Tripe

[Andy Lynes]

Do you eat tripe yourself and have you ever served it in a restaurant. If so, was it a big seller?

[tripe]

Yes I do eat tripe and in healthy quantities. It needs to be imported from France as most English tripe can only be bought overcooked and bleached

A particular favourite is tablier de sapeur aka firemans apron. It is a sheet of braised tripe that is egg and breadcrumbed and then fried and served with Bearnaise sauce and mustard.

Madrid style with chorizo, tomato etc is also very good.

In dim sum restaurants the little platres of tripe with black beans and chilli are very good indeed, also chickens feet are very good this way

at Racine when it is on the menu I can sell 5 to 10 portions a day

[John Whiting]

My butcher tells me that it's illegal for him to sell unbleached tripe in this country. Is this true? If so, how does this affect your importing it?