Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Sopa de Pata
A hearty Salvadoran cow's-foot and tripe soup, tinted red with annatto and loaded with yuca, chayote, corn, and cabbage, finished with lime and cilantro.
Salvadoran · advanced · serves 6
prep 30 min · cook 180 min
~339 cal · 22g protein · 36g carbs · 11g fat · 3g fiber · 4g sugars · 5g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Sopa de pata is a rich, restorative Salvadoran soup built on cow's feet and tripe, slow-simmered until the broth turns silky with dissolved collagen. It is weekend and gathering food, the kind of generous pot that feeds many and tastes even better the next day once the broth has set and the flavours have married.
The soup is tinted a warm orange-red with and rounded out with the vegetables of the Salvadoran pantry: , chayote, corn, cabbage, and sometimes , all cooked in stages so each keeps its character. Oregano and plenty of cilantro season it, and a squeeze of lime at the table lifts the richness.
Cleaning the cow's foot and tripe with a quick parboil is the key first step for a clean, savoury broth. Sopa de pata is served very hot, often with warm tortillas or Salvadoran semita bread and a side of rice.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
2 lbs cow's foot, cut in pieces
1 lb beef tripe, cleaned and diced
1 large onion, quartered
6 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tbsp ground ()
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 lb (), in chunks
2 chayote, in chunks
2 ears corn on the cob, in rounds
1/2 small head green cabbage, in wedges
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 , chopped
2 limes lime wedges, to serve
to taste salt
Instructions
1
Parboil the cow's foot and tripe: cover with cold water, boil 5 minutes, then drain and rinse to remove impurities.
✎ Chef’s note
That parboil-and-rinse step is what gives the finished broth a clean, savoury taste rather than a strong off-smell; do not skip it.
2
Return the meat to the pot with fresh water, the onion, garlic, achiote, oregano, and salt, and simmer covered until fork-tender, about 2 to 2.5 hours.
3
Add the yuca and chayote and cook for about 15 minutes.
4
Add the corn, cabbage, and tomatoes and simmer another 15 minutes until everything is tender and the broth has reduced a little.
5
Stir in the scallions and cilantro, adjust the salt, and serve very hot with lime wedges and warm tortillas.
San Salvador weekend tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
San Salvador. San Salvador has a pupuseria on every corner, griddling thick corn cakes stuffed with cheese, beans, or chicharron and always served with tangy curtido cabbage and thin tomato salsa. Plantains, beans, and fresh cream fill out the day.
🗺️
El Salvador. Curtido is not a garnish but the other half of the dish: cabbage, carrot and onion lightly fermented in vinegar with oregano, piled on top so the sourness cuts through the cheese. The pupusa is patted between wet palms, sealed around the filling and cooked on a comal, and the seam is the part cooks are judged on.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from El Salvador
Pupusas con CurtidoHand-patted masa cakes stuffed with cheese and beans, griddled until molten, served with tangy cabbage curtido.
Plátanos Fritos con Frijoles y CremaCaramelized fried plantains with thick refried beans and a swirl of crema, the humble Salvadoran típico breakfast.
Panes con PolloWarm baguette rolls stuffed with relajo-spiced chicken, salad, and a savory gravy, El Salvador's festive sandwich.
Browse all El Salvador recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
Make it a El Salvador meal
Horchata de MorroDrink
Quesadilla SalvadoreñaDessert
Yuca Frita con ChicharrónLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Sopa de Pata?
A hearty Salvadoran cow's-foot and tripe soup, tinted red with annatto and loaded with yuca, chayote, corn, and cabbage, finished with lime and cilantro.
Where does Sopa de Pata come from?
Sopa de Pata is a Salvadoran dish from San Salvador, El Salvador.
Can Sopa de Pata be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Sopa de Pata recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Sopa de Pata safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Sopa de Pata take to make?
About 210 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 180 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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