History

Pieds paquets came out of the bouchons and brasseries of Marseille from the late 19th century, the workers' meal that used the cheapest cuts of the lamb. The dish travelled across the Bouches-du-Rhone (Marseille and Sisteron the rival schools) and was protected for decades by the Confrerie des Pieds et Paquets at the city's traiteurs. The slow cook breaks down the tripe so the parcels read as silky rather than chewy, and the broth thickens around the trotters.

Make it at home

Yield Serves 6Hands-on 1 hrTotal 6 hrDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

  • 1kg lamb tripe, cleaned, cut into 12cm squares
  • 4 sheep's trotters, split lengthwise
  • 150g salt pork or pancetta, finely chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • Large bunch parsley, chopped
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 500ml dry white wine
  • 1 strip of dried orange peel
  • Bouquet garni (thyme, bay, parsley stalks)
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Make the stuffing by mixing the salt pork, garlic and parsley with plenty of pepper. Lay a tripe square flat, spoon a heaped teaspoon of stuffing across one edge, roll up and tie with kitchen string into a small parcel. Repeat with the rest.
  2. Sweat the onions in oil in a heavy casserole. Add the tomatoes, white wine, orange peel and bouquet garni. Bring to a simmer.
  3. Nestle the tripe parcels and the split trotters into the pan, add water to barely cover, salt lightly. Cover and cook at the lowest simmer for 5 to 6 hours until the tripe is silky and the trotters are tender.
  4. Lift out the parcels, snip off the strings. Reduce the broth if needed to thicken slightly, season.
  5. Serve in deep bowls with the parcels and trotter meat, broth ladled over, with boiled potatoes or buttered tagliatelle on the side.

Tip from the editors. Patience and the lowest possible simmer are the only difficulties; if the pan boils the tripe goes rubbery. A heat diffuser under the casserole helps hold the gentle temperature.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat pieds paquets

Pieds paquets in Marseille

Chez Madie Les Galinettes ★ 4.4

Provencal€€2e

Chez Madie Les Galinettes in Marseille's 2e has cooked the Provencal canon on the Quai du Port since 1995 under Delphine Roux, an affordable bouillabaisse and pieds paquets the spine of the menu.

Signature: Bouillabaisse, Pieds paquets, Aioli

Order: The bouillabaisse at EUR 59, half the price of the seafront rooms with the same view.

Tip: Book a terrace table for sunset; the Provencal stew at lunch is the value play.

138 Quai du Port, 13002 Marseille Book →

Le Bouchon Provencal ★ 4.3

Provencal and Lyonnais€€1er

Le Bouchon Provencal in Marseille's 1er on Place aux Huiles is a bistro of Provencal and Lyonnais lineage, two vaulted dining rooms and a lime-tree terrace, menu rewritten by the season.

Signature: Daube provencale, Pieds paquets

Order: The daube provencale and a glass of the house red on the terrace.

Tip: Open Mon-Sat; the upper vaulted room is the spot on cold nights.

6 Place aux Huiles, 13001 Marseille Book →

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