Trippa, known and loved all over Italy, certainly holds a place of honour among the most beloved dishes in traditional roman cuisine. Because of this, over the years, multiple interpretations have sprung up from various Italian towns and cities, such as trippa alla milanese, trippa alla fiorentina, or trippa alla messinese. Needless to say, here at Pistamentuccia, we only prepare the original version, packed with flavour and a love for the freshest ingredients.
Trippa is the perfect dish for anyone wanting to explore traditional roman cuisine without missing out on a renowned, top-quality classic.
The origins
Trippa is a dish born from the peasant traditions of Lazio, which often took the less noble parts of the animal—the offal—and transformed them into refined dishes with entirely unique flavours. At the time, it was highly valued because, despite being made from what were considered animal scraps, it was packed with nutrients (specifically, a high protein content) that were usually hard to come by for those who couldn’t afford more substantial meals.
The preparation
The parts of the tripe usually used to prepare this dish are the rumen (the stomach of the cow or pig), the reticulum, and occasionally the omasum.
Its preparation involves slicing the meat into thin strips before cooking it through a slow boiling process over a low heat. In fact, it simmers for four hours in a mix of peeled tomatoes and a soffritto base of carrots, celery, and onion. The result is a bold taste, partly thanks to the chilli, which is browned alongside the garlic and added to the soffritto.
We round off this simple yet lengthy preparation by adding grated pecorino and mentuccia (roman wild mint) at the very end of cooking—two unmissable ingredients in traditional roman cuisine.
The trippa is then served hot and is absolutely perfect paired with some crusty, flavourful homemade roman bread, just like the one we bake fresh every day in our restaurant.
Have you ever tried the authentic recipe for trippa alla romana?
From now on, potete magnarne e goderne—you can eat it and truly relish every bite—not just in the capital, but right here in the centre of Bologna!
