Caribbean Beef Tripe Soup

By
Cynthia Nelson
Cynthia Nelson
Cynthia Nelson
Food columnist and blogger Cynthia Nelson is the author of "Tastes Like Home: My Caribbean Cookbook." Living in Barbados, Cynthia shares her love of the diverse food of the islands.
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Updated on 12/14/21
Caribbean beef tripe recipe

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga 
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 80 mins
Total: 100 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
591 Calories
12g Fat
98g Carbs
30g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 591
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 16%
Saturated Fat 3g 17%
Cholesterol 240mg 80%
Sodium 819mg 36%
Total Carbohydrate 98g 36%
Dietary Fiber 13g 45%
Total Sugars 31g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 58mg 292%
Calcium 504mg 39%
Iron 4mg 22%
Potassium 1445mg 31%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Caribbean soul food wouldn't be complete without a variety of thick soups, including those made with cow heel, beef, and tripe (an animal's stomach lining). The recipes include split peas and dumplings, making for a hearty and filling meal. This version combines cow's tripe with pumpkin, plantains, and okra to create a delicious and wholesome soup with a variety of colors, flavors, and textures. As tripe is somewhat neutral in taste, it takes on the flavors of the remaining ingredients. It also becomes quite tender the longer it is cooked.

When made on the stovetop, the soup requires 2 to 3 hours of cooking, so a pressure cooker is ideal when you need a comforting meal in less time. (When you're using a pressure cooker, begin timing after the first whistle.) Make sure to plan ahead as you need to soak the split peas overnight and make the dumplings before beginning the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons oil

  • 1 cup diced onions

  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme, divided

  • 2 pounds cow tripe, cut up

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 6 cups water, plus more for broth

  • 1/2 cup yellow split peas, soaked overnight

  • 1 pound pumpkin, or calabaza squash, cut into large chunks

  • 2 pounds green plantains, peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds

  • 6 to 8 okra, cut into bite-sized pieces

  • 12 flour dumplings

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Caribbean beef tripe soup
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  2. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker.

    Heat oil
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga 

  3. Add the onions and sauté until they're translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.

    Add onions
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  4. Add 3 sprigs of thyme and sauté for 1 minute. 

    Onions
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  5. Add the tripe and the salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for 4 minutes.

    Add tripe
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  6. Add the 6 cups of water and stir.

    Add water
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  7. Cover the pressure cooker and let the soup cook for 45 to 50 minutes. Time begins from the first whistle. (If using a stockpot, cover and cook for 2 to 3 hours.)

    Cover pressure cooker
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  8. Release the pressure cooker valve to let out steam and open the pressure cooker.

    Release pressure cooker
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  9. Add the peas and enough additional water to make a broth. Cover the pot and cook for 5 more minutes. Again, time begins from the first whistle.

    Add peas
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  10. Release the pressure cooker valve to let out steam and open the pressure cooker.

    Release pressure cooker
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  11. Add the pumpkin, plantains, and the remaining thyme.

    Bananas and pumpkins
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  12. Cook until the plantains are almost melting. Don't close the pressure cooker at this stage, just rest the cover on top of the pot. 

    Cook plantains
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  13. Add the okra and dumplings to the pot. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through.

    Add okra
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

  14. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

    Taste for seasoning
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga 

  15. Stir and serve.

    Stir
    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Tripe Tips

  • Tripe is an acquired taste. It's the stomach lining of an animal, specifically a cow in this recipe. A cow has three stomachs, and all of them are used to produce tripe. If the tripe has a honeycomb appearance, it means it came from the second stomach chamber.
  • Ask your butcher to remove the pieces of fat from the tripe for you, and make sure to rinse it well when you get home. 

Recipe Variations

  • As with almost any dish, and particularly soup, you can add any of your favorite ingredients to this recipe to make it uniquely yours. Some cooks add carrots, green olives, or raisins, while others prefer garlic. Some tripe soup recipes call for two pigs feet as well.
  • You could also substitute saba bananas for the plantains.
  • Replace 1/4 cup of the water with lime juice.

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