Sopa de mondongo, or simply mondongo, is a rich, spicy, and flavorful dish famous in various Latin American countries. It has been a part of their culture for centuries now.
Sadly, despite their popularity, not many living outside of Latin America are familiar with the dish as some consider it too exotic.
Sopa de mondongo is a spicy, tomato-based dish consisting of beef tripe and pig/calf feet. It’s a household staple in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. Records show that mondongo first appeared in Latin America during the Spanish colonization period in the 17th century.There’s only a handful of restaurants outside of Latin America that serve authentic mondongo.
If you want to enjoy a piping-hot serving of this rich, spicy dish, we suggest making it yourself.
Keep reading to learn more about sopa de mondongo, its origins, and how to make one using easily accessible ingredients.
What Is Mondongo
Sopa de mondongo, more commonly known as mondongo, is a household staple in many Latin American homes.
It’s a rich, spicy tomato-based stew that consists of beef tripe, pig or calf feet, and different spices, herbs, and veggies.
Unfortunately, there aren’t too many historical records to refer to when examining sopa de mondongo’s origins.
Like many other Latin American dishes, mondongo is a family recipe that most natives already know how to cook at an early age without extensive research.
What we can go by, however, is its etymology.
According to Lexico and Wordsense, the term mondongo dates back to the 17th century during the Spanish colonization period.
Although the dish is Latin American and Spanish by nature, natives claim that mondongo also has African origins.
Records indicate that mondongo was popular among African slaves in Latin America during the 1600s, and they initially came up with the dish’s name.
Furthermore, mondongo may have been appealing to the masses and even slaves during the colonization era as it was an affordable dish.
Animal tripe and feet are considerably cheaper than other meat cuts.
How to Make Sopa De Mondongo
Treat your palate to a unique, one-of-a-kind Latin American dish!
Here’s a simple guide on how to make authentic sopa de mondongo using easy-to-source ingredients:
Mondongo Ingredients
- 1 lb. calf feet, diced
- 3 lbs. beef tripe, trimmed
- 1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut
- 4 large lemons (or limes)
- 1/2 lb. pumpkin, peeled and cut
- 1 pack coriander and annatto spice packet
- 2 yams, peeled and cut
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 lb. yautia, peeled and cut
- Salt
Pro Tip: If you’re looking for a coriander and annatto spice packet to give you that authentic mondongo taste, go with Sazon Goya. It’s a very popular spice packet in Latin American countries. Each sachet contains a fair amount of coriander, annatto, cumin, and garlic.
Mondongo Instructions
- Place the calf feet and beef tripe in a colander, then rinse in a stream of cold running water.
- Rinse and massage the meat cuts for one to two minutes until you wash off all dirt and debris. Pat dry, then set the calf feet aside.
- Slice the lemons, rub each cut deeply on the beef tripe’s surfaces, then place the tripe in a large cooking pot.
- Take the lemon slices you just used and squeeze out all the remaining juices into the pot of beef tripe. Pour in enough water to submerge two inches of the meat.
- Place the pot over medium fire, then boil for 15 minutes.
- Afterward, remove the pot from heat, drain out the hot water, then let the boiled tripe cool down under cold running water.
- Next, take the cooled tripe and slice into rectangular strips the size of your thumb.
- After slicing the tripe, put it back in the pot along with the calf feet you set aside earlier, submerge in water, cover with the pot’s respective lid, then boil for 90 to 120 minutes until the meat cuts become chewy and tender.
- After the 90-minute mark, check for doneness and then add in the extra ingredients: tomato sauce, Sazon Goya, yams, potatoes, yautia, and pumpkin.
- Season with salt, then cook for another 30 minutes. Serve while it’s hot!
Pro Tip: Simmer the mondongo for another extra 10 to 15 minutes if you want the stew sauce to thicken a bit more
For a step-by-step audio-visual guide on how to cook Colombian mondongo, check out this video by Sweet y Salado:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3EEDuMMuz4
Mondongo Variations
As the centuries passed, various Latin American nations and countries adopted the dish, thus, bringing forth different mondongo variations.
It became less of a “poor man’s food” and slowly evolved into a local delicacy served at many restaurants.
Take a look at how natives prepare mondongo all across the world:
Brazilian Mondongo
In the southern parts of the country, natives use the terms mondongo and mocoto interchangeably, but they’re essentially the same dish.
Meanwhile, in the northern regions of Brazil, natives refer to mondongo as dobradinha.
The only difference between dobradinha and mondongo is that dobradinha strictly consists of ox tripe.
Other than that, they’re the same spicy stew recipe.
Northern Brazilians have a set day for eating dobradinha: Tuesday. Also, they never serve this stew dish cold.
Colombian Sopa de Mondongo
Sopa de Mondongo is a traditional soup dish the Colombians commonly serve during their almuerzo or lunch.
It often consists of beef tripe, but one can also opt for chicken, pork, or turkey tripe.
What sets the Colombian sopa de mondongo apart from other variants is that the natives always cook their tripe stew in poultry or beef stock.
They even choose the vegetables and spices they use based on what would complement their preferred soup stock.
Plus, they love cilantro. Colombians always add an insane amount of this herb to their native recipes, and the sopa de mondongo is no exception.
