Sopi di Mondongo

About This Recipe

Sopi di Mondongo is a robust tripe soup beloved across the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao). Beef honeycomb tripe is cleaned, parboiled, and then simmered for hours with pumpkin, corn, sweet potato, and aromatic herbs until everything melds into a deeply satisfying broth. It is a quintessential Sunday comfort meal on the island.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 800 gbeef honeycomb tripe, cleaned and cut into strips
• 200 gpumpkin, cubed
• 2 earscorn, cut into rounds
• 1 mediumsweet potato, cubed
• 1 tspground cumin and dried oregano
• 2 literswater or light beef broth

Instructions

1. 1

   Parboil the tripe

   Cover tripe with cold water, bring to a boil, drain, and rinse to remove impurities. Repeat once.

2. 2

   Build the broth

   Place cleaned tripe in a large pot with broth. Add diced onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt. Simmer covered for 2 hours until tripe is tender.

3. 3

   Add vegetables

   Add pumpkin, corn rounds, and sweet potato. Continue simmering for 30 minutes until vegetables are soft.

4. 4

   Season and serve

   Adjust seasoning, add a squeeze of lime, and serve hot with fresh bread.

Variations

• •

  Add chickpeas for extra heartiness.

• •

  Replace tripe with beef shank for a milder version.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; flavour improves overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions