Shkembe chorba
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Shkembe chorba (Bulgarian: Шкембе чорба, from Turkish işkembe: belly and çorba: soup) is a kind of tripe soup, prepared in Bulgaria, Romania, the Republic of Macedonia and Turkey.
Tripe is the thick lining of the stomach of cattle, and some Bulgarians shun the soup as cheap, vulgar, unappetizing, or inferior, whereas others see it as a national treat. According to popular belief and based on anecdotal evidence, shkembe chorba alleviates hangovers if consumed in the morning. This may be due to the combination of milk and sunflower oil used in the preparation, both of which are known to reduce gastrointestinal discomfort associated with hangover.
Shkembe chorba is bound with milk and usually served with garlic, vinegar, and chili peppers as seasoning. Different versions of the soup are quite common in the eating places all over the Balkans.
There is a similar type of soup in Turkey, İşkembe Çorbası.
The Romanian name is "ciorbă de burtă" (literally "stomach soup"), having as a variant "ciorbă de ciocănele" (soup from pig legs), similar in preparation and serving.
Another different type of tripe soup common in Czech Republic is drstkova polevka (dršťková polévka). It is also well known as a hangover remedy.
