Patsas

If you are a party animal and you like to cook at the same time, I have a very cool new recipe for you. Prepare your kitchen for the traditional Greek Patsas (in Greek: πατσάς) – the soup that is told to be a hangover killer!

To be honest, it’s maybe not a 100% Greek dish. You will find this tripe soup with different names than Patsas in the Balkan, Bulgarian, Greek, Turkish, and Eastern European cuisine. But they are all a little bit different and I will show the Greek way to do this tasty soup.
In some places you will find taverns which are specialized in only making Patsas called Patsatzidika. They mostly open for the whole night so the people who come back from the bars and clubs can go there to enjoy a Patsa. This is very common if you don’t want to have a hangover the next day. The reason for this effect is that it’s a really strong soup that can relax your stomach and make you feel great.
Before you start cooking I have to give you one advice: open all your windows because you will have a strong smell while making Patsas.

To make a big pot of Patsas we need:

• 500gr of pork belly

• 500gr of pork leg (chopped in 3-4 pieces)

• 2 lemons

• Salt and pepper

• 1 small chilli pepper

At first we have to clean the meat, pre-boil the legs for 15 minutes and cut the belly. Now we boil the meat with water for 2-3 hours. You will notice when the meat on the legs are getting soft and you can cut it off with a knife. When you did this, you put all the meat back into the pot and add salt, pepper, lemon juice and the chilli. After 40 minutes more on the stove the pork will be soft and your Greek Patsas is ready to be eaten. Enjoy!