Viziga

Viziga is the dorsal cartilage of sturgeon fish. The viziga is a dorsal notochord that runs along the cartilaginous spine of sturgeons.
Vizigu is obtained from fish that is used to prepare balyks or to an ambassador.
To do this, a longitudinal incision is made in the gutted fish in the middle of the spine, through which, picking up the chord with a finger, pull it out of the spine with a strong movement.

The removed vizigu is immediately washed in clean water, changing it 2-3 times, and then dragged between the edge of the tub and the hand pressed against it to remove the central cartilaginous mass – “squeak”.
After that, the casing is cut lengthwise with a knife, washed thoroughly in water and hung to dry.

All actions with the vizig should be done quickly, since it is easily soaked in blood and acquires a brownish tint that does not disappear later, from which the quality of the product is greatly reduced.
In warm weather, the hung screech dries up within 3 days, in cold weather – a little longer.

The vizigu is stored in a dry, well-ventilated place.
A good quality vizig has a light fawn color with a pearlescent sheen, well dried.

It is usually used boiled, for making saltwort, minced fish, and as a filling for a pie.
Dorsal cartilage is also used in the preparation of some Russian sauces.