International Patsas Day, Greece’s popular hang-over soup

Today, the 25th of October, 2023 is International Patsas (Tripe) Day, celebrating Greece's famous hang-over soup!

Patsas is traditionally made from tripe, the legs of a pig or cow, and may also add pig intestines to the recipe. Some people prefer beef or lamb, depending on their taste.

In Greece, especially in Athens and Thessaloniki, this strong-smelling soup is highly consumed after a big night at the Bouzoukia, as apparently it relaxes the stomach, making it Greece’s favourite hangover food.

It is common to find people heading to a Patsazidiko, a tavern normally found close to the meat markets in the city centre, to eat a bowl of Patsas before heading home after a huge night.

Patsatzidika often serves up multiple varieties of this dish. Patsas in the taverns are usually made either with tripe or with feet, and the two are occasionally combined and accompanied by other organ cuts, such as the large intestine or pancreas. Greek chefs cut, pre-boil, then simmer the organs for hours to get a soft texture. Then they add salt, pepper, lemon, and sometimes red pepper and onion.

Patsas is sometimes topped with kokkino (fat from the broth mixed with red pepper), skordostoubi (chopped garlic in vinegar), or red pepper shavings.

Tripe soup is also popular in Turkey, Spain, Portugal and other parts of Europe!

HOW TO MAKE PATSA SOUP

INGREDIENTS

• 500gr of pork belly
• 500-600gr of pork leg (chopped in 3-4 pieces)
• 2 lemons
• Salt and pepper
• One small chilli pepper

METHOD

• First, we must wash the meat and cut the pork belly into really small cubes. Ideally, we would like the butcher to cut the pork leg into 3-4 pieces to fit on the pot. Fill in the pot with water, add the meat inside it bring to a boil and keep it there for 15 minutes. Then remove it from the heat, and throw away the water, keeping the meat.

• Clear the pot and then add new water again, boil it, and add the meat again. That is done to remove any smells from the pork and clean the meat.
• Keep it boiling for 2 to 3 hours. Ideally, you want to see the meat from the pork leg get soft and slowly removed from the bone. After 1-2 hours, when you notice that you should remove the pork legs with a deep scoop and a knife, try to remove the meat from the bones. Don’t worry, it should be really easy to do it.
• Put the meat back inside without the bone now and add salt , pepper, the juice from 2 lemons and the chilli peppers. Stir so it can go everywhere and continue boiling it for 30-40 min. Test that the pork belly is soft and it's ready!