Romanian Tripe Soup (Ciorbă de burtă)
Overview
Ciorbă de burtă is Romania's beloved tripe soup, rich, creamy and sour. Beef tripe and bones are simmered for hours with root vegetables, then the tripe is cut into thin strips and the broth is thickened with sour cream and egg yolks. Vinegar and crushed garlic, added to taste, give it its characteristic sharpness. It is served with hot chillies and more sour cream on the side. Romanians often order it in restaurants rather than make it at home because it takes so long.
History
Sour soups, called ciorbă, are central to Romanian cooking and are soured with vinegar, lemon, fermented bran or vegetables. Tripe soup is part of a wider tradition stretching across the Balkans and Türkiye, where it is eaten as hearty and restoring food. In Romania it has become one of the most popular restaurant soups and a classic remedy after celebrations.
Main ingredients
Beef tripe, beef bones, sour cream, egg yolks, garlic, vinegar. The soup is built on beef broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Beef soups · Tripe and offal soups · Egg soups · More soups from Romania
Recipe
Method
- 13 h
Simmer the tripe and bones with the vegetables for 3 hours until tender.
- 2
Cut the tripe into thin strips and strain the broth.
- 3
Whisk sour cream with egg yolks and a ladle of hot broth, then stir into the pot.
- 4
Heat gently, add garlic and vinegar to taste and return the tripe.
- ✓
Serve. About 3h 20m from start to bowl.
Pictures
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
