dried melon, raisins, crushed walnuts, bay leaves, greens, sprinkle with cumin, paprika, and pepper, salt, and mix thoroughly.

Prepare small sausages and fry them one by one in deep oil.

Byzhi in Chuy Style

Ingredients:
150 g of lamb (cutlet meat)
275 g of heart
245 g of lamb liver
160 g of tail fat
100 g of onion
120 g of rice
350 ml of water
1 g of pepper
120 g of lamb intestines (thick, washed and cleaned)

Turn the lamb intestines inside out, thoroughly process and rinse. Finely chop the liver and heart.

Pass the meat through a meat grinder, add the chopped tail fat, chopped onion, boiled rice, salt, pepper, water, and mix.

Stuff the intestines with the filling, tie both ends, pierce with a needle in several places, lower into boiling water, and boil for 50-60 minutes.

Dishes from Meat and Offal