I’m not even kidding: the lampredotto sandwich at Marcelleria Popolare is probably in my sandwich top ten, and I don’t say that lightly. Do you know how many sandwiches I’ve had in my life? Well, I don’t either — but it’s a lot. Thousands? Possibly!
Sandwich top ten. That means something.
Lampredotto actually hails from Florence, so I guess having it in Milan isn’t the most authentic thing ever, but when it’s this good, it really doesn’t matter. It’s made from stewed tripe (i.e. cow stomach), which maybe sounds like something you don’t want. Trust me, you want it.
It’s got absolutely none of the chewiness you associate with tripe — I honestly had no idea tripe could be this melt-in-your-mouth tender, and it’s amazing. The flavour, too, has none of the offal funk you might expect, just a clean, meaty flavour.
It’s topped with some tender greens that complements the meaty filling perfectly; I think there might also be bacon or something crispy there (or maybe they just crisped up some of the tripe?). Whatever it is, it’s so, so good.
The bun was hearty and held up to the saucy filling quite well; it also had that distinctive sourdough tang that actually did a great job of balancing out some of the richness from the sandwich.
Seriously: it’s so good. If you’re in Milan — even if you’re not normally into off cuts like tripe — you need this sandwich in your life.
Location: P.za Ventiquattro Maggio, 4, 20123 Milano MI, Italy