Tripe

What is the Tripe

Tripe is a food of animal origin; it is part of the fifth quarter of the slaughtered beast and in particular it falls within the group of offal.

Tripe is made up of the stomach (or one of the stomachs) of cattle or pigs, even if the most commonly used raw material is beef rumen, or the first of the four stomachs of the animal. To be sure, the edible portion of the bovine digestive tract also consists of the other three gastric sacs (reticulum, omasum, abomasum) but, as often happens, each preparation takes on a different name; for example, the cooked abomasum is defined lampredotto and not tripe (which, as anticipated, indicates the rumen).

The tripe CANNOT be consumed raw and the one on the market is almost always ready for use (final cooking). After slaughter, the rumen must be scraped and washed carefully and, preferably, pre-cooked in hot water. Preparing any recipe with raw tripe, although well cleaned, would require very long cooking times and without the guarantee of achieving a good result.

Contrary to what many may believe, tripe is NOT a fatty food ; certainly, it never constitutes simple and quick digestion recipes, but this does not derive from the overall lipid quota, but from the composition and structure of protein tissues (as well as from the supplementary ingredients).

Nutritional composition of turkey, topside, raw (wording food composition tables - INRAN)

Nutritional values (per 100 g of edible portion)

Edible part		100.0%
water		72.0g
Protein		15.8g
	Prevailing amino acids	-
	Limiting amino acid	-
Lipids TOT		5.0g
	Saturated fatty acids	- g
	Monounsaturated fatty acids	- g
	Polyunsaturated fatty acids	- g
	Cholesterol	- mg
TOT Carbohydrates		0.0g
	Complex sugars	0.0g
	Soluble sugars	0.0g
Dietary fiber		0.0g
	Soluble fiber	0.0g
	Insoluble fiber	0.0g
Power		108.0kcal
Sodium		107.0mg
Potassium		18.0mg
Iron		4.0mg
Football		18.0mg
Phosphorus		50.0mg
Thiamine		0.14mg
Riboflavin		0.18mg
Niacin		1.60mg
Vitamin A		- µg
C vitamin		3.00mg
Vitamin E		- mg

Pork or beef tripe is not the only edible stomach; even the tripe of some fish has noteworthy organoleptic and taste characteristics. An example of this is, to say the least, indicative: cod tripe, tuna tripe, monkfish tripe, sea bass tripe, grouper tripe and snapper tripe. Obviously, it is necessary that the specimens are of considerable size.

The production of tripe must be carried out following precise steps:

Suppression and slaughter of the animal with separation of the viscera
Separation of the stomach (s) from the rest of the digestive tract
Emptying of gastric contents
Tripe washing
Mucosal separation
Degreasing with water and vinegar
Precooking, cooling and possible freezing

Ultimately, so much elbow grease!

On the other hand, not at the level of small productions, but on an industrial scale, the use of "means" that are anything but orthodox is also permitted. Hydrogen peroxide (hydrogen peroxide, to whiten the fabric) and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda, to degrease the mucous membrane well) are sometimes used, although I personally have some doubts about their relevance and harmlessness in the context.

Nutritional characteristics

Tripe is a lean food, rich in high biological value proteins. It does not contain carbohydrates or fiber, and it does not have enough data to establish its suitability for the diet against certain diseases of the metabolism (lack of values such as cholesterol and saturated fatty acids). Certainly, the tripe is a cut of meat (or better, of fifth quarter) decidedly low calorie.

Moreover, as far as mineral salts are concerned, the tripe contains excellent amounts of iron (useful to fight and prevent iron deficiency anemia) and excellent concentrations of many B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin and niacin) are not lacking.

Tripe may contain high levels of purines, unwanted molecules for those suffering from hyperuricemia and gouty attacks.