Florence / Tuscany · Street food

Lampredotto — Florentine Tripe Sandwich with Salsa Verde

Name: Lampredotto
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Cuisine: Italian, Florence / Tuscany
Ingredients: 1 kg cleaned food-grade lampredotto (bovine abomasum), from a trusted butcher, ready for cooking; 2 L cold water, approximately, enough to cover; 4 carrots, roughly chopped; 3 ripe tomatoes, quartered; 2 onions, quartered; 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped; 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems included; 2 whole cloves, optional, stuck into an onion; 12 g fine sea salt, plus more to taste; 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground; 30 g flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped; 1 hard-boiled egg, peeled; 2 anchovy fillets, drained; 15 g capers, rinsed and drained; 1/2 clove garlic; 45 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed; 10 ml wine vinegar; 4 crusty round rolls, rosette, semelle-style or similar; to taste chilli oil, optional

Lampredotto is Florence’s emblematic street-food sandwich: tender bovine abomasum is simmered in an aromatic vegetable broth, sliced and served in a round roll with pepper, salsa verde and the traditional broth-dipped top.

Intermediate — offal sourcing is specialised, but the actual simmering and assembly are straightforward4 sandwiches · 2 h 15 min total

Lampredotto: wide hero view of Florentine lampredotto sandwich filled with tender sliced tripe and green herb sauce

Prep35 minutes

Cook1 h 30 min

Total2 h 15 min

Yield4 sandwiches

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The dish

About Lampredotto

Florentine lampredotto is made from the abomasum, one of the bovine stomach compartments. Visit Tuscany documents the sandwich as a daily street-food institution served by trippai, often with salsa verde or chilli oil and with the top of the bread dipped into the cooking broth when ordered “bagnato.”

A home version begins with food-grade lampredotto that has already been thoroughly cleaned by a butcher or specialist supplier. It is simmered rather than aggressively boiled so the connective tissue softens without the broth turning needlessly cloudy. Tomato, onion, carrot, celery and parsley give the cooking liquid the familiar red-vegetable character described in Tuscan sources.

The meat should be tender enough to slice cleanly but not disintegrating. Long ribbons and small pieces are preferable to mincing because the sandwich should retain the distinctive layered texture of the offal. The cooking broth is also part of the final dish: dipping only the cut top of the roll adds flavour without soaking the entire sandwich into collapse.

Salsa verde gives acidity and herbal freshness against the rich meat. Tuscan versions commonly include parsley, capers, anchovy and cooked egg. The sauce here is made while the lampredotto simmers, then rested so its flavours merge before assembly.

Bigoli absorb sauce during the final toss. Reserved cooking water is added gradually, not all at once, until the onion and olive oil form a glossy coating around every strand. The pan should finish almost dry beneath the pasta, without a separate oily puddle.

Technique

Three things that matter

Source properly cleaned lampredotto. The recipe assumes food-grade abomasum prepared for cooking by a trusted butcher; raw slaughter by-products require specialist handling.
Simmer, do not thrash-boil. Steady gentle cooking tenderises the tissue while keeping the broth useful for dipping the bread.
Dip only the top. A quick broth dip gives the classic “bagnato” effect without making the whole roll soggy.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Ingredients

Lampredotto and broth

1 kgcleaned food-grade lampredotto (bovine abomasum)from a trusted butcher, ready for cooking
2 Lcold waterapproximately, enough to cover
4carrotsroughly chopped
3ripe tomatoesquartered
2onionsquartered
3celery stalksroughly chopped
1 small bunchflat-leaf parsleystems included
2whole clovesoptional, stuck into an onion
12 gfine sea saltplus more to taste
1 tspblack pepperfreshly ground

Salsa verde

30 gflat-leaf parsley leavesfinely chopped
1hard-boiled eggpeeled
2anchovy filletsdrained
15 gcapersrinsed and drained
1/2 clovegarlic
45 mlextra-virgin olive oilplus more as needed
10 mlwine vinegar

To serve

4crusty round rollsrosette, semelle-style or similar
to tastechilli oiloptional

Step by step

Method

Make the broth and cook the lampredotto

Start the vegetable broth. Put the carrots, tomatoes, onions, celery, parsley stems, cloves, salt and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
The liquid should smell strongly of the vegetables and take on a light tomato colour.
Add the lampredotto. Lower the cleaned lampredotto into the broth. Return to a gentle simmer, partially cover and cook for about 75–90 minutes, or until tender.
A knife should enter the thickest folds with little resistance, but the pieces should still hold together.

