Although this appetising beef tripe soup, which, in Bulgaria, we call Shkembe Chorba, may not look glamorous and may not be to everyone’s taste, I highly recommend giving it a try. It’s surprisingly delicious, aromatic, light and nutritious, and proven to benefit human health. I always enjoy eating it, especially when I am back in Bulgaria, and I am not a fan of tripe. It’s also my husband’s favourite Bulgarian soup.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE TRIPE SOUP

Tripe is packed with an impressive amount of nutrients, including selenium, zinc, and vitamin B12. It is a great source of protein, with a whopping 12 grams in each 100 g serving. Protein is very important for human health. It plays a crucial role in tissue repair, metabolism and immune function. Back home, tribe soup is consumed as a cure for hangovers.

HISTORY OF THE BALKAN TRIPE SOUP

Cooking and eating most parts of the animal have been practised in the Balkans for a very long time, and we have a wealth of traditional recipes with animal parts. Some of these dishes remain local delicacies today, like Tribe Soup, Drob Sarma, Trotters’ soup and Brain in butter. Many of these dishes are believed to originate in Ottoman cuisine and were spread and deeply rooted throughout the peninsula. Tripe soup is one of them.

In Bulgaria, we prepare tripe soup ( Shkembe chorba) either with milk or yoghurt, like the Turkish version of the soup (İşkembe Çorbası). But we flavour it with sweet paprika and a lot of garlic.

In Romania, tripe soup (Ciorba de Burta) is cooked with root vegetables and without any milk. The Serbian version contains onions, peppers and garlic and is garnished with bacon or feta.

The Greece version (Patsas), made with tripe and pig trotters, is spiced with oregano and thyme and jazzed up with lemon juice.

Tripe soup is not a pretentious dish. In Bulgaria, you can order it in most traditional restaurants and low-budget soup bars. These places serve the best Shkembe Chorba as they specialise in making it.

HOW TO MAKE TASTY TRIPE SOUP?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN MY RECIPE

Meat – This recipe calls for beef tripe. Use fresh tripe, clean it well and, if the meat has a strong flavour, remove it by soaking it in lemon water before cooking.

Yoghurt – Although many of the Bulgarian recipes for Tripe soup call for milk, I prefer the soup made with yoghurt.

Water – Using tap water is fine.

Spicing and flavouring – The garlic and the onion are important in this recipe because they add flavour to the tripe which is normally tasteless. Lemon juice is added for a light citrusy tang. The sweet paprika dressing imparts wonderful sweet and smoky flavours to the soup.

Oil or butter – The paprika dressing can be prepared with oil or butter. I prefer using oil because the butter can be a bit heavy.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: COOK THE TRIPE

Make sure your tripe is cleaned well. Drop the whole tripe in your pressure cooker and add the peppercorns and the bay leaf. Peel and cut the onion in half. Place it in the pressure cooker and pour the water inside.

Cook the trip in the pressure cooker for an hour and a half at a medium temperature. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, let it simmer in a stockpot on your hob for 2-3 hours or until the meat is soft.

Take the tripe out of the pressure cooker and let it cool a little.

STEP 2: MAKE THE SOUP

Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve or a muslin cloth directly into your stock pot. Cut the tripe into small-bite pieces and place them into the pot. Add the salt, ground pepper, pressed garlic, lemon juice and vinegar. Bring the soup to the boil

In a medium-sized stockpot, heat the oil and butter. Add the sweet paprika, stir and sauté the paprika for 30-40 seconds.

STEP 3: MAKE THE THICKENING MIXTURE

In a bowl, whisk the yoghurt with the egg until combined. Add the flour and 4-5 tablespoons of the tripe stock to raise the temperature of the thickening mixture. This will prevent the yoghurt and egg from curdling when you add them to the soup.

Whisk the mixture until the flour is fully integrated and the lumps of flour are dissolved. Add the thickening mixture to the soup gradually while stirring it continuously until it’s incorporated into the soup.

STEP 4: MAKE PAPRIKA DRESSING

Heat oil in a small pan and add the sweet paprika. Stir while you are sauteeing the paprika for 30-40 seconds, then transfer it to the pot with the soup.

Simmer the soup with the dressing for 5 minutes and serve.

🍲 HOW TO SERVE MY TRIPE SOUP

Serve the soup piping hot. To add a pleasant kick and make the soup even more appetising and flavoursome, garnish it with garlic-infused vinegar and chilly flakes or chilli oil.

Back home, we eat tripe soup for breakfast or a light lunch.

FAQ

Can I use precooked tripe?

It’s possible to use precook tripe meat, but the stock will not have as much flavour as when cooking the protein raw. You will also need to reduce the cooking time to no more than 20 minutes in the pressure cooker.

HOW TO CLEAN RAW TRIPE?

Nowadays, we are lucky as tripe comes well-cleaned from the butcher. If the meat has not been cleaned well and has a specific smell, soak it in water with 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar or the juice of 1 lemon for at least 30 minutes before cooking and wash it well. Then, transfer the tripe to a large saucepan and pour enough water to cover it. Bring the water to the boil and simmer the meat for 10 minutes. After that, dispose of the water.

HOW LONG TO COOK TRIPE MEAT ON THE KITCHEN HOB?

Depending on the animal’s age, tripe can take anything from 2 to 4 hours to cook it. After simmering it for two hours, check the softness of the meat and continue cooking until soft.

SHALL I CUT THE MEAT BEFORE COOKING IT?

It’s less complicated to cook the tripe whole and cut it when it’s done. Taking the precut meat out of the stock is a bit more challenging.