Bulgarian ‘fake’ Tripe Soup (with oyster mushrooms) – a delicious and super easy weekday soup with mushrooms that resembles very closely the famous Bulgarian tripe soup. Prepared with oyster mushrooms, this soup is vegetarian, quick and much easier to prepare than regular tripe soup.
Don’t let the word “fake” put you off – we’re talking about a very real, wonderfully easy, and seriously delicious mushroom soup. This version is inspired by the classic Bulgarian tripe soup, but it’s far simpler to make and without the, shall we say, aroma. Instead of using animal tripe, it features sliced oyster mushrooms, which have a surprisingly similar chewy texture.
Behind the Bites
Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) grow naturally on hardwood trees and have long been found in European forests. For centuries, they were gathered from the wild and used in local cooking, especially in Central and Eastern Europe. Unlike button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms were not widely cultivated until the 20th century.
Large-scale cultivation in Europe expanded after World War I and especially after World War II, when food shortages increased interest in easy-to-grow crops. Today, oyster mushrooms are widely farmed across Europe and are valued for their flavor, nutrition, and adaptability.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Oyster mushrooms – cleaned, without the bottoms
- Butter– or substitute with lard or tallow for cooking
- Milk – or if needed substitute with yogurt
- Flour – for thickening the soup
- Sweet paprika
- Salt
- Water – or if you prefer vegetable broth
- Optional: hot sauce – apple cider vinegar, garlic,
How to prepare Fake Tripe Soup?
1st: Clean and sauté oyster mushrooms in butter on the stove. Remove from stove top and slowly add the milk (milk should be lukewarm or hot). Add in the water.
2nd: Let simmer until mushrooms are cooked. In a separate sauce pan add remaining butter, paprika and flour. Bring to a boil while stirring. Then add to soup. Let thicken, season with salt and serve with the hot sauce on the side.
Bulgarian Fake Tripe Soup (with oyster mushrooms)
Ingredients
- 400 g oyster mushrooms
- 6 tbsp. butter, or more as needed
- 200 ml milk, 3.5% fat max
- 1 tbsp. all purpose flower
- 1 tbsp. sweet paprika, heaping
- 350 ml water
- 1 pinch sea salt, to taste
OPTIONAL: Hot sauce (condiment)
- 6 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 5 medium cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
Instructions
- First, remove stems from oyster mushrooms, wash well under cold water and cut in long stripes.
- Then, sauté mushrooms in 3 tbsp. butter on low heat for 5 minutes, or until soft.
- Next, remove from stove for a bit and slowly add in the milk while constantly stirring. Add in the water as well.
- Bring the soup to a boil and let simmer until mushrooms are fully cooked.
- In a separate small pan, add the remaining butter, flour, and paprika. Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until the butter begins to brown. Keep stirring as it bubbles to prevent the flour from burning.
- Finally, pour the browned butter thickener into the soup and combine well. Remove from stove top. Season with sea salt to taste. Serve.
- OPTIONAL: In a small bowl combine apple cider vinegar, garlic and hot pepper flakes. Give it a good stir. When serving, sprinkle a tsp. of the condiment onto each bowl.
Notes
Nutrition
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Genius idea! Will have to try it!