Soupier version of mondongo with hominy corn (maíz pelado / mote) added — broth-forward, less stew-thick. Antioquian Sunday classic.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Where Sopa de Mondongo sits in the Colombian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
3 steps · 7 hours 33 min active + 30 min waiting
- 1450 min
Cook mondongo base (#2494) but with extra broth.
- 230 min
Add 200 g hominy corn; simmer additional 30 min.
Watch outBite a kernel before you stop — pre-soaked hominy should be tender all the way through; any chalky center means it needs longer.
- 33 min
Serve broth-forward with side of rice.
Archive tool suggestions — not reviewed
These legacy suggestions have not been evidence-reviewed and are not presented as required tools.
