It’s a rite of passage that evades many, but there’s no doubt satisfaction to be found in finally taking on the challenge of the fully Florentine street food, lampredotto. Pulling up a stool at the original marble counter of Bambi Trippa e Lampredotto, obligatory glass of red vino in hand (produced in nearby Lastra a Signa), there’s a feeling of anticipation as the charismatic trippaio expertly carves the cuts and places them in your outstretched hand.
Bambi, a historic tripe family from San Frediano, has been the only company in Tuscany to process the raw material right from the beginning of the supply chain, since its beginning 130 years ago. Handed down from generation to generation, Giacomo Trapani is instilled with his family’s passion for the culture around this popular Tuscan dish, bringing forward the Florentine culinary tradition with gusto. Counting back the generations on his hand, he details his nonna’s nonno back when there were still bottles of broth regularly purchased by the community. Dating to 1890, making it the oldest bottega in the Mercato Centrale, it’s a one-stop shop for all things offal: lampredotto, tripe, boiled offcuts, stracotto, peposo, and all the other variations that those in the know would expect.
How they handle the product portrays their passion for their profession, describing their tripe as “Florentine cashmere”. Eaten at any time of day, Giacomo assures me that lampredotto at breakfast is the best way to start the day. “Lampredotto is a Florentine tradition, but it’s more than that. You can taste Florentine culture through it. You can taste the history of a quartiere, of a family, of families, of poverty, of joy; there’s everything”. Ultimately, it’s this passion that persuades you to overcome any mental aversions that you might have had towards the cuts that don’t form part of your personal culinary culture. I dove into the city’s delicacy and found a super soft texture that I wasn’t expecting and a truly melt-in-the-mouth consistency of meats like poppa (breast) and lingua (tongue). Served with their addictive green salsa, a little lemon, salt and pepper (the pepper is fundamental, Giacomo emphasizes), the freshness of the flavours combined with the perfectly prepared bread meant for a crostino that I was quick to try again.
Getting stuck into the lampredotto panino a little later, I felt like I’d overcome the “beginner” level of tripe and was ready to savour the rosetta bread soaked in the rich sauces that surround the serving of meat that comes from a cow’s fourth stomach. The balance of flavours and the high-quality meat meant for a memorable experience, made all the better by enjoying the chatter of passersby and the friendliness of the various banconieri behind the counters, with a flux of both locals and tourists stopping to stare at the meats hanging in the window, expressions varying from horror to hunger. A level up again was the salad prepared with various meats, served with celery, carrots, onions, and that trademark secret sauce; a good bet on a hot summer’s day when you’re in search of something served cold. Other dishes lined out included polpettina con i’lesso (meatballs with boiled meat), something I feel tempted to come back and try, and perhaps a good way to introduce newbies to the offal world also.
Upstairs in the Mercato Centrale in piazza San Lorenzo, you’ll find Famiglia Bambi and Giacomo Trapani’s Il Bollito e lo Stracotto, while on the lower floor, you’ll find the historic Bambi Trippa e Lampredotto store. The Gigli shopping centre a short distance from Florence offers offal lovers a taste outside the city, or further afield you can find the stall in Milan’s Mercato Centrale. Giacomo summarizes, “Lampredotto is a bit like a watermelon; you lose the emotion if you eat it at home rather than at the counter. It’s about experiencing the moment, perched at the counter, having a chat, while watching the world go by.”
Bambi Trippa e Lampredotto
Mercato Centrale, via dell’Ariento 2
