Lampredotto, trippa and the street vendors in Florence

Florence traditional dishes

In Florence, the king of all "panini" and street-eats is surely the Lampredotto sandwich and the Trippa. They’re both poor dishes, coming from an ancient tradition which is still alive in the city at the many kiosks located along the streets of Florence, called Trippai.

Lampredotto is a kind of tripe, technically the fourth stomach of the cow - boiled in a broth containing herbs and tomatoes - cut into strips, put in a bun and topped with salsa verde (herby green sauce) and extra virgin olive oil.

Lampredotto is a uniquely local Florentine speciality, made from the cow's fourth stomach. Lampredotto was so typical of Florence that until a few years ago the trippai stands used to be located just in the centre of Florence, not even outside the city walls. Now they spread, reaching the suburbs and the nearby towns. The secret to make a delicious lampredotto lays in the lampredotto itself, because the trippai have the first option in choosing the best and freshest offal of the just butchered animals, so the meat is fresh and high quality.

Another popular dish that you can find on stalls is the Trippa, tripe (one of the first three compartments of the stomach in ruminants). You can taste it cooked with tomato sauce, Trippa alla Fiorentina), as part of a salad or even with pasta. Trippa is soft, white and mostly flavourless, and contrary to the Lampredotto, it is enjoyed in many regions of Italy.

Once the food of laborers and the working classes, lampredotto and trippa have today clients are both blue and white-collar workers, including women.  Whichever version you choose, don't forget that lampredotto and trippa are meant to be enjoyed with vino, preferably a Chianti.

 
The best Trippai to try the Lampredotto sandwich or one of the Trippa specialties.

- Nerbone - inside the food market of San Lorenzo

- Il Trippaio del Porcellino - Piazza del Mercato Nuovo

- Il Trippaio di San Frediano - Piazza de' Nerli

- Marco Bolognesi - Via Gioberti

- I' Trippaio Di Sant'Ambrogio - Sant'Ambrogio Market

- La Tripperia delle Cure - Piazza delle Cure

- Mario Albergucci - Piazzale di Porta Romana

- Lupen e Margò - Via dell'Ariento