P
Italian · Florence, Tuscany
Lampredotto — Florentine Tripe Street Food
Lampredotto is the fourth stomach of the cow (the abomasum — the true digestive stomach, as opposed to the other three rumen chambers) slow-cooked in a broth of onion, celery, carrot, and tomato until tender, then sliced thin and served in a semolina roll (semellino or bun) dipped in the cooking broth, dressed with salsa verde and hot sauce (salsa piccante). It is the street food of Florence — sold from trippai (tripe carts) in the San Lorenzo market and throughout the city. Nothing marks Florentine identity more precisely.
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
800 g
lampredotto (bovine abomasum, fourth stomach)
cleaned by the butcher
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
onion
halved
Your own market
2
celery stalks
roughly cut
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
carrot
roughly cut
Your own market
2
2 litres
water
cold, to cover
Your own market
4
semellino rolls (semolina rolls)
soft crumb, firm crust
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the salsa verde
30 g
flat-leaf parsley leaves
finely chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
20 g
capers
rinsed and finely chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4
anchovy fillets in oil
finely chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
garlic clove
finely minced
Your own market
80 ml
extra-virgin olive oil
Your own market
1 tsp
red wine vinegar
Your own market
to taste
Italian red chilli sauce (salsa piccante)
simple, direct heat — not Mexican or Asian style
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Place the lampredotto in a large pot with the onion, celery, carrot, and tomato. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat, skim the surface thoroughly, then reduce to the gentlest possible simmer. The broth should tremble, not bubble. Simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours. The dish is done when a knife slides through the lampredotto without any resistance — not merely soft but completely yielding throughout.
2
While the lampredotto simmers, combine the finely chopped parsley, capers, anchovies, and garlic in a bowl. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar. Taste: the sauce must be bracingly acidic and savoury — this acidity is the essential counterpoint to the rich, gelatinous tripe. Adjust with vinegar if needed. Set aside at room temperature.
3
Taste the broth before proceeding. It must read as a properly seasoned, full-bodied bouillon — rich and savoury on the palate. Season with salt if needed. The flavour of the broth is the flavour of the lampredotto; if the broth does not satisfy, the finished dish will not.
4
Remove the lampredotto from the broth and transfer to a cutting board. Slice thin. Keep the broth at a bare simmer throughout service.
5
Split each semellino roll. Dip the bottom half into the hot broth for a few seconds — the bagno. The bread should emerge soft and broth-seasoned, but not waterlogged. It must hold its structure when picked up.
6
Lay the hot sliced lampredotto onto the dipped roll base. Spoon salsa verde generously over the meat, then add Italian red chilli sauce to taste. Close the roll and serve immediately — sliced lampredotto tightens on standing and must not be held.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Lampredotto sourced from a named Chianina or heritage Tuscan breed, butchered and cleaned to order; bread from a Florentine forno using stone-ground semolina; salsa verde made with salt-packed capers from Pantelleria, rinsed to order.
02
Estate — Lampredotto from a specialist offal butcher who supplies cleaned abomasum regularly; good semolina rolls from a local bakery; salsa verde made with quality oil-packed anchovies and capers in brine.
03
Market — Lampredotto ordered from any reliable butcher willing to source abomasum; soft white rolls substituted if semolina rolls are unavailable; salsa verde ingredients from a well-stocked supermarket.
04
House — Any cleaned abomasum; any soft bread roll dipped in the broth for the bagno — the dipping step is not optional at any rung; jarred salsa verde used only if no fresh parsley and capers are available.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. A knife passes through the cooked lampredotto without any resistance — completely yielding, with no rubbery core.
◇Taste. The broth tastes as a full-bodied, properly seasoned bouillon — rich, savoury, and satisfying on its own.
◇Touch. The dipped roll base is soft and broth-saturated but holds its shape when lifted — not collapsing or wet through.
◇Smell. The assembled sandwich smells of warm broth, fresh parsley, and anchovy — the three registers of the dish in balance.
◇Where it lives or dies. The lampredotto must be simmered at a gentle, sustained tremble for the full 2 to 2.5 hours — if a knife does not slide through without resistance, the dish is not ready; under-cooked lampredotto is tough and the entire preparation fails.
Pillar V
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Bushmills Malt 10 Year Old
Old Bushmills Distillery · County Antrim — Bushmills Distillery
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia
Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.
Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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