By Philippe Rifflet
Published on 13 Aug 20 at 11:23
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A Caen and in Calvados, we do not joke with the guts! It is here that each year the prestigious title of World Champion of Tripe à la mode de Caen. We lick our chops … because the tripe as we know how to cook in Normandy, it’s excellent!
And contrary to popular belief, this dish, whose generic history dates back to Antiquity, is the complete opposite of a fatty dish. It was even recommended by a leading dietitian for women who want to lose weight, have fun Georges Chivot, the Grand Master of the Brotherhood of the Tripière d’Or who receives in full dress!
Homer, in his writings, already spoke of guts because Thesis, the mother ofAchille, legendary hero of the Trojan War, gave some to his offspring to make him invincible. That is to say !
Tripe: the four stomachs and an ox’s trotter
The tripe is to Caen what cassoulet is to Toulouse or the quenelle to Lyon! In Normandie, at Caen, the tripe whose not very spicy aspect could scare some away, we know the role that this dish has played in the history of the city and the region.
During the war, and especially after the Dantesque battles that marked the Liberation, the guts fed a starving population. The city of Caen had been razed to the ground, agricultural activities reduced to their simplest form.
The guts are the 5e piece of beef, explains Georges Chivot. Hear, the least noble part of the animal since it is about its four stomachs: the paunch, the cap, the leaf and the abomasum. And we add an ox’s foot removed from its hoof, which will act as a binder. A few carrots and that’s it.
It is therefore an inexpensive dish which, on the other hand, requires a lot of preparation and cooking time.
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A monk and a cooking genius invented the recipe
If tripe was already tasted in Antiquity in Greece, this famous recipe is only found in Normandy. The Rolls of the tripe. It is at Sidoine, a monk fromAbbey-aux-Hommes, at the end of the 14th century, that we owe the tripe recipe to the Caen fashion, and it is on this recipe, and only this one, that the competitors of the World Championship are decided.
Three centuries later, Sizevent Emule a genius of the kitchen, will make the dish more tasty by bringing it a secret seasoning. This seasoning, the composition of the bouquet garni that will accompany the cooking, is the well-kept secret of each tripe maker.
It is especially on this key element, and that of the cutting of the pieces which must be perfect and square, which are decided between the competitors for the supreme and international title of the Golden Tripe.
The recipe is very simple, it’s beef, beef and more beef. Water, water and only water. For the rest, shhh, we say nothing … continues the Grand Master.
In video, the story of the tripe by the Grand Master of the Brotherhood of the Tripière d’Or:
12 to 22 hours of cooking
If now some manufacturers accommodate the tripe with a dose of Calvados, white wine or cider, the original recipe contains only water and nothing but water.
The slightest addition not recognized in the original recipe, and presto, it is the fashionable tripe appellation of Caen that disappears. The manufacturer does not have the right to include it on his boxes or jars. Be careful of this indication when buying your next treat.
To be delicious, tripe should simmer gently. And a long time. We can talk about marathon cooking which will not be less than 12 hours and can extend up to 22 hours of simmering.
–At Ruault, the secret is passed on from father to son
In his workshop in Vire, Thomas Ruault is the worthy son of his father and the worthy grandson of his grandfather. The knack and the secret have been passed down from father to son for three generations. Maison Ruault is one of those brands that will forever be part of the history of the Caen specialty since Michel, the grandfather, was crowned world champion in 1966.
From now on, it is Thomas who plays with the knife to prepare the four stomachs… And you need strong arms and precise gestures.
With us, we produce every week between 500 and 600 kilos of tripe intended for direct sale, catering and the network of delicatessens. To make a good tripe, it all starts with cutting. Cleaning the stomach parts is also very important since it is necessary to remove the blades of grass that the beef has ingested and which will sometimes hide between the “pages” of the leaflet …
Cutting and preparing tripe in Caen fashion at Ruault, in video:
For hunters, it’s at breakfast
For Ruault, the biggest period of activity is in the fall. Tripe is more of a warming dish. Moreover in the area, the hunters taste them for breakfast. With boiled potatoes and a glass of cider.
It’s a friendly dish, we put the tripière in the middle of the table and we help ourselves to a bowl, ”Thomas salivates. I like cider to accompany the dish, but I must say that with a small glass of dry white, it’s not bad.
Popular dish par excellence, tripe also has its prestigious address in Paris. Since 1932, the restaurant Pharamond installed rue De la Grande Truanderie (it cannot be invented) located in the Halles district in the 1st District serves the best tripe in Paris. And it was a Norman who created it. And it is still a Norman, originally from Cagny, a neighboring village of Caen, who reigns today on the stoves of this beautiful restaurant.
As for the Confrérie de la Tripière d’Or, it has inducted and converted many stars of the show-bizz passing through the prefecture-level city of Calvados: Barbara Hendrix, Eddy Mitchell to name just a few, and of course, Jacques Chirac, whose fork stroke was legendary.
Enjoy your meal !
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