Poor John in tripe heaven
Tripe has multiple meanings. In the world of slang, it is something silly, false, worthless or a load of rubbish. In the world of food, it is part of the stomach of a cow, sheep, goat, pig or ox. In Poor John’s world, it simply means delicious.
And for the last eight days he has revelled in the land of delicious.
We’ve just completed a 200-kilometre bicycling tour in Brittany (also known as Bretagne and Briez), that northwestern part of France where tripe is on virtually every menu.
He’s managed to have tripe—or the more elegant-sounding andouille (kind of rhymes with chop suey)—at least once a day and sometime twice. But never for breakfast.
French andouille isn’t straight tripe. It’s a sort of sausage with pork and spices, so the tripe fades into the background. I’ve shown two variations on the presentation, although he’s also had buckwheat pancakes (galettes) with tripe in them.
I have to admit that andouille is pretty darn good. Of course, I’ve never ordered it. I just steal a bit off Poor John’s plate. So far he hasn’t stabbed me with his fork.
He says he still prefers the tomato-y tripe stews made in Spain. I suppose there is a slim chance that I will try to make such a stew. Anyone have a decent recipe?
Oh, and don’t go feeling sorry for Poor John on Father’s Day. We’ve travelled 10 hours east and south in France—by taxi, train and bus—to arrive in the land of foie gras. So he’s enjoying this luxury food made from duck and goose livers. That’s my carnivore!
P.S. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. Hope you are able to enjoy some delicacy today. Maybe you can find something on my cooking blog.
Where to next? 
My nan once cooked me a dish of tripe and cow heels. Shortly after my first mouthful, I dragged her into the street and beat her bloody.
On the bright side, it’s what my grandad would have wanted.
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I bet Poor John rushed in and stole your dish of tripe while you were out dealing with your nan.
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Could be. Somebody sure ate it and it wasn’t my grandad, he can’t stand the stuff 😀
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Ah John, you are my kind of guy! Having been raised in France, reading about andouilles is making my mouth water! One particular andouilles pleasure is to eat it by peeling each concentric circle and seeing how far you can go removing ever smaller concentric circles without the core falling apart. Andouilles on a fresh baguette w butter and a few leaves of lettuce…does not get any better. And now that you are in foie gras region, hope you get to try pan fried foie gras, another phenomenal contribution to world civilization.
Ben
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Oh dear, Ben, I’m afraid you’ve started something. Now Poor John reckons he needs to swing by Brittany again to try the concentric circle game. He’ll be on to the pan-fried foie gras later today, I’m sure.
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Haha of course he must do that!!!! 🙂 🙂
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One mission accomplished. After trailing all over Sarlat in Dordogne, he found pan-fried foie gras as a starter for dinner. A very happy guy.
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We are all getting a bit precious about food. It’s good that rural Europe seems to have maintained a certain degree of common sense.
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It makes sense to eat as much of the beast as possible.
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Well, as documented in my obscure Paris travelogue gathering dust in no bookstore, anywhere, I have sampled the tripe and found it rewarding. So I’m with Poor John on this one. I feel a bit unclean in taking this stand, but we should always remain true to our inner nature. At least for one blog post… 😉
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I’ll pass on your support. I know he’ll appreciate it.
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I have great memories of my Mum’s recipe for Tripe in Parsley Sauce. Unfortunately, I never got the recipe as I knew that there was no way my husband would ever eat it. It must be over 45 years since I last tasted it, but I still crave it!
Andouilles sound delicious. You can tell John that I’m very jealous right now.
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I’ll let him know and I’ll start a search for a decent tripe recipe.
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When I first tried andouilles in France, I didn’t know you were supposed to cook them. It put me off, rather 🙂
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More like RATHER!
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I have tried tripe as I thought it would show my commitment in becoming a good Australian. In the fifties/sixties butcher shops often featured tripe in their shop-windows.
When my dad looked at it, he went to bed.
