Do you like tripe soup (ciorba de burta) as we call it? Have you ever had tripe cooked in any other way? Well, you will have to try this tripe soup now and see what you think of it if you haven’t.
Personally, I do love tripe soup! A Lot.
Initially, as a child, I remember my mum preparing tripe soup and I wasn’t so keen on it but then, the more I have had it the more I liked it.
A good few years ago (a couple of decades back) I have prepared this tripe soup for one of my very good friends Brigitte and she loved it instantaneously despite previously eating it somewhere else and... totally hated it.
She did give it another try (bless her) and ate mine, it became her favourite since. Even to this day whenever we meet, I have to make this for her, no escape. It’s a must.
To move forward, when I first asked my husband to try it and later the kids, they were not impressed, however… now the tripe soup is a regular recipe and always on-demand.
I can only recommend that you make it once and even then if you're not so impressed, make it again, give it a second chance! It is worth the trouble!?
It is addictively delicious, that's why!!
How to choose the best tripe for this tripe soup
Tripe is a delicate piece of “meat” but if it is not prepared properly it is not a pleasant one.
I strongly recommend you do not buy a cut that has not been previously cleaned as firstly, it is not the most straightforward job to do especially if you have never done it before and secondly, it will take a lot longer to cook.
Just make it simple for yourself, buy the cleaned one or even the one that is pre-cooked as this is also available in butcher's shop and it is just as great.
Rince it a few times and keep it for a good 30 minutes submerged in cold water and add one or two tablespoons of vinegar.
Ingredients needed for tripe soup
- Tripe – generally, when buying tripe in butchers, it comes well cleaned. I still recommend rinsing a couple of times and to be kept for a good 30 minutes in cold water with vinegar.
- Vegetables – this soup asks for quite a bit of parsnip, one or two smaller carrots, onion and celery or celeriac (celery root) which help bringing delicious flavors to this delicious tripe soup.
- Beef Bone – a couple of bones are a must in this soup but if you do not have use a good beef broth/stock. I sometimes use oxtail or some scraped bones which any butcher can give if you ask. These can only be beef or veal for best results.
- Vinegar – I always use apple cider vivegar because of its great benefits. Vinegar is an ingredient that cannot be skipped nor replaced. It is a must use in this soup as weird as it may sound its almost the key ingredient to dress this tripe soup. Do not attempt substituting or replacing ;-).
- Creme fraiche – or sour cream as known by some, this has to be a higher fat percentage so it provides that creaminess but also it does not curdle. It is important that the soup looks good too!
- Eggs – eggs help with the creamy texture but also taste so keep those in unless you cannot have eggs. For best results, eggs need to be blended with the creme fraiche and added at the end.
- Garlic – Oh, my favourite ingredient! Using fresh garlic will help bring that authenticity- this is a Romanian dish after all and the flavor of ciorba de burta would never be the same without.
- Seasoning – No othe seasoning is needed ther than just some nice himalayan pink salt and some freshly ground black.
Enjoy this amazing and really light soup, I am sure if you make it once it will happen a second, a third, a fourth time and will become a regular on your table too! It is delicious.
As I was saying in the recipe, do not worry if you do not have celeriac, I don’t always have it either but I put half a courgette or any of the veggies that you may like. Even green beans or a handful of peas if you fancy, there is no right or wrong really.
The main veggies that are pretty much a must-have inside this soup are the onion, carrot, red/yellow or both peppers, celery.
Parsnip is also one of those veggies that are not always available so use whatever else you have or simply use the four listed above (the onion, carrot, red/yellow peppers and the celery.
For me, a must-have with this soup is a nice crispy green chilli or even two depending on how hot and fiery they really are.
Enjoy!
Other soup recipes you may enjoy:
- Creamy mushroom soup with turmeric and thyme
- Potato soup with ham hock and petit pois (garden peas)
- Pressure cooker nettle and Black-eyed beans soup
- 13 winter warming and comforting soup recipes ready in less than one hour
- Winter warming chicken soup
What is tripe?
Tripe is a pretty nutritious organ meat consumed since ancient times, that is a very concentrated source of nutrients.
