Menudo

Menudo is a stunning, aromatic red chili stew. Its star ingredient is beef tripe—a cow's stomach lining with a bumpy, honeycomb-like texture that is bouncy and chewy. The rich broth is loaded with plump hominy corn and brightened with fresh lime juice, onions, and cilantro.

How It's Made

Because a cow's stomach is incredibly tough, the tripe must be rigorously scrubbed with lime or vinegar to ensure it is spotless and odor-free. It is then chopped and simmered for three to seven hours until melt-in-the-mouth tender in a rich broth made from blended, rehydrated red chilies, garlic, and onions.

The Story

Menudo is a perfect, edible history of Mexican ingenuity and resilience. When Spanish colonizers arrived in the Americas, they brought cattle and a tradition of making tripe stews. Indigenous Mexicans, who were already masters of cooking local corn into hominy, took the discarded cattle scraps and applied their native ingredients like red chilies, maize, and oregano. Born out of a brilliant philosophy of wasting absolutely nothing, they transformed leftover cow stomachs into a cherished national dish that represents family and celebration.