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Oh dear, that made me laugh. I’ll remember not to invite you for a tripe dinner. 🙂
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What is it about Father’s day. I did not get anything. Have you got the date right, Peggy? Did Poor John fool you?
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Father’s Day in Europe. He’s cashing in twice this year!
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I could never face ‘English’ tripe, all white and wobbly. (((shudder)))
However, French tripe sausage is delicious, as if foie gras. Be careful of making foie gras enemies though. Many people are outraged that it is still sold, and campaign against it.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks Pete. I know about the outrage. I’ll keep my head down.
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There are some things I wouldn’t eat if I knew what they were. This could be one of them! Fortunately, I will eat just about anything I don’t know by source, and this actually sounds and looks tasty! Serve it to me, but don’t tell me what it is till after I smack my lips and proclaim it wonderful. Ha!
Reminds me of a criminal in Colorado some years ago who stole packaged product from a meat processing place. Caught, he was sentenced to several years in prison. At his sentencing, he said [as best I recall!] “I wouldn’t mind going to prison for stealing boxes of steak, but it upsets me to go to prison for stealing boxes of beef anuses.” I’ve wondered since what use is made of beef anuses.
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Oh my, that is too funny. I wonder how many years he got? And I’m like you—sometimes it’s best not to know what you’re eating.
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It was something like five years. Or three. whatever it was, the value of the beef parts determined that. He took quite a lot of them.
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Obviously he doesn’t know his beef. 🙂
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Both dishes look absolutely delicious! I don’t blame John!
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I tried both and they were delicious.
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It looks so.
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Andouille is also a staple of Louisiana cooking thanks to the French heritage.
My uncle once said I would eat anything “moving slow enough to get his fork in it.” But tripe never crossed my plate.
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Yes, I was aware that andouille was popular in Louisiana. It’s so interesting to look at and I wonder how it’s made.
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John… you and my Alan would get on fine you would both be in tripe heaven…Me I would rather eat chickens feet!
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I think I prefer tripe—in moderation.
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Noooo no for me I am afraid but each to their own..lol
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so not quite a load of tripe then :). I’d be dead after 50 kms of biking, i am so impressed with your achievement, and what a trip.
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Thanks. I’ll be writing about the trip soon. It was exhausting and rewarding.
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Sounds wonderful!
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It was very tasty.
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Oh dear Lord, I haven’t even eaten breakfast and feel queasy now. I remember my mum cooking tripe on the stove and the whole house stank of it. It looks like something from an Alien movie when raw. Even if we have the zombie apocalypse, I would rather eat one of my husky neighbors. 😁
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Raw tripe does look alien. Thanks for such a good description.
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😁
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When I was a carnivore tripe was about the only thing I wouldn’t eat! Now that I don’t eat any living thing it is a struggle to give it to the dogs. 😆
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I can imagine.
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Mmmmm! 🌿🌱🍃
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I’ll let Poor John know you agree with him.
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“Tripe heaven” – now there’s an oxymoron in this vegetarian’s view! I’m not sure I could have even sat next to Poor John these last 8 days, but I am happy that he is happy with his meaty fare!
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He’s very happy and unlikely to have a repeat in Australia—ever!
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Never had tripe in France but love it in Pho and Menudo. Happy Father’s Day PEGGY! If it weren’t for you Poor John wouldn’t be a father.
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Excellent point, Judith. I’ll remind him!
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Well *of course* the French would turn tripe into something edible, or apparently even better than edible! I have a memory from childhood of my aunt (who was a notoriously bad and stingy cook) serving this white wrinkly rubbery stuff that we were supposed to actually eat. When I asked my mother what it was I was told it was tripe. She never cooked it, but she was very fond of the word used in its other meaning.
Alison
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Until this post I was also much more likely to use the word in its other meaning!
