Kids these days will never know the glory of the tripe stall

[Tben]

When I was growing up in the 1980s, I used to go shopping in the town centre with my Gran every Saturday. Amongst our many ports of call, we’d always go to the tripe stall on the fish and meat market to get some tripe for my Grandad.

A whole stall devoted to selling the stomach lining of a cow.

Kids these days will never know of such things. Tripe
is gone, never to come back. I was there, at the end, as it passed into history.

I hated it myself of course - the look, the smell, just… no.

My mum used to cook tripe in milk for my dad. I never tasted it as I didn’t like the look of it. She also made him sweetbreads and would prepare and cook a tongue too - all for him, although I didn’t mind the tongue. She coked liver occasionally which I never liked although I do like kidney. Another thing she made and they both liked was potted hough which I just found peppery and slimy and hated. (Apparently it’s just beef shin cooked down so it goes all gelatinous).

I can't remember where went but the local dish was "tripe stew". It was basically a bowl of tripe boiled in stock. No veg or potatos or anything. I did not participate but my husband did. He did not have it again.

Oh I don't recall it in Essex.

My dad is a real east end man. Loves tripe, tongue, sweetbreads, soft roe, jellied eels, whelks, cockles etc etc. I’ve inherited a gung ho attitude when it comes to trying different foods but I’ve not had the opportunity to eat tripe or soft roe in ages.

I had ris de veau in France once expecting it to be veal and rice (😬). That was sweetbreads. It was ok but I’ve eaten a better dish of it since. At least tripe is tripe in French so no mistake can be made

I am in Spain at the moment and we had a dish of tripe/callos with chick peas for dinner this evening. It was really good.
I've also had it often in France, especially Normandy, in a dish called tripes mode de Caen.
It’s weird to me how people in the UK won’t countenance eating it at all while it’s a popular item in French, Italian and Spanish cuisines.
And especially as liver and kidneys are still enjoyed by lots of Brits who almost gag at the thought of tripe, which has a much milder flavour than either of those.

(As for what goes into cheap sausages, the less said the better. )

I remember going into the butchers with mum, sawdust on the floor splattered with blood. ALL the flesh and organs on display, half carcasses at the back for jointing, Mum did buy tripe for granny, made me heave, the smell of it. And they were both partial to chitlins ? Still not quite sure what they are (looked like roes but not fish, I think a porky thing) In London the market I lived next to was full of butchers' shops with cows feet and pigs heads.....and all the other intricate stuff (liver and lights anyone ?) I am amazed I didn't become vegetarian sooner 😳 But at the very least, every part of that animal had something nutritious to give back to us and it seems people are a bit squeamish about that now (apart from 'nose to tail' type restaurants) @HobgoblinNorFoulFiend ditto !

Ever try tongue? We used to have veal tongue in madeira with white rice when I was growing up. Genuine comfort food. Brined tongue simmered in a pressure cooker for hours, then de-skinned, sliced and cooked further in sauce. They turn out so soft they'll melt in your mouth.

My parents ate tripe cooked in milk. Luckily we were not expected to.
Pigs arses are available in our local market. Never been tempted

Yes but tripe stinks of shit and those other things don’t. 🤣

Agree with this. At least all parts of the animal were used! Genius, really, when we think of it, some of those dishes were borne out of poverty and came to be delicacies. My folks in Italy are always saying this. I can’t bear liver, kidneys, etc. to me the latter smell of urine. Less so with rump steaks and hams although pork is a bit close to the animal for me, not sure why! Associations we make, I guess.

Doesn't it just. I will eat most things but as a child was forced to eat tripe. Absolutely disgusting stuff.

Gosh that brings back memories! We had ox tongue a lot and I liked it! Never seen it for sale now?!

I saw brains for sale in a French supermarket in the 90s. Not sure what that's like.

I like liver and kidney (with steak.)

Oh god you’ve reminded me - my parents used to tell me that I was weaned on calves brains. Soft meat made into a nourishing soup. Gross 🤣

Used to love steak & kidney pie/pudding at school but the kidney bits made it challenging! Don’t see it on school menus so much any more.

That's another memory from the past, soft roe. Mum used to buy it as a treat and we had it on toast. Absolutely delicious.

I've just realised that as a parent I haven't been as adventurous in feeding the family as maybe I should have been. Although Dd has turned out to be quite an adventurous eater.

I loathed tripe as a kid and wasn't forced to eat it. My mam did it boiled, with onions and vinegar, I am not a vinegar fan.

I had some pork tripe soup, not knowing what it was, cooked by a Filippino chef, it was clear, with rice, lemon and ginger and was ace!

I worked in Romania and the office boss took us to restaurants every day, for lunch and I had chorba da burta, tripe soup with sour cream - I think I had it every day.

I like offal in general, but you can stick brains! I remember my mother force feeding it to me, when I was 4, gripping the back of my head and neck, whilst forcing a spoonful into my gob, as I screamed. She gave up in the end.

Lately I've been reading Alan Bennett's latest diaries, "Enough Said", and he mentions several times eating calves' liver and sage in Italy. Latterly he notes that it's no longer readily on menus.

It's got me on the trail. Strangely, Elizabeth David's "Italian Food", the 1965 edition, doesn't mention it all. Still, onwards and upwards.