Tripas à Moda do Porto
Tripas à moda do Porto is the dish that gave the people of Porto their nickname "tripeiros" — tripe eaters — a legend saying that during the city's 1832 siege, the people of Porto donated all the good meat to the fleet fighting for independence, keeping only the organs and lesser cuts, like tripe, for themselves. Out of necessity was born a dish now celebrated as a symbol of the city's identity, not as a memory of hardship. The essential technique is careful sequencing: the tripe and pig's trotters need hours of slow boiling to become tender, while the white beans, if added raw directly into the same pot, would either stay hard or need so much extra time that they'd destroy the texture of the already-cooked meat. Boiling the beans separately, then combining the two only at the end, guarantees each ingredient reaches its ideal texture at exactly the same moment. The cumin and paprika, spices rarely found in the rest of northern Portuguese cuisine, are a trace of a distinct influence, inherited directly from the city's own local tradition, not borrowed from another region.
Several kinds of meat and cured meats are used, added gradually, not all at once
Each type — tripe, pig's trotters, sausages — has its own cooking time, so all end up tender at exactly the same moment
The white beans are boiled separately, fully, before being added to the stew
Mixed in raw directly with the meat, the beans would stay hard or need extra hours, risking the already-tender meat falling apart
A pinch of cumin and paprika is added, spices rare in the rest of Portuguese cuisine
These spices, inherited from local tradition, give the stew a flavor distinct from other dishes of the north
It's always served with plain white rice, cooked separately
The rice soaks up the thick, rich broth, balancing the density of the meat dish
Ingredients 4 servings
- 1kg beef or pork tripe, cleaned and cut into pieces
- 2 pig's trotters
- 200g smoked bacon
- 300g white beans, soaked overnight
- 2 chorizo sausages, sliced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- White rice, for serving
How to make it
- 1BOIL THE BEANS: boil the soaked white beans in fresh water, without salt, until fully tender, about 1 hour, then drain and set aside.
- 2BOIL THE TRIPE: boil the tripe and pig's trotters in a large pot with water, the bay leaves and a little salt, over low heat 1.5 hours, until the meat begins to soften.
- 3ADD THE BACON: add the smoked bacon, continue simmering 30 minutes.
- 4SAUTÉ THE AROMATICS: in a separate pan, sauté the onion and garlic, add the cumin and paprika, sauté briefly.
- 5COMBINE: add the onion mixture to the main pot, together with the cooked beans and sliced chorizo, simmer together 20-25 more minutes, over low heat.
- 6ADJUST: taste and adjust salt and pepper, the broth should be thick, not watery.
- 7SERVE: serve piping hot, alongside plain white rice, cooked separately.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
