Tripe Dresser

I came across this job, which I have to say does not sound very appealing. Only 1 family member had this job and that was Henry Westhoff (1923-2003),  he was Dermot's 2nd cousin, once removed. Their common ancestor was John Jacob Westhoff (1831-1908) who was the great grandfather of Henry and Dermot's 2nd great grandfather.

Henry gave his occupation as apprentice tripe dresser on the 1939 census, he would have been 16 years old at the time the census was taken.

Beef tripe is usually made from only the first three chambers of a cow’s stomach: the rumen (blanket/flat/smooth tripe), the reticulum (honeycomb and pocket tripe), and the omasum (book/bible/leaf tripe). Tripe needed to be prepared before it was ready for human consumption and that was the job of the tripe dresser. He would scald the tripe in hot water, scrape off the outer skin, boil it for three hours and then scrape off the inner skin.

Tripe was at its most popular from late Victorian times to the 1950s, when it was a tasty, cheap and nourishing source of animal protein. The decline in the popularity of tripe coincided with growing economic prosperity from the mid-1950s onwards. As poverty declined an ingredient associated with poorer times was rejected.

One inevitable result of the decline of interest in tripe eating in the UK was the decimation of the tripe dressing industry.

The "signature" dish in Northern England was tripe and onions, which is basically tripe boiled for 3 hours with milk and onions and some seasoning. I do not remember ever eating tripe as a hot dish, but I ate the honeycomb tripe as a child. This was eaten (deep breath and not for the faint hearted) cold with lots of salt, pepper and malt vinegar. I am sure I couldn't eat it now.

And just to prove how dangerous it can be to eat tripe:

Leeds Mercury 03 June 1913, page 8

CHOKED BY TRIPE

AGED BATLEY MAN'S DEATH IN THE STREET

The sudden death, under remarkable circumstances of Alexander Richardson, seventy-four years of age, of Old Mill-Lane, Batley, who has followed the occupation of a cooper, was inquired into by Mr. P.P.Maitland yesterday.

On Saturday night, Richardson was proceeding along Henrietta-street eating tripe, when he suddenly collapsed and died. A post-mortem examination revealed that a piece of tripe, three inches square, was blocking the entrance to the wind-pipe, causing suffocation.

A verdict of "Accidentally choked" was returned.

Any recollections of eating tripe?