Menudo, pancita or mondongo: the tripe soup Mexico eats on Sundays

One soup, three names

Few things say as much about a Mexican weekend as a pot of menudo steaming away from early morning. It is a soup of beef tripe simmered for hours in a broth that, depending on the region, can be red with dried chillies, white or green. Outside the country it is barely known, except among Mexican communities in the United States, but within Mexico it is a Sunday classic, a family-party staple and, according to a very widespread belief, the cure for the morning after a long night.

The first thing that puzzles visitors is the name. In the north of the country it is called menudo. In the centre, and above all in Mexico City, people order pancita, and you also hear mole de panza. In the south and on the Gulf coast mondongo is more common. The boundaries between one name and another are not precise, and in many cities they coexist. What never changes is the idea: thoroughly cleaned tripe, slow cooking and a table full of trimmings so that everyone can finish their bowl to taste.

What goes into menudo

The base is always beef tripe, washed meticulously, cut into pieces and simmered over a low heat until tender. It is a long cook: tripe takes hours to soften, which is why menudo is usually made in big pots, for lots of people. Beef or pork trotter is often added, giving the broth body and gelatine.

In northern Mexico it commonly includes maíz pozolero (nixtamalised cacahuazintle corn kernels, the same used in pozole), which brings it very close to a tripe pozole. The broth is seasoned with garlic, onion and oregano and, in the red versions, with dried chillies such as guajillo or ancho, ground and strained to give colour and a gentle heat. If you want to get to know those chillies in more detail, our guide to Mexican chillies may help.

What really defines the experience is the trimmings set on the table to add to taste:

• Chopped white onion.
• Dried oregano, rubbed between the palms over the bowl.
• Ground dried chilli or chile de árbol flakes.
• Lime wedges.
• Coriander, in some homes.
• Warm corn tortillas, or bolillo (white bread rolls) in some regions.

Red, white and green menudo

Red

Menudo rojo is the version many people associate with the north: a broth stained with dried chillies, with pozole corn and well seasoned. It is especially common in states such as Chihuahua and Nuevo León, and it is also the version seen most among Mexican communities in the south-western United States.

White

In the north-west, in states such as Sonora and Sinaloa, menudo blanco is common; it has no red chilli in the broth. The flavour comes from the tripe, the trotter, the garlic and the onion, and each diner adds the heat at the table, sometimes with green chillies or jalapeños.

Green

There are also versions with green salsa, made from tomatillo and fresh chillies, such as menudo verde. They are less usual than the red and white kinds, but they turn up in some family and regional kitchens.

Pancita and mole de panza in central Mexico

In Mexico City and much of the centre, tripe soup is mainly known as pancita: a broth of tomato and guajillo chilli with pieces of beef tripe. Pozole corn, so common in the north, does not always appear; it depends on the recipe and the household, and in the capital corn is more associated with pozole, which is sold as a separate dish. Pancita is served in markets and fondas, especially on weekend mornings, with tortillas, onion, chilli and lime, just like northern menudo.

Another name heard for this soup is mole de panza, which emphasises the role of the dried-chilli broth. You can see a version in our mole de panza recipe.

Regional variants worth knowing

Besides the main styles, there are variants that change the meat or the seasoning. Menudo duranguense is one of the northern versions with its own character. In some regions it is made with lamb tripe instead of beef, as in menudo de borrego, which has a stronger flavour. And the mondongo of the south and the Gulf has its own local recipes, with each region's seasonings.

Mexican mondongo should not be confused with the mondongo of Colombia or other Latin American countries: they share the name and tripe as the main ingredient, but the way they are made is very different, with vegetables, root crops and seasonings particular to each cuisine.

A soup for Sundays, celebrations and hangovers

Menudo is a weekend soup. Its long cooking means many households make it on Saturday night or early on Sunday, and in fondas and restaurants it appears as a Saturday and Sunday speciality. It is food for sharing: made in big pots and served to the family, the neighbours or the guests at a celebration.

It also has a reputation as a remedy for la cruda, as a hangover is called in Mexico. That is a very widespread popular belief, not a proven fact, but it explains why so many pancita and menudo stalls are packed first thing on a Sunday. Among Mexican communities in the United States, menudo has also become food for family gatherings and celebrations, and there are even festivals devoted to the soup.

How to make it at home without fear

The step that most puts people off is cleaning the tripe. Nowadays it is easy to find it ready cleaned and pre-cooked at butchers, which shortens the process considerably. Even so, it is worth washing it again in cold water and, if you like, with a little lime juice or vinegar, and cutting it into bite-sized pieces.

After that, patience: simmer it over a low heat with garlic, onion and salt, skimming the foam from time to time, until tender. A pressure cooker cuts the time a great deal. When the tripe is ready, add the cooked pozole corn and, if you are making the red version, the strained dried-chilli sauce. Let everything simmer together for a while so the flavours come together, and check the salt at the end.

Menudo improves with resting: many say it tastes better the next day. Serve it piping hot and put all the trimmings on the table, because it is in the bowl that each person finishes it to their liking.

Frequently asked questions

Are menudo and pancita the same?

Essentially, yes: both are beef tripe soups. "Menudo" is the usual name in the north, where it tends to contain pozole corn; "pancita" is the name in the centre, where the corn is not always present.

Why is menudo eaten for a hangover?

It is a popular custom: eaten hot, spicy and with lime the morning after a party. There is no proof that it cures a hangover, but the tradition is deeply rooted.

Does menudo contain corn?

In northern Mexico it usually contains pozole corn. In the centre it depends on the recipe: some pancitas have corn and others just tripe and broth.

How long does it take to make?

The tripe needs several hours of slow cooking to become tender. With pre-cooked tripe or a pressure cooker the time drops considerably.

Sources

• Wikipedia, «Menudo (Mexican soup)» (ingredients; corn in the north; red menudo in Chihuahua and Nuevo León; white menudo in Sonora and Sinaloa; the names pancita, mole de panza and mondongo; weekend custom, hangover reputation, gatherings and festivals in the United States; long cooking).
• Chilango, «¡A comer pancita! Siete lugares para curar la cruda con menudo picosito» (the names menudo, pancita and mondongo by region; tomato and guajillo broth).
• Dallas News, «Authentic menudo in Dallas-Fort Worth» (corn depending on recipe and region; the difference between menudo and pozole).
• El Imparcial, «Mientras en México a la pancita le llaman menudo, en Colombia se le llama mondongo» (regional names; difference from Colombian mondongo).