Callos is a Spanish tripe stew, and the Madrid version, callos a la madrileña, is the one named by two of the three listings at the end of this post. Our callos a la madrileña dish page covers the definition and the regional variants. This post is about the practical side: what is in the pot, how it is served, and what to ask.
What is in the pot
The base is beef tripe, cleaned and cooked slowly until tender. Madrid cooks add chorizo and morcilla (blood sausage) and season the sauce with pimentón, the Spanish smoked or sweet paprika, which gives the stew its red colour. Many versions also include pieces of beef snout (morro) and trotter (pata).
Those last two cuts matter. They release gelatine as they cook, and that gelatine is what makes the sauce thick and slightly sticky on the lips. Some cooks add a little dried chilli (guindilla), so a plate can range from mild to noticeably warm.
How it is served
Callos usually arrives in a small clay cazuela, hot, with bread. In a tapas bar you may see it as a tapa (a small portion), a media ración (half portion) or a ración (a full plate for sharing). It is a rich dish, so a tapa or media ración is a sensible first order if you are trying it for the first time.
It is traditionally eaten in the colder months. Outside Spain, some restaurants keep it on the menu all year and others bring it out as a seasonal special, so it is worth asking if you do not see it listed.
Regional versions you may see
Not every tripe stew on a Spanish menu is the Madrid one. Galician and Andalusian cooks both make versions with chickpeas, and you may see callos con garbanzos written on the menu. If the menu just says callos, ask how it is made.
What to ask before ordering
- Is it served as a tapa, a media ración or a ración?
- Is this version spicy? Some cooks add guindilla.
- Does it contain chickpeas?
- If you avoid pork: the chorizo and morcilla are pork products, so the standard Madrid version is not pork-free.
The bread is there for the sauce, so use it.
Where to try it
- La Encina (Bogotá, Zona G): its listing names callos a la madrileña alongside rabo de toro and cochinillo segoviano. The kitchen is led by chef Mario Andrés Cárdenas.
- La Cocina del Bizco (Mexico City, Hipódromo): a Spanish tavern focused on the cooking of Madrid and Castilla, with Madrid-style tripe among its classics.
- Bellota (Beijing, Shunyi): lists callos with gazpacho, paella and garlic shrimp. The kitchen is led by Cheng Xiao Jie.
For the other dishes Madrid is known for, read our guide to Madrid food: cocido, callos and churros.