Recently, there has been a re- emergence of interest in organ meats due to the popularity of premodern eating patterns such as the paleo diet for instance. Eating whole, wholesomeness, no wasting any food and cuts.
Since tripe is not the most desirable cut just like a steak would be it’s more affordable for of animal protein a good option for those trying to save money.
To me, this is the most important aspect really, by purchasing tripe we support the nose-to-tail consumption of animals, which cuts down on food waste.
Traditionally, every part of an animal killed for food was used but these modern times, meat production often leads to all this less demanded animal parts being thrown away.
That animal gets sacrificed, isn't it a real shame throwing half of it away because we say yuch to offal, tail, tongue and so on?
As yuch as some may think this sounds like, tripe is a type of organ meat made from the edible stomach lining. Beef tripe is one of the most commonly consumes varieties.
Types of tripe
- Blanket or flat tripe: This is the first stomach chamber of cows, it is smooth tripe and is considered to be the least desirable.
- Honeycomb tripe: This comes from the second stomach chamber and resembles a honeycomb, hence its name, it's more tender than the flat tripe and has a more plasant flavor.
- Omasum or book tripe: This originates from the third stomach chamber and is described as being like a mix between blanket and honeycomb tripe ( my favourites for this tripe soup)
- Abomasum or reed tripe: This comes from the fourth stomach chamber and can be the most tasty for some.
In this tripe soup I have used a mix of honeycomb and omasum tripe and they are probably the most commonly sold.
Tripe meat is low in calories but loaded with important nutrients our bodies need in order to thrive.
Tripe contains :
- Protein
- Vitamin B12
- Selenium
- Calcium
- Zinc
- Phosphorus
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Niacin (B3)
FAQs
It is best served as a main course rather than an appetizer due to the richness of this dish. It is so wonderfully filling!
Four ingredients are a real must-have when it comes to this trip soup:
- the creme fraiche or sour cream - to make it more or less creamy;
- the apple cider or any vinegar for customising and making it to own taste - more or less sour;
- a nice fresh hot green chilli is also a must-have or I will not even dare to start. Pickled chillies are also good
- and of course, a good homemade bread whether that's a flatbread, sourdough whatever you fancy. OMG, I am drooling again!
Okay, having said all this, let's get this tripe soup cooking and ready to eat!!
Tripe soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg tripe (35.27 oz) cleaned
- 2 large parsnips
- 1 medium carrots
- 1 medium onion
- 1 small leek optional
- 1 large red pepper
- 2 sticks celery
- 1/4 small celeriac
- 200 g creme fraiche (7.05 oz)
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon himalayan salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper (freshly grounded)
- 15 sprigs parsley to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- If the tripe is not pre-cooked then boil it in some water (just enough to cover the tripe) with 1-2 tbsp of vinegar (any vinegar). Allow to boil for 2-3 min and then throw that first water away. Give the tripe a good rinse with cold water. Put new water and cook for about 30- 40 minutes covered, lower the fire to medium once the water starts boiling. It really depends on how chewy or soft you like the meat so try it and see if it is not too chewy but at this point 30-40 min covered should be sufficient.
- While the tripe is cooking chop the onions, cut the carrots in the desired size cubes and do the same with all the rest of the veggies (parsnip, celery, celeriac and the leek). Don’t worry if you do not have celeriac.
- Add the veggies to the soup and cook for a further 20-25 minutes covered again. The red pepper I put it in because of the taste of course but also because it gives a bit of colour to the soup so add this just 10 min before finishing off the cooking.
- Once you turned off the heat and the soup has finished cooking, leave it for 5-10 min to rest and then add the garlic crushed and finely chopped as well as 150- 170 g creme fraiche. Use the rest for deco at the end and if someone wants some extra.
- When serving add 1 tbsp of cider vinegar or lemon juice (freshly squeezed) and some finely chopped parsley, maybe an extra tsp or tbsp creme fraiche and enjoy!
Amit D'Sa says
I made this soup and loved it, I added a bit of chilli for my liking 🙂
Ramona says
Thank you so much Amit. It’s really good isn’t it? I made it the day before yesterday again. I also have it with green chilli always. It’s a family tradition 😄👌🏼