Ciorbă de Burtă
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Beef tripe, cleaned and cut into strips — 1 kg (2.2 lb)
- Carrot, chopped — 1
- Onion, chopped — 1
- Celery stalk, chopped — 1
- Garlic, minced — 4 cloves
- Sour cream — 240 g (8.5 oz)
- Egg yolks — 2
- Vinegar, or to taste — 3 tbsp
- Water — 1.9 L (64 fl oz)
- Salt — to taste
- Chopped dill, to garnish
Method
- Simmer the tripe in the water with the carrot, onion and celery for 2.5–3 hours until very tender.
- Remove the tripe and vegetables; strain the broth, reserving it, and discard the vegetables (or blend them back into the soup if preferred).
- Return the tripe and strained broth to the pot.
- Whisk the sour cream and egg yolks together with a little of the hot broth to temper, then stir this mixture back into the pot.
- Heat gently without boiling, stirring, until slightly thickened.
- Stir in the vinegar and minced garlic.
- Season with salt and garnish with chopped dill before serving hot.
Introduction: A tangy, creamy tripe soup finished with sour cream, garlic and vinegar, one of Romania's most beloved and distinctive traditional soups.
Cultural Background: Ciorbă de burtă exemplifies Romania's love of sour soups (ciorbă), its tripe base and tangy garlic-sour cream finish making it a cherished, if acquired, taste enjoyed across the country, often as a restorative dish.
Tips: Simmer the tripe long enough to become properly tender — this can take several hours depending on the tripe's thickness. Temper the egg yolks carefully with hot broth before adding them to the pot, to prevent curdling.
Variations: Serve with a small dish of extra garlic and vinegar on the side for those who like it more pronounced. Add a chopped chilli for a little heat.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat very gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring, without boiling, to avoid curdling the cream.
FAQs:
Q: What is ciorbă?
A: A general Romanian term for sour soups, typically soured with vinegar, lemon or fermented bran water, distinguishing them from plain broths.
Q: Is ciorbă de burtă considered a hangover remedy?
A: Yes, similar to rich, restorative soups found in other cultures, it's popularly enjoyed for this purpose.
- Beef tripe, cleaned and cut into strips — 1 kg (2.2 lb)
- Carrot, chopped — 1
- Onion, chopped — 1
- Celery stalk, chopped — 1
- Garlic, minced — 4 cloves
- Sour cream — 240 g (8.5 oz)
- Egg yolks — 2
- Vinegar, or to taste — 3 tbsp
- Water — 1.9 L (64 fl oz)
- Salt — to taste
- Chopped dill, to garnish
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