Lampredotto 101

The best thing about Florence, Italy is the wealth of food items that never fail to please the palate. Aside from the usual pastas, pizzas and gorgeous veggie dishes, one peculiar food find that no budget traveler should let pass is the lampredotto, a humble but filling sandwich of beef tripe glazed with a special sauce and salt.



Now some people may cringe at the idea of eating cow's innards as snack, but since Filipinos are decidedly bizarre eaters, no bovine scare could deter me from devouring two sandwiches. Should you ever be in Florence, I highly recommend the lampredotto stall in the Mercato Nuovo (the so-called Loggia del Porcellino, the boar's quarters, for the huge statue of the Florentine boar whose snout when rubbed makes your return to this beautiful city possible). It's Florence's oldest and the guy was very nice and accommodating ("It's an honor that you film me doing a lampredotto). Besides, he also sells hotdogs... just in case :-)