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Happy Late Father’s Day to All.. here in the United States. I went to NYC’s Chinatown today and ordered Soy Sauce Chicken on rice, vegetables on the side and with some spicy ginger/scallion condiment. Then I read your post about Tripe, to late to order it (which you can get in Chinatown.. good on a cold winter day). However, I love, love tripe. Never made it from scratch.. but have on my food shelf a can of; Goya, Beef Tripe Stew Dominican Style (Mondongo Dominican)… ingredients,
Beef Tripe, Tomato Paste, Squash, Potato…etc. I often make rice and add to my bowl and
heated Beef Tripe.. a fast and delicious meal.
Glad to read you exhausting biking tour is another feather in your cap…what stamina..
Happy Tripping,
Sy S.
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Hi Sy, great to know you can buy tripe stew in a can. I’ll be on the lookout for that. Might save me trying to track down recipes. Glad the bike ride is over. The temperatures are heating up here.
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Looks marvelous, and hooray–you survived the trek! Thanks for sharing those amazing images of the palace before, and for letting us know how you and Poor John are doing. May the following nights be kind to your weary limbs! xxxxxxxxxx
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Glad you liked the palace pics. It was an amazing place. We’re doing fine, and have switched to plenty of walking. More stairs!
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I’m afraid I’m not much of a tripe, liver, or even sausage person–is there a McDonald’s in Brittany, lol?
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Oh dear, I think Subway was the only place we saw in Brittany, but there is McDonald’s in Paris.
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Congrats on completing your bicycling tour in Brittany! And the food, for me – I am not too sure as I am a picky eater. Have a great day Peggy. 🙂
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It’s okay. You are allowed to be a picky eater.
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I don’t think I could ever be a fan of tripe – I remember my granddad used to eat a big plate of the wobbly stuff. Just recently I went to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk where it is apparently a delicacy but not even thumb screws would have persuaded me to buy it, let alone eat it!
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Well then, I won’t be bringing out the thumb screws for you. 🙂
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I hope not, I really hope not!
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I had to wait on this one until my stomach stopped churning from something I ate on Friday. Yuck. Okay, we know what’s in hot dogs and baloney and sausage but do we need to discuss it in public? as miscreant youths we talked about it to gross each other out, and white andouille sausage is a yummy staple from New Orleans (Par-lay voo Fransase, y’all?). When it’s spiced up. Perhaps you should make John a stew or a roux with that, but…Yuk…don’t tell anyone else what’s in it! And the Foi Gras liver things. Here’s your duck livers, have a nice day! Ewww. Mah. Gawd. Fois Gras? Okay, I can handle the sound of it. Like escargot. But knowing what it is? No no no. But it looks good and I’m glad you’re off the bikes!
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I promise to post something delectable next—maybe not even food. 🙂
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tripe is mild indeed in Breizh or Brittany in Breton language. The best is from Goéméne here; cheers and Happy Father’s day too.
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Thanks. I’ve heard that the best andouillee sausages are from your town.
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not from my town I am a bit south there are from Guéméne. Cheers
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Thanks for clarifying.
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Never had a tripe I liked and I’ve given up trying. But I’m not an offal person!
Tony
http://breadtagsagas.com/
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Poor John thinks the best tripe dishes are made in Spain, and I have to admit that the French andouille sausages were very tasty.
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My parents loved tripe but, fortunately, never fed it to their three children. I’ve still never tried it, despite knowing some people adore it. The dishes you’ve shown here do look delicious, Peggy, and perhaps if I get over to Brittany I’ll consider giving tripe a go. I think I’d prefer the andouille, though.
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Yes, do try tripe in some form if you have the chance. I’ve never ordered it, but have never disliked all the samplings I’ve done off Poor John plate. The sausages shown in both pics were delicious.
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oooh…yummy pix. i LOVE tripe! in all forms..in all cuisines. continue…
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You’ve reminded me that I promised to make a tripe dish for Poor John. Here’s the recipe
http://everydaygourmet.tv/recipes/ox-tripe-provencale/
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