Chef Graziella
Schiacciata with Finocchiona
The sandwich of Florentine markets, where excellent bread and fennel-scented salami require nothing more than each other and a drizzle of oil. Two ingredients. No cooking. No compromise.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Panino con Lampredotto
Created by
The workingman's lunch of Florence, where the fourth stomach of a cow becomes something noble through hours of patient braising and the alchemy of salsa verde.
Sandwiches & Wraps
Italian, Tuscan
Comfort Food
45 min
Active Time
3 hr cook•3 hr 45 min total
Yield6 sandwiches
Lampredotto is not for the timid. It is the fourth stomach of a cow, the abomasum, and it looks exactly like what it is. If this troubles you, stop reading now. But if you understand that cucina povera, the cooking of the poor, produced some of Italy's most profound dishes, then you will recognize lampredotto as a triumph of thrift and technique.
The trippaio, the tripe seller, stands at his cart in every Florentine market. He has been there since before your grandparents were born. He fishes the braised lampredotto from its simmering broth, slices it onto a crusty semelle, dips the top half of the roll into the cooking liquid so it becomes soft and saturated, then spoons salsa verde over everything. He asks if you want it piccante. You say yes. He hands you something wrapped in wax paper that costs almost nothing and tastes like everything.
This is not restaurant food. This is what Florentine laborers eat standing at the cart, broth dripping down their wrists, before returning to work. The roll must be crusty enough to hold together when wet. The tripe must be braised until it surrenders completely. The salsa verde must be sharp enough to cut through the richness. When these three elements align, you understand why this humble sandwich has survived centuries.
Lampredotto carts have fed Florentine workers since the Renaissance, when offal was the protein the poor could afford. The dish takes its name from the lamprey eel, which the honeycomb texture of the fourth stomach was thought to resemble. By the 19th century, trippaio carts were fixtures outside every factory and market in Florence, and they remain so today.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
lampredotto (beef fourth stomach)
Quantity
2 pounds
cleaned
yellow onion
Quantity
1 large
halved
carrots
Quantity
2
peeled and cut into large chunks
celery stalks with leaves
Quantity
3
cut into large chunks
whole peeled tomatoes
Quantity
1 can (14 ounces)
crushed by hand
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
1 large bunch
stems and leaves separated
black peppercorns
Quantity
6
bay leaves
Quantity
2
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
crusty Italian rolls
Quantity
6
flat-leaf parsley leaves
Quantity
1 cup packed
salt-packed capers
Quantity
2 tablespoons
rinsed and soaked
anchovy fillets
Quantity
4
rinsed
garlic
Quantity
1 small clove
red wine vinegar
Quantity
2 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/2 cup
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
tomato paste (optional)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
extra virgin olive oil (for salsa piccante) (optional)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
red wine vinegar (for salsa piccante) (optional)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| lampredotto (beef fourth stomach)cleaned | 2 pounds |
| yellow onionhalved | 1 large |
| carrotspeeled and cut into large chunks | 2 |
| celery stalks with leavescut into large chunks | 3 |
| whole peeled tomatoescrushed by hand | 1 can (14 ounces) |
| flat-leaf parsleystems and leaves separated | 1 large bunch |
| black peppercorns | 6 |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| crusty Italian rolls | 6 |
| flat-leaf parsley leaves | 1 cup packed |
| salt-packed capersrinsed and soaked | 2 tablespoons |
| anchovy filletsrinsed | 4 |
| garlic | 1 small clove |
| red wine vinegar | 2 tablespoons |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/2 cup |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| tomato paste (optional) | 2 tablespoons |
| crushed red pepper flakes (optional) | 1 teaspoon |
| extra virgin olive oil (for salsa piccante) (optional) | 2 tablespoons |
| red wine vinegar (for salsa piccante) (optional) | 1 tablespoon |
Equipment Needed
- •Large 8-quart pot for braising
- •Sharp slicing knife
- •Cutting board for hand-chopping salsa verde
Instructions
- 1
Clean and prepare the lampredotto
If your butcher has not cleaned the lampredotto thoroughly, rinse it under cold running water, rubbing away any remaining membrane or debris. The tripe should be pale and smell fresh, like clean meat, not barnyard. Place it in a large bowl, cover with cold water and a splash of vinegar, and let it soak for 30 minutes. Drain and rinse again.
Finding lampredotto requires a proper butcher or an Italian specialty market. Call ahead. This is not a supermarket ingredient. - 2
Build the braising liquid
Place the lampredotto in a large pot. Add the onion halves, carrots, celery with its leaves, crushed tomatoes, parsley stems (reserve the leaves for salsa verde), peppercorns, and bay leaves. Add cold water to cover by two inches. Season generously with salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface.
- 3
Braise until completely tender
Reduce heat to maintain the gentlest simmer. The surface should barely tremble, with only occasional bubbles breaking through. Cover partially and cook until the lampredotto is completely tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Test by piercing with a fork: it should slide in with no resistance. The texture should be soft but not falling apart.
Undercooked lampredotto is tough and chewy. Overcooked lampredotto falls to pieces and cannot be sliced. Check it at two hours, then every 15 minutes thereafter. - 4
Make the salsa verde
While the lampredotto braises, prepare the salsa verde. On a cutting board, finely chop the parsley leaves, capers, anchovies, and garlic together until they form a coarse paste. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the vinegar, then the olive oil. Season with pepper. Taste and adjust the vinegar and salt. The sauce should be bright and assertive, almost aggressively tangy. It must stand up to the rich meat.
A food processor makes mush. Chop by hand. The texture should be rough, with visible flecks of each ingredient. - 5
Make the salsa piccante
If you want the spicy sauce, whisk together the tomato paste, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and vinegar until smooth. Taste for heat and adjust. This is optional but traditional. The trippaio always asks: 'Piccante?'
- 6
Slice the lampredotto
When the lampredotto is tender, transfer it to a cutting board. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice it into strips about 1/4 inch thick. Keep the braising broth hot over low heat. You will need it.
- 7
Assemble the sandwich
Split each roll horizontally, leaving a hinge if possible. Place a generous portion of sliced lampredotto on the bottom half. Now comes the essential step: take the top half of the roll and dip the cut side into the hot braising broth for 3 to 4 seconds. The bread should absorb the broth and become soft and saturated but not falling apart. Spoon salsa verde generously over the meat. Add a streak of salsa piccante if desired. Close the sandwich. Wrap in wax paper if serving immediately. Eat standing up, preferably near a market.
The broth-dipped bread is not optional. It is the soul of the sandwich. Without it, you are merely eating tripe on bread. With it, you are eating lampredotto.
Chef Tips
- •The braising broth is precious. Strain it and freeze what you do not use. It makes extraordinary soup, risotto, or a base for braising other meats.
- •Lampredotto can be braised a day ahead and refrigerated in its broth. Reheat gently before slicing. Some say it improves overnight.
- •If you cannot find lampredotto, you may substitute honeycomb tripe, though the texture will be slightly different. Do not substitute anything else. This is a specific dish, not a concept.
- •The semelle, the traditional Florentine roll, has a crisp crust and soft interior that holds up to the broth. Ciabatta works adequately. Soft sandwich bread does not.
Advance Preparation
- •The lampredotto can be braised one day ahead. Cool in its broth, refrigerate, and reheat gently before slicing.
- •Salsa verde can be made several hours ahead. Keep at room temperature. It loses brightness if refrigerated.
- •The salsa piccante keeps refrigerated for one week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 300g)
Calories
620 calories
Total Fat
32 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
22 g
Cholesterol
150 mg
Sodium
920 mg
Total Carbohydrates
48 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
28 g
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