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
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
- 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
- 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.
FAQ’s & Expert Tips
FAQ’s
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tips
- 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.
- Use a bowl filled with room temperature water to rinse if you prefer to not rinse the tripe in the sink.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
More Great Recipes To Try
Looking for more recipes? Follow on… My Newsletter Pinterest Facebook Instagram
Tripe Soup (Ciorba de Burta)
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
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
- 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.
- Use a bowl filled with room temperature water to rinse if you prefer to not rinse the tripe in the sink.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
Hello, Im excited to try and make this recipe. Can I substitute the celery root for anything?
You can use chopped celery!
Hi! Thanks for this! My new Romanian boyfriend said it was very tasty! It came out great! Only thing that I would do next time is add the vinegar when the soup has cooled down for the creamier texture as opposed to it being chunky. The flavors were there, just didn’t look as appealing. I will definitely make again! Thank yooooou!
“The best Ciorba de Burta I ever had,” said my Romanian hubby. I must say thank you for all your Romanian and non-Romanian recipes. In the past few years, I have been challenging myself with the massive Romanian cuisine. I am grateful I found your blog! Again Thanks
Oh wow now that’s a great compliment! Mulțumesc to both of you 🙂
My son recently traveled to Romania and fell in love with ciorba de burta; today I’m gonna try your recipe. Wish me luck! 🙂
Good luck, you’ll love it!
Delicious
I am am a filipina and my bf is a Romanian we’re been together for 6years and believed me the first time i made it our house stink so I lit 5 candles just to get rid of the smell.but you know what the soup is amazing….😍😍😍😍my boyfriend loves it and called hes mom to tell the news that I made a very yummy ciorba de burta..guys try this recipe by the way i forgot to buy beef bone so what I replaced instead is beef cube stock
I’m so happy you guys liked this soup! 🙂
Do you add the garlic in step 2 or wait until step 5? It doesn’t specifi.
The recipe says add the garlic in step 5!
hi can i use greek yogurt instead of sour cream?
We’ve never tried this with yogurt, always used sour cream, but that’s because in Romanian cuisine sour cream is used more in cooking, not yogurt. However, I don’t see why you couldn’t use it.
this was recommended by our tour guide. we tried it and fell in love with it. I want to make this at home and hoping it’d almost as good as the ones in bucharest and be able to serve it to my friends
Do let me know how it turns out for you. 🙂
Love your receipe!! It’s the best one out there. This is my favorite Ciorba of all time, I can eat it all day everyday!!
One of my favorites too! Ha! We have the same last name. 🙂
Hi there!
I was curious what TYPE of Vinegar is used for your recipe?
There was a Romanian Deli a block from my old apartment when I was going to school in Orange County, California. I’m not of Romanian decent (I’m Mexican and German) but I am adventurous with my food 🙂 My family would make Menudo (the Mexican tripe soup) every Sunday as was tradition, so when I read “Romanian Tripe Soup” on the menu, I was excited to taste a different version of a favorite dish. Fell in love my first bite! I can NOT wait to try this recipe! I’ve moved too far from the Romanian Deli so finding this recipe makes me SO happy! Thank you!!
Hi Audri!
It’s just regular white vinegar. It’s so nice to hear other people loving tripe, it’s definitely an acquired taste, but so good if it’s cooked right. 🙂
i also love tripe soup my husband is also romanian and i cook it sometimes for him
It’s better to use lemons or limes. If you can find it, use sorrel soup (I think Manischewitz still makes it; or find it at a store that sells East European/Russian foods). Romanians NEVER use vinegar for this. I know, I lived there this soup was my favorite.
I am Romanian, and ALL times in this soup we use white vinegar.Is a very old recipe,believe me!
Lemon is better, or balsamic vinaigre
Believing or not, I found the cow belly in Sunny Market in Toronto, but the label says “Honey Comb”. Hahaha….it is pre-washed and cooked and I was sooo happy to find it.
Thank you Jo for your excellent presentation and recipes! I’m romanian too. Multam fain!
Cu placere! 🙂
Jo, you may consider reducing cooking time to something over 1 hour. The tripe sold here has already been ‘pre cooked’. I mentioned all this to a Hungarian friend who mentions this being the case.
