Ciorbă de burtă is a sour tripe soup of beef or calf tripe with celery, carrot and onion, finished with sour cream, egg and garlic and served with hot chili.

Ciorbă is the Romanian word for a sour soup, and Wikipedia says the word comes from Ottoman Turkish. Hanu' Berarilor's menu says its tripe soup follows an old recipe from the Obor barrier, the market district of north-east Bucharest. Hanu' lui Manuc cooks calf tripe with celery, carrot, onion, sour cream and egg and serves its soups with hot chilies, and La Mama's version adds garlic and vinegar. Caru' cu bere, Vatra and Mahala list it too.

Where to eat Ciorbă de burtă in Bucharest

5 editor picks for Ciorbă de burtă in Bucharest, ranked by editorial score. All Bucharest signature dishes · Ciorbă de burtă across every city.

Make it at home

Serves 64 hr 30 minIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 800g beef tripe (honeycomb), trimmed and cleaned
  • 1 large beef bone (with marrow)
  • 2 carrots, peeled
  • 1 parsnip, peeled
  • 1 white onion, peeled
  • 2 celeriac stalks
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 100ml white wine vinegar (or 200ml borș)
  • 1 whole head of garlic, peeled and pureed with a little water
  • 200g smântână (sour cream)
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Salt, fresh chilli and parsley to finish

Method

  1. Bring the tripe and beef bone to a boil in 3 litres of cold water. Skim foam, then simmer for 30 minutes.
  2. Drain, rinse the tripe, and return to the pot with fresh water and the bone.
  3. Add carrots, parsnip, whole onion, celeriac, bay leaves and peppercorns. Simmer for 3 hours, partially covered, until the tripe is tender enough to slice with a spoon.
  4. Lift out the tripe and slice into thin strips; strain the broth and discard the bone and vegetables (or save the carrots).
  5. Return the broth and tripe to the pot. Stir in the vinegar (or borș) to taste, salt to season.
  6. Whisk the sour cream with the egg yolks and 200ml of warm broth; stir back into the pot off the heat to thicken without curdling.
  7. Stir in half the garlic puree; the rest goes to the table.
  8. Serve in deep bowls with the table garlic puree, fresh chilli and chopped parsley; a slice of dense rye bread on the side.

Editor tip. The vinegar versus borș call is regional: south-Romanian tradition uses borș, Bucharest restaurants almost always use vinegar. Either way, add the souring liquid to taste at the end, not earlier.

Common allergens: Tripe, Garlic, Egg yolk.