Dominican Sopa de Mondongo
Dominicans love their sopa de mondongo!
It’s one of the most popular Dominican dishes.
It’s basic version is very similar to other Sopa de Mondongo versions.
However, Sopa de Mondongo Guisado is a thicker version due to its use of tomato paste in lieu of fresh tomatoes.
Puerto Rican Mondongo
Puerto Ricans, or locally known as “borricuas,” often pair mondongo with rice, avocado, bread, or fried plantains.
It is a very popular Puerto Rican dish.
They commonly use beef tripe and cook it in beef stock and a wide range of spices and herbs, including parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and annatto.
What makes the Puerto Rican soup a bit unique is boricuas incorporate multiple pork cuts into the dish.
Apart from pig feet, they also use pig hind legs (ham) and pigtail slices.
Venezuela Mondongo
As opposed to Colombians who treat mondongo as a side soup dish to accompany their lunch, Venezuelans see it as a big, filling meal.
Natives will only eat mondongo if they don’t plan on having anything else for the rest of the day.
Mondongo is quite common across the country, but it’s most popular in the northern areas, where they treat it as a very versatile dish.
You’ll see mondongo everywhere, from breakfast joints to hole-in-the-wall bars and nightclubs.
Mexican Mondongo
Mexico’s version of Mondongo goes by the name of Menudo.
Typically served after a wedding celebration at the bride and groom’s houses, Menudo is cooked for the entire family.
It is a Mexican soup made with tripe or a cow’s stomach, hominy, onions, lime, oregano, etc
Mondongo Variation Similarities
Different nations and countries have varying takes on this famous stew, but they do have their similarities.
First, all mondongo recipes use animal tripe.
Colombians prefer beef tripe, and Brazilians prefer ox tripe, but both use tripe as the main ingredient.
Second, all Latin Americans see mondongo as a household staple.
Most natives even have a set meal or day, which they’ve dedicated solely for feasting on mondongo.
Final Mondongo Thoughts
Non-natives might find mondongo too exotic since it uses unusual ingredients like pig feet.
However, we strongly urge giving this famous latin soup a chance.
The idea of eating animal tripe and feet is not common, but there’s a reason why Latin Americans love them.
The rich, creamy flavor of mondongo comes from these ingredients.
But if you really cannot stand the unique, exotic taste, swap them for something more conventional.
Also, feel free to explore the seasonings available.
Latin Americans love robust flavors, so a few extra teaspoons of your favorite spices won’t affect authenticity.
If Mondongo has whet your appetite, you’ll want to try, Cau Cau, Peru’s version of tripe stew.
Mondongo Recipe
Sopa de mondongo is a spicy, tomato-based stew consisting of beef tripe and pig/calf feet. It’s a warm, comforting dish that is a staple in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Colombia.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. calf feet, diced
- 3 lbs. beef tripe, trimmed
- 1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut
- 4 large lemons (or limes)
- 1/2 lb. pumpkin, peeled and cut
- 1 pack coriander and annatto spice packet
- 2 yams, peeled and cut
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 lb. yautia, peeled and cut
- Salt
Instructions
- Place the calf feet and beef tripe in a colander, then rinse in a stream of cold running water.
- Rinse and massage the meat cuts for one to two minutes until you wash it thoroughly. Pat dry, then set the calf feet aside.
- Slice the lemons, rub each cut deeply on the beef tripe’s surfaces, then place the tripe in a large cooking pot.
- Take the lemon slices you just used and squeeze out all the remaining juices into the pot of beef tripe. Pour in enough water to submerge two inches of the meat.
- Place the pot over medium fire, then boil for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat, drain out the hot water, then let the boiled tripe cool down under cold running water.
- Slice the cooled tripe into rectangular strips the size of your thumb.
- After slicing the tripe, put it back in the pot along with the calf feet you set aside earlier, submerge in water, cover with the pot’s respective lid, then boil for 90 to 120 minutes until the meat cuts become chewy and tender.
- After the 90-minute mark, check for doneness and then add in the extra ingredients: tomato sauce, Sazon Goya, yams, potatoes, yautia, and pumpkin.
- Season with salt, then cook for another 30 minutes. Serve while it’s hot!
Notes
Simmer the mondongo for another extra 10 to 15 minutes if you want the stew sauce to thicken a bit more
You can also opt for chicken or pork if you do not want to use beef tripe.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Sopa de mondongo
- Oswald Rivera: Mondongo
- Enacademic: Sopa de mondongo
- Lexico: mondongo
- All Recipes: Puerto Rican Mondongo
- WordSense: mondongo (English)
- WordSense: mundungus (English)
- We Are Never Full: LOCRO DE MONDONGO: ARGENTINE SOUL FOOD
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Jorge Garcia is the founder of AmigoFoods, where he has spent over 20 years helping readers discover authentic Latin American and Spanish cuisine. Raised in a Cuban-American household, Jorge learned to cook at the hands of his mother and grandmother, carrying forward generations of family recipes. That heritage, backed by his family’s four-generation history in the Latin food industry, inspired him to launch AmigoFoods in 2003. With more than 1,000 published articles on recipes, ingredients, and food culture, Jorge’s mission is simple: make authentic Latin cooking approachable for home cooks everywhere while honoring the traditions behind every dish.