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Home / Recipes
3 hours 30 minutes
4.7 from 42 votes
44 Comments

Tripe Soup (Ciorba de Burta)

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  • 268
by: Joanna Cismaru

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pin for tripe soup.

The Tripe Soup is a traditional Romanian soup made with beef tripe, garlic, sour cream, eggs and vinegar. With an amazing creamy texture, it’s one dish that any true foodie must try.

tripe soup in a white bowl with a spoon in it.

Tripe Soup

While I don’t have too many Romanian recipes, I do have a few that I’m really proud of, and this tripe soup is one of them. Tripe soup, known as “Ciorba de Burta” in Romanian, is quite a popular soup in Romania and they serve it at restaurants everywhere. There are many different types of “Ciorba” and they are actually soups made sour by the addition of vinegar or lemon juice.

Tripe is one of those ingredients that many of us are skeptical of trying and, trust me, I was one of those people. Not only that, but I won’t eat tripe any other way than in this soup. It’s a soup I first tried in my first visit to Romania and I really fell in love with it. Since then I’ve made it my mission to learn to make it myself by talking to all Romanian people I know and getting the recipe from them and after years and years of trying, I can honestly say that my husband and I perfected it.

Ingredient Notes

overhead shot of all the ingredients needed to make tripe soup.
  • Tripe – In my experience, when buying tripe in grocery stores, it already comes white and cleaned. Even so, I still like to run it through water and rinse it a few times.
  • Beef Bone – You don’t need a big piece for this soup, just a couple small pieces, it will really flavor the broth nicely.
  • Vinegar – Just regular white vinegar. This is a must ingredient for this soup and I wouldn’t replace it or substitute with anything else here.
  • Vegetables – We are going to use parsnip, carrots, onion and celery or celery root to bring some seriously delicious flavors to our tripe soup. I don’t find celery root often in grocery stores, so I alway use celery instead.
  • Sour Cream – Aim for at least a 2% fat index in your sour cream to bring a nice creamy texture to the soup.
  • Eggs – We will be using large eggs to blend with the sour cream. This will also aid in giving the soup that creamy texture.
  • Garlic – Minced fresh garlic will help bring the authentic Romanian flavor to this dish.
  • Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.

How To Make Tripe Soup

process shots showing how to make tripe soup.
  1. Cook the ingredients: In a big pot, add the tripe, beef bones, carrots, celery, onion, parsnip and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 to 3 hours or until the tripe is tender.
  2. Prep the tripe and soup: Transfer the bones and the vegetables from the soup, only the tripe pieces should be left. Shred the boiled carrots. In a small pan add a tbsp olive and sauté the carrots for 2 to 3 minutes. The carrots are what’s going to give the soup that nice yellow color.
  3. Finish the soup: In a small bowl whisk the eggs with the sour cream. Add a ladle of the hot broth to the egg mixture and stir, repeat this another 2 or 3 times. Pour this mixture back into the soup and stir. Add the sautéed carrots, the minced garlic and the vinegar to the soup and stir. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Make sure you taste it and if you require more vinegar feel free to add more. I prefer mine with a bit more vinegar, but this is something that each person can add to their bowl, instead of adding it to the whole soup, so don’t over do it.
  4. Serve: Garnish with parsley and serve hot with additional sour cream and hot peppers such as red chilies whether pickled or fresh.
process shots showing how to finish trip soup.

FAQ’s & Expert Tips

FAQ’s

What is tripe?

Tripe is the edible stomach lining of a cow. It’s soft with a bit of chew, and has some texture to it. I wash it really well when I get it from the store until it’s white and clean.

How can I substitute the tripe?

In some Transylvanian parts of Romania, a similar soup is made with chicken (skin and bones for ultimate flavor) called “Ciorba Radauteana”. So, you can definitely make this soup with chicken instead of tripe. Obviously the flavor will be different but still pretty close to this soup and quite delicious.

