🇮🇹 Italian · Main Dish
🍲 Trippa alla Romana
Trippa alla Romana
Tripe simmered slowly in tomato with mint and pecorino, another beloved fixture of Rome's traditional quinto quarto cuisine, mint being the dish's distinctive, unexpected finishing touch.
The addition of fresh mint (mentuccia, a wild Roman mint) at the end of cooking is what sets trippa alla Romana apart from tripe preparations elsewhere in Italy, cutting through the richness with a burst of herbal freshness.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large pot with lid
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) pre-cleaned honeycomb tripe, cut into strips
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) dry white wine
- 600 g (1.3 lb) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- Fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 80 g (1 cup) grated Pecorino Romano
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and chili flakes, to taste
Method
- Blanch the tripe in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse.
- Warm the olive oil in a clean pot and sauté the onion, carrot, and celery until softened, then add the garlic.
- Add the tripe and stir to coat, then pour in the wine and let it reduce.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and enough water to just cover, season, and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cover and cook for 1.5–2 hours, until the tripe is very tender, checking occasionally and adding water if needed.
- In the final few minutes, stir in a generous amount of fresh mint.
- Serve hot in bowls, topped with a generous shower of pecorino.
Chef Tips
- Buy tripe that's already been cleaned and partially pre-cooked by your butcher, which significantly shortens the process.
- The fresh mint added at the end is essential to the dish's character — don't substitute dried mint, which lacks the same bright quality.
- Like many braises, this improves with a day's rest in the refrigerator.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Skipping the initial blanch, which helps remove any residual odor from the tripe.
- Adding the mint too early, which loses its bright, fresh character over long cooking.
- Rushing the braise, which leaves the tripe with an unpleasantly chewy texture.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A good source of protein; tripe is also relatively low in fat compared to other cuts.
Cultural Note
Trippa alla Romana is a fixture of Rome's traditional quinto quarto cuisine, historically eaten on Saturdays in the city's working-class trattorie.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days; flavor improves the next day.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop.
Serve with: Crusty bread, A robust Roman red wine