077Gardoumba, offal in the oven

Method

Epirote oven-baked bundles. Serve hot with crusty bread, oven potatoes, and plenty of lemon wedges.

You will need

• Baking dish (approx 30 x 22 cm)
• Sharp knife and cutting board
• Mixing bowl
• Tongs

1. Season the strips of liver, lung, spleen, and sweetbreads in a large bowl with the grated garlic, salt, black pepper, and half the dried oregano, tossing gently to coat evenly. 5 min Ready when: all offal pieces are lightly and evenly coated with seasoning
2. Gather a small bundle of mixed offal strips (about 10 to 12 cm long) in your hand, anchor the tip of an intestine strand firmly against the top, and wind the intestine tightly around the bundle until it is fully encased and compact, knotting or tucking the end securely underneath. 35 min Ready when: tight, neat parcels that hold their shape firmly without slipping
3. Preheat a conventional oven to 190°C (375°F). 15 min · 190°C / 375°F Ready when: oven reaches set temperature
4. Arrange the bundles snugly in a single layer inside a roasting tin, drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice, pour the water into the base of the tin, and scatter over the remaining oregano. 5 min Ready when: bundles are glossy and lightly moistened in the pan
5. Roast uncovered in the conventional oven for 45 minutes, turning each parcel halfway through to promote even browning. 45 min · 190°C / 375°F Ready when: casing is firm and beginning to take on a deep golden colour
6. Raise the oven temperature to 210°C (410°F) and continue roasting for another 15 to 20 minutes until the intestine casing is dark golden and audibly sizzling. 20 min · 210°C / 410°F Ready when: casing is crackling, deeply browned, and crisp to the touch
7. Remove from the oven, let rest for 5 minutes in the tin, and serve hot with pan juices spooned over. 5 min Ready when: juices settle and the parcels remain piping hot

Tap a step to tick it off.

Make ahead and storing

The bundles can be assembled up to 12 hours in advance and kept tightly covered in the coldest part of the fridge before roasting.

Fridge 2 days; best reheated in a hot oven to restore the crispness of the casing.

Substitutions

• kid pluck (goat liver, lungs, sweetbreads) for lamb pluck (mixed liver, lung, spleen, sweetbreads). Common in spring and yields an equally authentic, slightly leaner flavour.

Common mistakes

• Wrapping the intestines too loosely around the offal pieces.. The filling shrinks during roasting, causing a loose wrapping to unravel and dry out the offal.
• Inadequate washing of the intestines.. Leaves a bitter, unpleasant odour; running clear water through with a thin tube or chopstick is essential.

Regional variants

• Gardoubakia lemonata: braised in a covered saucepan with lemon and olive oil rather than oven-roasted.
• Gardoumba me patates: roasted directly on a bed of thick potato wedges which absorb the savoury drippings.

About the dish

Gardoumba represents the rustic Greek tradition of zero-waste pastoral cooking, particularly prominent in mainland mountain regions like Epirus and Roumeli. Made by bundling seasoned strips of lamb pluck (liver, lungs, spleen, and sweetbreads) and winding thoroughly cleaned small intestines tightly around them, it is roasted until the exterior turns brown and crackling. Often prepared alongside Easter lamb or for spring family gatherings, it offers the concentrated flavour of kokoretsi in a manageable oven-baked format.

Found in Epirus, Thessaly, Central Greece, Peloponnese. Cooked for easter, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Torcinelli (Italian). Southern Italian rolls of seasoned lamb offal wrapped tightly in cleaned intestines share the same pastoral origin and technique.
• Şirdan (Turkish). Both preparations stem from traditional pastoral practices of making efficient, delicious use of all small ruminant innards.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

639 kcal · protein 64 g · fat 39.2 g (saturated 11.7 g) · carbohydrate 5.5 g (sugars 0.3 g) · fibre 0.5 g · sodium 1259 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Following the Epirote mountain style where pluck parcels are bound firmly and baked until deeply browned and crackling..