Sopa de Mondongo
“Soupier version of mondongo with hominy corn (maíz pira) added — broth-forward, less stew-thick. Antioquian Sunday classic.”
Where it comes from
Diverged from mondongo proper in mid-20th century Medellín as restaurant cooks added hominy corn for body and softened the long-cooked tripe stew into something closer to soup. The split is now standard on Antioquian menus — sopa vs mondongo are two distinct orders.
On the plate
Brick-red broth, hominy kernels floating like small white moons, tripe ribbons shorter than in mondongo, vegetables half the size. Sip-and-spoon, not stew-and-fork. Always with rice, avocado, lime side.
How it works
Hominy is dried-corn kernels nixtamalized — needs separate soaking 8-12 hours then a 2-hour boil before joining the pot, or it stays gritty. The hominy starch lightly thickens the broth so no flour or roux is used.
The two dishes coexist on menus at Medellín institutions like El Rancherito (founded 1972) — order sopa for lunch start, mondongo as the meal proper. Locals never confuse the two.
Variations
Sopa de mondongo antioqueña: standard hominy + tripe + chorizo. Sopa cucuteña (Norte de Santander): with extra garbanzo and longer simmer. Sopa nariñense: thinner broth, adds quinoa.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
3 steps · Show ↓453 min active · 30 min waiting
How it's made
3 steps · Show ↓- 1450 min
Cook mondongo base (#2494) but with extra broth.
- 230 min
Add 200 g hominy corn; simmer additional 30 min.
- 33 min
Serve broth-forward with side of rice.