What does tripe taste like?

While sometimes tripe has a stronger smell before cooking, after you wash it and prepare it according to the recipe, the tripe will absorb the flavors of your broth. It will give the broth a beef flavor but quite mild.

How do you serve tripe soup?

Loaded with tender pieces of tripe, this is a soup that’s best served as a main course rather than an appetizer. It’s wonderfully filling! In Romania, we will serve tripe soup with a side of each sour cream, vinegar for individual servings and lots of hot peppers whether pickled or fresh. Some like their soup a little more sour, and others prefer creamier. To really make this meal special, try a side of some good homemade bread.

tripe soup in a pot with a ladle lifting some soup.

Tips

  1. Clean the tripe under running water thoroughly and remove any fat or extraneous membranes of the stomach. Make sure to be gentle and go deep into those nooks and crannies to clean out any and all impurities. As I’ve mentioned above, usually the tripe sold in stores is already white and quite clean, I still wash mine. I’ve also used vinegar and salt to clean the tripe and scrub it really well. It all depends on what it looks like.
  2. Use a bowl filled with room temperature water to rinse if you prefer to not rinse the tripe in the sink.
  3. Make sure to leave the veggies whole while boiling them so it will be easier for you to scoop them out once their part in the recipe is over.
  4. You can add extra sour cream after the soup is ready, to give it even more of that creamy texture and to tamper with the sourness from the vinegar.
  5. You can easily make this in an Instant Pot by adding all the ingredients as mentioned in Step 1 of instructions and cooking for 30 minutes on high pressure then follow the rest of the instructions to finish making the soup.
  6. This tripe soup can also be made in a Slow Cooker, the same way by adding all the ingredients in a slow cooker as mentioned in step 1 and cooking on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Finish the soup by following the rest of the ingredients as specified in the recipe card.

Storing Leftover Tripe Soup

After letting the tripe soup cool down completely, you can store the soup in an airtight container, preferably a glass one, in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Reheating

Reheating is quite easy! Use either your microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or so, or transfer the soup to a pot on the stove-top. Reheat, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until warmed through.

Freezing

Let the soup fully cool down to room temperature before freezing. Transfer to an airtight container and this soup will last 3-4 months frozen.

To make reheating easier, let the soup thaw overnight in the fridge. You can reheat straight from the freezer, but you will just have to be careful and stir often to break up the ice.

tripe soup in a white bowl.

More Great Recipes To Try

  • Creamy Loaded Potato Soup
  • Sweet and Sour Chicken
  • Sour Pork Soup
  • Vegetable Soup

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tripe soup in a white bowl with a spoon in it.

Tripe Soup (Ciorba de Burta)

4.7 from 42 votes
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 30 mins
Author: Joanna Cismaru
Serves: 8
Print Pin Rate
The Tripe Soup is a traditional Romanian soup made with beef tripe, garlic, sour cream, eggs and vinegar. With an amazing creamy texture, it's one dish that any true foodie must try.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds beef tripe cleaned as mentioned in notes and cut into small 1 inch pieces.
  • 1 piece beef bone
  • 2 large carrots peeled
  • 3 stalks celery or 1 celery root
  • 1 large onion peeled and left whole
  • 1 parsnip peeled
  • 10 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • ⅓ cup vinegar
  • 8 cloves garlic minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped for garnish
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Cook the ingredients: In a big pot, add the tripe, beef bones, carrots, celery, onion, parsnip and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 2 to 3 hours or until the tripe is tender.
  • Prep the tripe and soup: Transfer the bones and the vegetables from the soup, only the tripe pieces should be left. Shred the boiled carrots. In a small pan add a tbsp olive and sauté the carrots for 2 to 3 minutes. The carrots are what's going to give the soup that nice yellow color.
  • Finish the soup: In a small bowl whisk the eggs with the sour cream. Add a ladle of the hot broth to the egg mixture and stir, repeat this another 2 or 3 times. Pour this mixture back into the soup and stir. Add the sautéed carrots, the minced garlic and the vinegar to the soup and stir. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Make sure you taste it and if you require more vinegar feel free to add more. I prefer mine with a bit more vinegar, but this is something that each person can add to their bowl, instead of adding it to the whole soup, so don't over do it.
  • Serve: Garnish with parsley and serve hot with additional sour cream and hot peppers such as red chilies whether pickled or fresh.

