Menudo (soup)
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| Place of origin | Mexico |
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| Main ingredients | Beef Tripe (cow stomach), broth, lime, onions, cilantro, oregano, red chili peppers |
| Variations | Menudo colorado (made with chili rather than broth), Menudo Blanco (made without red chili peppers) |
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Menudo, or pancita ([little] gut or [little] stomach, from Spanish: Panza; "Gut/Stomach") is a traditional Mexican soup, made with beef stomach (tripe) in broth with a red chili pepper base. Usually, lime, chopped onions, and chopped cilantro are added, as well as crushed oregano and crushed red chili peppers.
Menudo is usually eaten with corn tortillas or other breads, such as bolillo. It is often chilled and reheated, which results in a more concentrated flavor.
Menudo is traditionally a family food prepared by the entire family, and even serves as an occasion for social interactions such as after wedding receptions where the families of the groom and bride go to either family's house to enjoy an early morning bowl of Menudo. In popular Mexican culture, Menudo is believed to be a remedy for hangover.
Since menudo is time and labor-intensive to prepare as the tripe takes hours to cook (or else it is extremely tough), and includes many ingredients and side dishes (such as salsa), the dish is often prepared communally and eaten at a feast. Documents from the Works Progress Administration indicate that in the 1930s, among migrant workers in Arizona, menudo parties were held regularly to celebrate births, Christmas, and other occasions.
Menudo is time intensive, taking four to seven hours to make. Modern supermarkets who sell beef tripe offer a version of this meat which has been previously processed by scalding it in very hot water, which significantly reduces cooking time by several hours. In its simplest form, beef tripe is rinsed clean then boiled for two to three hours in a large pot with an onion cut in half, then the tripe is removed from the pot and allowed to cool before being cut into strips or cubes and the onion half is discarded. The water is removed and discarded, then the tripe is then placed back into the pot and fresh water, oregano, red chili paste or powder, lime/lemon juice, and salt are added and boiled over low heat for another hour until the tripe is tender, after which hominy is added then allowed to cook an additional half hour until done.
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Wikipedia