Published on Saturday, April 26, 2025

By Melissa Pette

When it comes to Costa Rican eats, few dishes are as intriguing, and straight-up delicious, as mondongo soup. The star of the show? Tripe stew, known as chitterlings in some parts of the U.S.

Mondongo brings together beef or pork tripe with a bunch of fresh veggies. It’s a rich, crazy-flavorful soup that’s a favorite with Ticos and the occasional adventurous traveler willing to give it a shot.

So, let’s get cookin’!

You can grab everything you need at just about any supermarket in Costa Rica:

• 1 pound of beef tripe, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces.

• 1 onion, finely chopped.

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced.

• 1 red bell pepper, diced.

• 1 green bell pepper, diced.

• 2 carrots, sliced into rounds.

• 2 celery stalks, chopped.

• 2 ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced.

• 1/2 cup of cassava, peeled and diced.

• 1/2 cup of green plantains, peeled and diced.

• 1 teaspoon of cumin.

• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.

• 1 teaspoon of annatto paste.

• Salt and pepper to taste.

• 6 cups of beef broth.

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

• Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish.

Make sure you buy tripe that’s already cleaned, seriously, it’ll save you a lot of time and hassle. Trim off any extra fat or membranes and rinse it well under cold water.

Now, chop up all your veggies: onion, garlic, peppers, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Dice up the cassava and plantains too.

Heat the vegetable oil in a big soup pot over medium heat. Toss in the onion and garlic, and sauté until everything smells amazing and the onions look nice and see-through.

Add the cleaned tripe and cook it for a few minutes until it starts to brown just a little.

Sprinkle in the cumin, oregano, and annatto paste. Give everything a good stir so the tripe gets all that seasoning love.

Pour in the beef broth, crank up the heat to bring it to a boil, then lower it down to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it do its thing for about 1.5 to 2 hours,  you want the tripe tender and tasty.

Once the tripe is soft, throw in all your veggies: the diced peppers, carrots, celery, tomatoes, cassava, and plantains. Let it keep simmering until everything’s nice and tender.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust it till it’s just right for you.

Ladle the hot, hearty soup into bowls and sprinkle some fresh cilantro on top for that extra pop of flavor.

Traditionally, mondongo is served with sides like white rice, warm tortillas, or avocado slices,  set them up on the side of your bowl or on a separate plate for the full experience.

You can find this tasty and traditional soup at the Central Market in downtown San José,  and honestly, probably at just about any central market in the other six provinces too.

So next time you're wandering around Costa Rica, or just craving a real-deal taste of Latin flavor, don’t sleep on a bowl of sopa de mondongo. Trust me,  your taste buds are gonna thank you.

 

Have a pura vida weekend!

------------------------