The most iconic dish of Porto!

The legend tell us, that the Prince Henry the Navigator (Infante D.Henrique) came to Porto to manage the construction work of the ships that would be sent to conquer “Ceuta” in the North of Africa. This was a secret plan. The Infante D.Henrique was worried that the construction was going slow. The man who was in charge of all the construction work (Mestre Vaz) tranquilizes the Infante, and tells him, he will demand a bigger effort from all the people involved.

 

The city habitants decided to offer all the meat they could get (to go on the ships) and they stayed only with the intestines! That´s why we started to be known as the “Tripeiros”, or the people who eat tripe!
The big fleet with more than 70 ships, departed to conquer the North of Africa in June 1415!

The recipe we know today it´s not the original. Nowadays we eat this iconic dish, with white beans. Beans only arrived in Europe in the XVII century! It seems that the tripe was served stewed, with bread slices. To this modern recipe we also join other kinds of meat and sausages, together with carrots, onions, and white rice as a side dish. It´s seasoned with black pepper, bay leafs and sprinkled with cumin.
We know that already in the Midle Ages, there was a preoccupation about hygienic and cleaning conditions involving the preparation of tripe. The tripe was sold in specific locations in the city, mainly by butchers in places that should be clean and well ventilated.

 

 Maybe we have to go even earlier in history to discover the real origins of this recipe… The Suevi people that came from the South of Germany, and invaded us more than a 1000 years ago, had the habit of eating cow tripe. Their influence can be seen also in France (the Cassoulet from Carcassone it´s a very similar dish to ours, but without the tripe), and in the Asturias, in Spain, they prepare the tripe in a similar way (“Callos”).
One thing I must tell you: You should really taste the “Tripas à Moda do Porto”! It will surprise you how good it is!!!

A few restaurants were you can taste “Tripas à Moda do Porto”:

Restaurante Líder: Alameda Eça de Queirós, nº 120, Porto. Tel: 225020089
Adega de São Nicolau: Rua de São Nicolau, nº 1, Porto. Tel: 222008232
A Cozinha do Manel: Rua do Heroísmo, nº 215, Porto. Tel: 225363388
Casa Inês: Rua de Miraflor, nº 20, Porto. Tel:225106988