Also she boils tripe for 30 minutes. Drains and dries it with paper towels, then breads it like weiner schitzel and serves with tartar sauce. Says it’s awesome. Have you ever tried it like this? I’ll give it a shot soon.
No I haven’t tried it, the tripe we buy here is not precooked, though it is pre-cleaned.
The soup looks beautiful. (I have a bad habit of buying something new and different but only checking for recipes AFTER I get home…… tiresome for you to read no doubt and I wouldn’t blame you. I hate it when people chop and change an excellent recipe because they think they are making it better than the ‘chef’. In this case I’m not doing that. I’m just working with what I have at hand. So I apologize if this sounds stupid. This is the only good reason I can think of to own an iPhone with google access so when I’m in the supermarket I buy everything I need…. oh well.)
I bought some honeycomb tripe yesterday and am making the csorba but don’t have parsley root or celery root. Or a bone. I’m using chicken broth. I hope that’s okay. And a finely chopped red pepper. The rest of the ingredients will stay with your recipe.
What I want to know is can I use an immersion blender on the onion and carrot? Or is the sauteeing carrot important for some flavour reason?
(I guess I”ll find out, eh…)
I’m Hungarian and my grandmother did the cooking but we never had tripe soup. She was from Baia Mare so some of your recipes are totally familiar.
Your cabbage rolls are totally like what we had as well. My father would add smoked ribs to the cooking sauce and when he would go totally ‘all out’ he would add ground ham to the pork for the stuffing. We’d mix fresh and fermented cabbage leaves for the rolls but then it was for huge family parties. Your cabbage rolls look so dainty. Some of the ones we’d have were enormous (depending of leaf size). LOL!
Your recipes and pictures are beautiful.
Thank you so much Gabi, I love reading comments like this especially about my Romanian recipes which are dear to me. I would strongly recommend sauteeing the carrot because as you said I believe it’s important for the flavor. Same kind of goes with the parsley root or celery root, I think it develops some deep flavors. But you know what, that’s what cooking is all about and I’m glad you’re experimenting in your own kitchen with ingredients you have on hand.
Okay, so next time when I’m more organized I’ll sautee the celery root, parsley root and carrot as well. And I’ll remember to get bones. But no body sells 1 bone! LOL!
I live in Toronto so you know what I mean about supermarkets selling lots of bones or no bones.
I bought tripe before and killed it in the pressure cooker because I didn’t realize it is already somehow prepped before selling. Does this really need such a long cooking time? It’s pretty soft already after only 1 hour. Sorry for going on here but I’m a ‘tripe virgin’.
LOL, yes I know what you mean. We find tripe in Superstore here in Calgary, but they don’t always have it. As far as bones, I’ve seen them at markets, and very rarely do they have them at Superstore, so when they do make sure you grab some. I’ve always cooked the tripe that long, so I guess if it tastes alright to you, 1 hour should be fine. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
This has turned out very well despite missing the celery root and parsley root. I simmered it for two hours and the liquid reduced by more than half. The tripe is very soft. The 30% fat sour cream and eggs have thickened the soup nicely and the garlic is just right.
Of course, the colour is different: more orange than yellow. A nice combination of sweet and sour.
I have eaten tripe Chinese style and they don’t bother to make it soft.
I’ve bookmarked your blog and next time will make this soup exactly with the original ingredients.
Thanks for the responses to my questions. I’ll be making tripe in the future. There is also the other type of tripe, the fuzzy looking one. I don’t know if that would be a good ingredient for this soup as well.
Gabi, so glad it turned out great. The yellow color I believe comes from sauteing the carrots. Try that next time and see if it works. 🙂
I live in Bulgaria and this kind of soup is traditional here too but we’re making it with milk and it is slightly different.
Never tried it with milk, I’m sure it’s delicious though. Tripe soup is an acquired taste. 🙂
Hi Jo, I found your website looking for a veal soup, or ciorba de vacuta 🙂 I’m so glad I found you, I like your recipes and your pictures. I’ll come back to visit you! I’m Romanian living in The United States and I have a culinary blog too 🙂
Hi Mihaela, nice to meet another fellow Romanian blogger. 🙂 Thank you, I’ll have to check out your blog too.