Recipe Notes

  1. Clean the tripe under running water thoroughly and remove any fat or extraneous membranes of the stomach. Make sure to be gentle and go deep into those nooks and crannies to clean out any and all impurities. As I’ve mentioned above, usually the tripe sold in stores is already white and quite clean, I still wash mine. I’ve also used vinegar and salt to clean the tripe and scrub it really well. It all depends on what it looks like.
  2. Use a bowl filled with room temperature water to rinse if you prefer to not rinse the tripe in the sink.
  3. Make sure to leave the veggies whole while boiling them so it will be easier for you to scoop them out once their part in the recipe is over.
  4. You can add extra sour cream after the soup is ready, to give it even more of that creamy texture and to tamper with the sourness from the vinegar.
  5. You can easily make this in an Instant Pot by adding all the ingredients as mentioned in Step 1 of instructions and cooking for 30 minutes on high pressure then follow the rest of the instructions to finish making the soup.
  6. This tripe soup can also be made in a Slow Cooker, the same way by adding all the ingredients in a slow cooker as mentioned in step 1 and cooking on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Finish the soup by following the rest of the ingredients as specified in the recipe card.
  7. After letting the tripe soup cool down completely, you can store the soup in an airtight container, preferably a glass one, in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. 
  8. Reheating is quite easy! Use either your microwave, stirring every 30 seconds or so, or transfer the soup to a pot on the stove-top. Reheat, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until warmed through.
  9. To freeze, let the soup fully cool down to room temperature before freezing. Transfer to an airtight container and this soup will last 3-4 months frozen. To make reheating easier, let the soup thaw overnight in the fridge. You can reheat straight from the freezer, but you will just have to be careful and stir often to break up the ice.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1servingCalories: 353kcal (18%)Carbohydrates: 10g (3%)Protein: 34g (68%)Fat: 19g (29%)Saturated Fat: 8g (50%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 227mg (76%)Sodium: 229mg (10%)Potassium: 748mg (21%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 3675IU (74%)Vitamin C: 8mg (10%)Calcium: 136mg (14%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Course:Lunch, Soup
Cuisine:Romanian
Keyword:tripe soup
Tried this recipe? Rate it belowtag @jocooks on instagram and hashtag it #jocooks!
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Meet Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

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Comments

  1. Matthew Antunes says

    January 1, 2022 at 9:39 am

    The recipe doesn’t say when to add the other vegetables back to the soup. Are they added back in at the same time as the carrots? Are they suppose to be shredded as well?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      January 1, 2022 at 11:44 am

      You don’t add them back, you discard them, they’re just there to flavor the broth. The only vegetable added back is the carrots.

      Reply
  2. Ioana says

    March 28, 2021 at 6:25 pm

    5 stars
    I make this probably once a month and I eat it at Caru cu Bere every time I go back to Bucharest. The only thing I would say is to make sure you use honeycomb tripe. I used a different one once and … yeah, it was only that once

    Reply
    • Jo Cooks Team AMJ says

      March 29, 2021 at 9:25 am

      That’s awesome! Yes, honeycomb tripe works well with this recipe.

      Reply
  3. Justin DuPrè says

    December 13, 2020 at 12:54 pm

    I have a question, can Ciorba de Burta be made in a slow cooker?

    Reply
    • Joanna Cismaru says

      December 13, 2020 at 1:19 pm

      I haven’t tried it myself, but yeah, it would work.

      Reply
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