Ciorba de Burta — Tripe Sour Soup

A classic Romanian sour soup — gently simmered veal tripe in a tangy broth soured with bors (fermented
wheat liquid), thickened with egg yolks, and finished with a generous dollop of sour cream. Ciorba de
burta is famously restorative: an antidote to a long night and a balm for the winter soul.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (veal tripe, eggs, sour cream)

SERVINGS: 6
TIME: 3 hours

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 kg veal tripe (honeycomb tripe is best), thoroughly cleaned
- 1 large veal bone (for depth)
- 3 carrots, whole
- 2 parsnips, whole
- 1 celeriac, peeled and halved
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 litres water
- 500 ml borş (Romanian fermented wheat liquid) — or 200 ml white wine vinegar + 300 ml water
- 3 egg yolks
- 300 g full-fat sour cream, divided
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon hot paprika
- Salt to taste
- Sliced hot pepper, for serving
- Crusty bread

METHOD:
1. Soak tripe in cold water with salt for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly.
2. Place tripe in a large pot with water, bone, carrots, parsnips, celeriac, onion, peppercorns, bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, skim foam thoroughly, then reduce to a simmer.
3. Cook very gently for 2-2.5 hours until tripe is completely tender (a knife passes through without resistance).
4. Remove tripe and vegetables. Strain broth. Discard bone and aromatics. Dice tripe into small 1 cm pieces. Dice carrots too.
5. Return broth (about 2 litres) to the pot. Add diced tripe and carrots.
6. Add borş (or vinegar-water) to taste. The soup should be distinctly sour but not acrid. Simmer 5 minutes.
7. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with 150 g sour cream until smooth.
8. Temper: ladle 500 ml of hot soup slowly into the egg-cream mixture, whisking constantly.
9. Pour the tempered mixture back into the pot off the heat, whisking. Do NOT boil after this — it will curdle. Return to very low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
10. Taste for salt and sourness.
11. Ladle into deep bowls. Top each with a spoonful of garlic paste and a generous dollop of remaining sour cream. Dust with hot paprika.
12. Serve with bread and sliced hot pepper. The diner stirs everything together at the table.

NOTES:
- Borş is Romanian fermented wheat liquid (not to be confused with Russian borscht). It gives ciorba its distinctive sour flavour. Available at Romanian grocers. Lemon juice is a very poor substitute; white wine vinegar is acceptable.
- The raw garlic stirred in at the end is the traditional Romanian finish (mujdei). Do not cook the garlic with the soup — its rawness is the point.
- This is the classic Romanian cure for a hangover, a cold, or a melancholy morning.
- Ciorba de burta takes time but the pay-off is extraordinary. Make a big pot.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 280 | Protein: 18 g | Carbohydrates: 12 g | Fat: 18 g | Fibre: 2 g