What Is Tripe? Tripe is a type of offal or organ meat. Tripe comes from the stomach of a ruminant—any animal that chews cud. The most commonly available type of tripe is beef tripe, which comes from a cow's stomach. Tripe is classified according to which stomach chamber it came from:
- 1. Blanket tripe (aka flat tripe) comes from the rumen (aka first stomach or paunch), which is the largest stomach compartment. Blanket tripe is also known as plain tripe, ridged tripe, and thick-seam tripe.
- 2. Honeycomb tripe comes from the stomach lining of the reticulum (the second stomach) and is often attached to book tripe. It is more tender than blanket tripe and has a honeycomb texture.
- 3. Book tripe comes from the omasum or psalterium compartment of the stomach and is also known as leaf tripe or bible tripe due to its page-like texture.
- 4. Reed tripe comes from the abomasum or true glandular stomach of the ruminant. It is the least common in cooking.
What Does Tripe Taste Like? Tripe contains little fat and most of its flavor comes from the surrounding organs, giving it a mild liver-like flavor. Tripe is mostly valued for its chewy texture—it is made up of smooth muscle and lots of connective tissue. If undercooked, tripe can be very tough
Tripe is an excellent and generally inexpensive source of lean protein. Protein helps keep you full and allows your body to repair damaged tissue and build muscle. A three-ounce serving of tripe contains 10 grams of protein, which is about 20% of average daily requirement.
I loved and enjoyed tripe dishes if it is cooked properly ( pressure cooked for tenderness). I like the honey comb because it can easily be cook and made tender.
- 1. Blanket tripe (aka flat tripe) comes from the rumen (aka first stomach or paunch), which is the largest stomach compartment. Blanket tripe is also known as plain tripe, ridged tripe, and thick-seam tripe.
- 2. Honeycomb tripe comes from the stomach lining of the reticulum (the second stomach) and is often attached to book tripe. It is more tender than blanket tripe and has a honeycomb texture.
- 3. Book tripe comes from the omasum or psalterium compartment of the stomach and is also known as leaf tripe or bible tripe due to its page-like texture.
- 4. Reed tripe comes from the abomasum or true glandular stomach of the ruminant. It is the least common in cooking.
8 Traditional Tripe Dishes- Well-known tripe recipes include:
- 1. Menudo: Known for its hangover-curing properties, this Mexican tripe soupincludes hominy, tomatoes, Mexican oregano, and bay leaf. When made with a sheep stomach, it's known as pancita. (Despite the similar name, tripas—a type of offal commonly used for tacos—are actually beef intestines, not stomach.)
- 2. Pho: This Vietnamese noodle soup sometimes includes the addition of cooked beef tripe.
- 3. Sopa de mondongo: This Caribbean and South American tripe stew can feature a variety of vegetables and herbs, depending on the region. The tripe is sometimes soaked in citrus juice before cooking.
- 4. Trippa alla romana: This Italian tripe dish features tomato sauce and grated parmesan.
- 5. Callos: Callos is a Spanish tripe stew made with chorizo and chickpeas.
- 6. Kare-kare: This Filipino oxtail and peanut stew often includes tripe.
- 7. Tripe stir-fry: After boiling tripe, use this Chinese cooking technique to make stir-fried tripe with garlic, ginger, and scallions.
- 8. Sausage: Many sausages, including French andouille and your typical breakfast sausage, include tripe as part of the meat mix.
I have enjoyed six out of the eight Tripe Dishes listed above. Still in my bucket list to try is Dish #3, and #8. Numbers #1 and #6 are my favorites. #6 is one of the dishes that my wife ( RIP) loved to cook in our younger years.
In my conversations of most of the residents here at THD, I concluded that only a few have tasted tripe dishes. Some even feel a revulsion just to hear the word tripe in the same manner when you mentioned dinugu-an ( pork blood stew). Only a few residents who have travelled to the East and Caribbean Countries or Latin America recognized that tripe dishes are special dishes and are a gastronomic delight to the Filipinos, Mexicans and in the Latino Countries.
Meanwhile here are some photos of Filipino dishes that I have cravings once in a while.
Arroz Valenciana
Beef Lengua Estofada
Beef Mechado
Upo ( young Gourd) with shrimp- Guisado
Adobo na Pusit ( Baby calamari-squids)
and of course Dinugu-an and fried Fish ( Pompano)
During Fiesta and Special Occasions, Macrine (RIP) enjoyed cooking the above Filipino Dishes .
Filipino cuisine centres around the combination of sweet (tamis), sour (asim), and salty (alat), although in Bicol, the Cordilleras and among Muslim Filipinos, spicy (anghang) is a base of cooking flavor.
Sinigang and adobo are the two popular dishes in the Philippines.
What does Filipino adobo taste like?
Adobo is a savory dish that is a little tangy, a little sweet and a little salty. The blend and balance of sour and sweet in one dish is a hallmark of Filipino cuisine overall.
Sinigang is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savory taste. It is most often associated with tamarind (Filipino: sampalok), although it can use other sour fruits and leaves as the souring agent. It is one of the more popular dishes in Filipino cuisine. The soup is usually accompanied by rice. In 2021, sinigang was rated as the world's best vegetable soup by TasteAtlas. In December 2023, the website project's TasteAtlas Awards 2023/24 included sinigang among its "100 best dishes in the world".
This posting reminds me of Haggis, the national dish of Scotland- It is a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep (or other animal), minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. The mixture is packed into a sheep's stomach and boiled.
Lastly, the following article reminds me of Macrine's Chicken Relleno Recipe that she makes on Special occasion during our 63 years of married life.
