Trippa alla Romana: A Taste of Real Roman Cuisine
Trippa alla Romana, or Roman-style tripe, is perhaps the best-loved recipe of real Roman cuisine. The offal-loving Romans never miss the chance to enjoy this lip-smacking dish of tripe cooked with tomato sauce and served with a generous coat of grated Parmigiano and the aromatic touch of local wild mint. In the video below, the Foodie Sisters in Italy show you how to make this traditional recipe the Roman way.
Rome is famous for its historic quinto quarto cuisine; offal dishes became popular due to vast employment at the city’s slaughterhouse at the turn of the twentieth century, where workers were paid with off-cuts of meat. Along with oxtail, intestines, and sweetbreads, tripe became widely consumed by the working classes as a nutritious, tasty ingredient.
A century later, the Romans still love their tripe. Households regularly make it for a family meal, and restaurants often include it on their menu. The most common and traditional way to prepare it is alla romana: slowly boiled in a tomato sauce and served topped with parmesan or pecorino cheese and a dusting of mentuccia, a type of wild mint.
The recipe is very simple, especially if you buy pre-boiled tripe, which will save a lot of time. It is important to boil the tripe for a long time to ensure it is soft and tender rather than rubbery or chewy. The sauce should cook down until it is thick, sweet, and begging to be mopped up with plenty of bread. Be generous with the grated parmigiano, and don’t forget the mint to add a hint of freshness.
Trippa alla Romana Recipe
Ingredients
- Tripe
- Tomato sauce
- Salt
- Pepper
- Roman mint leaves
- Parmigiano
Instructions
- Prepare the Tripe: If using raw tripe, wash it well, cut it into pieces, and place in a saucepan of cold water with a pinch of salt, an onion, a stick of celery, and a carrot. Bring to the boil and cook for about 5 hours.
- Cook the Tripe: If you have pre-cooked tripe, cut it into strips about a finger-width thick. Put the tomato sauce in a large saucepan and add the strips of tripe. Cook on a gentle boil for about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Season: Taste and add a touch of salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve: Serve the tripe in the sauce, sprinkled with chopped Roman mint leaves and plenty of grated parmesan.
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