Tripe Soup (Πατσάς)
Don Domonkos on Athens back in the day and why tripe soup isn't hard to stomach.
☀️ Greetings from Athens, Greece (not Athens, Georgia).
Greek food continues to impress me and this tripe soup was a prime example of how good simple food can be.
Favorite Food interviews real people about their favorite food.
You'd see both the elite of Athenian society and the neighborhood hookers and their pimps in the same establishment.
On a Saturday afternoon, we meet with writer and editor, Don Domonkos, at the Varvakios Central Market in Athens.
After strolling down aisles of fresh fish, meat, and the occasional cow head, we make our way to a small restaurant in the market.
Between spoonfuls of soup, Don shares stories of Athens back in the day, why tripe soup is universally loved, and how it can even prevent hangovers.
What's your favorite food?
I love tripe, so I really love tripe soup, and the Greek version, called πατσάς/patsas, is my favorite.
Tripe soup is made using the stomach lining of a cow, pig or lamb, which is either roughly or finely chopped and then boiled for a long period of time in a broth made from either the head in the case of a cow or lamb, or the leg and feet (trotters), in the case of the pig.
Why is this your favorite food?
Patsas is filling, warming, and perfect for the uneasy tummy that comes with a hangover. You regulate just how spicy and flavorsome it is by adding crushed chili flakes and garlicky vinegar to it at the table, after it's been cooked.
It's a dish made from a part or parts of the animal that most people throw away; it requires no special cooking implements or techniques, so it's easily made in the humblest of kitchens as well as in restaurants. The ingredients are inexpensive as well. In short, it's part of the universal cucina povera, and I love that about it.
Describe the perfect tripe soup.
I like the pork version most, with thick-cut pieces so you have something to chew on with each mouthful. I prefer it served without the feet, so I'm getting only tripe in my bowl. I like to add a fair amount of chili flakes and garlicky vinegar so that the soup has a real kick to it.
Any interesting facts about tripe soup?
There are varieties of tripe soup in so many cultures - the first tripe soup I ever had was in a Chinese restaurant in New York's Chinatown. I've eaten a stewier version out of a paper bowl at a Rotterdam street carnival celebrating South American culture - that was Surinamese tripe, or fladder, and they cook it with chili peppers; I've had it in Istanbul at breakfast time, where it's called iskembe çorba, I've had a Filipino version here in Athens that was wonderful. I've bought jars of it from Polish delis, where it's sold as flacki.
When I think of tripe, however, the first place I think of is the Central Market of Athens, where there is still one restaurant that makes vats of it every day; Epirus Restaurant is where you should try tripe soup in Athens, because you're celebrating meat, flavor, tradition, thrift and culinary ingenuity in the place where all these things come together naturally.
What’s one memory you have of tripe soup?
Patsas was the late-night or early-morning meal of choice for Greek revelers for generations; it was what you ate after an evening of drinking at the bouzoukia, or music halls, to settle your stomach and prevent a hangover.
In Athens, people would gather at the Central Market very late at night to have their patsas, and you'd see both the elite of Athenian society and the neighborhood hookers and their pimps in the same establishment - in winter, there would be fake furs on one side of the room and the real deal on the other side, and everyone would be having this soup.
Where can I get the best tripe soup?
It is easy to make yourself, but it takes time, and the smell lingers for days. The soup is wonderful, but that smell really isn't, so it's a dish best served to you at an eatery like Epirus.
❤️ Thanks Don for an offaly good time.