Prepare the salsa verde

Chop the flavour base. Finely chop or pulse the parsley, hard-boiled egg, anchovies, capers and garlic.
The mixture should be finely textured rather than completely puréed.
Balance with oil and vinegar. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar. Add a spoonful more oil if needed for a spoonable sauce, then rest for at least 10 minutes.
The sauce should be bright, savoury and loose enough to spread.

Slice and assemble

Slice the lampredotto hot. Lift the lampredotto from the broth and cut it into thin ribbons and bite-size pieces. Season with black pepper and a small pinch of salt only if needed.
The pieces should remain juicy and visibly layered.
Prepare the bread. Split the rolls and remove only a small amount of interior crumb if they are very dense. Dip the cut surface of each top half quickly into the hot cooking broth.
The top should be moistened and aromatic, not saturated through.
Fill and serve immediately. Pile the hot lampredotto onto the bottom halves, spoon over salsa verde, add chilli oil if desired and close with the broth-dipped tops.
The sandwich should be hot, juicy and easy to hold, with sauce distributed through the meat rather than pooling underneath.

Practical guidance

Buying lampredotto

Ask a trusted butcher for cleaned, food-grade bovine abomasum specifically prepared for cooking. Do not substitute untreated slaughter offal.

Broth management

Keep enough liquid in the pot to surround the meat. Add boiling water if evaporation exposes large portions during the long simmer.

Serving as a plate

Lampredotto can be served without bread, sliced with salsa verde and a spoonful of broth.

Make-ahead

Cooked lampredotto can be chilled in a little strained broth and reheated gently the next day before slicing and serving.

Troubleshooting

The lampredotto is chewy. It has not simmered long enough. Continue at a gentle simmer until a knife enters the thicker sections easily.
The broth is harsh or muddy. The pot boiled too violently. Reduce to a steady simmer and skim only excess foam, not all surface fat.
The sandwich falls apart. Too much broth was absorbed by the bread. Dip only the cut top briefly rather than soaking the whole roll.
The salsa verde tastes flat. It usually needs either acidity or salt. Adjust with a few drops of vinegar first, then salt only if necessary because anchovies and capers are already salty.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 filled sandwich
Calories: approximately 520 kcal
Carbohydrates: 52 g
Protein: 35 g
Fat: 20 g
Fibre: 4 g
Sodium: approximately 1050 mg

Approximate values vary with the butchered lampredotto, bread size and quantity of salsa verde.

Allergens and food safety

Contains fish and egg; bread contains wheat/gluten.

Use only cleaned food-grade lampredotto from a trusted butcher or specialist supplier and follow any supplier-specific preparation instructions.

Keep raw or uncooked offal separate from ready-to-eat ingredients; wash knives, boards and hands thoroughly after contact.

Refrigerate cooked lampredotto and broth within 2 hours and reheat leftovers until steaming hot throughout.

FAQ

What exactly is lampredotto?

It is the abomasum, one of the bovine stomach compartments, and is a traditional Florentine offal preparation.

What does “bagnato” mean at a lampredotto stall?

It refers to dipping the top of the sandwich roll in the cooking broth before the sandwich is closed.

Is salsa verde essential?

It is one of the classic condiments, along with salt, pepper and chilli oil. The sandwich can be simpler, but salsa verde gives a useful sharp herbal contrast.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Tender, broth-simmered lampredotto in a crusty Florentine-style roll, sharpened with salsa verde and a lightly broth-dipped top.
Key: Use properly cleaned lampredotto, simmer until truly tender and moisten the bread with restraint at the final moment.

About Lampredotto

Three things that matter

Ingredients

Ingredients

Lampredotto and broth

Salsa verde

To serve

Method

Practical guidance

Buying lampredotto

Broth management

Serving as a plate

Make-ahead

Troubleshooting

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

FAQ

What exactly is lampredotto?

What does “bagnato” mean at a lampredotto stall?

Is salsa verde essential?

What matters most

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