Omasum, bible tripe, 牛百叶, sách bò: which name means which stomach
Omasum is the third of the four compartments of a cattle stomach. In English trade documents it is called bible tripe, book tripe or leaf tripe. Cantonese menus call it 牛百葉 or 牛栢葉, Mandarin menus 千層肚, and traders writing Simplified Chinese list it as 牛百叶, or, once salted, 盐毛肚 or 盐渍毛肚. In Vietnamese it is sách bò or lá sách bò, and in Latin American Spanish librillo. It is not honeycomb tripe and it is not blanket tripe. This guide lays out which name means what, and where the names trip buyers up.
Four stomachs, four different products
A cattle or buffalo stomach has four compartments, and each one is sold as a separate product with its own texture, uses and names. English uses “tripe” for all of them, which is where most confusion starts.
| Compartment | English trade names | Chinese | Vietnamese | Omasum? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st: rumen | Blanket tripe, flat tripe, smooth tripe | 牛草肚; in some usage 毛肚 | Khăn lông | No |
| 2nd: reticulum | Honeycomb tripe, pocket tripe | 金錢肚 / 金钱肚, 麻肚 | Tổ ong | No |
| 3rd: omasum | Bible tripe, book tripe, leaf tripe | 牛百葉 / 牛栢葉, 牛百叶, 千層肚; salted: 盐毛肚, 盐渍毛肚 | Sách bò, lá sách bò (buffalo: sách trâu) | Yes |
| 4th: abomasum | Reed tripe | 皱胃 | Múi khế | No |
The omasum is easy to recognise once you know it: dozens of thin leaves stacked like the pages of a book, which is exactly where “bible”, “book”, 百葉 (“hundred leaves”) and lá sách (“book leaves”) come from. Because the leaves are thin, it cooks in seconds, which is why it is the tripe of hot pot and of phở.
毛肚 is the name that causes the most mistakes
Chinese food writers do not agree on what 毛肚 is. Some describe it as the rumen, named for the papillae that make the lining look like a brush. Others describe it as the omasum, whose opened leaves look like a dark towel. Both readings are in wide use.
In the salted-offal trade the usage is settled: product listed as 盐毛肚 or 盐渍毛肚 is salted omasum. Outside that trade, and in Cantonese in particular, 毛肚 can mean the rumen.
On a purchase order, never rely on 毛肚 alone. Write “omasum (瓣胃, 牛百叶)” or “bible tripe”, give the piece weight in grams, and ask the supplier for a photo of the opened leaves before the contract is signed.
Black and white are the same product
Omasum is traded in two colours, and both are the same compartment. Chinese listings call them 黑百叶 and 白百叶.
- Natural Black: the dark inner membrane is left intact. This is the form most often sold for hot pot.
- Scalded White: the membrane is removed. Ours is scalded in hot water at 60–77 °C and cleaned mechanically, with no peroxide, caustic soda, formaldehyde or quicklime.
A very bright white can mean the product has been bleached chemically. If whiteness matters to your customer, ask how it was achieved and get the answer in writing.
Words in an enquiry that change the product
The name is only half of it. These words, common in buyer enquiries, describe a different product or a different specification, and a supplier should ask about each one before quoting.
“Dry salted” or “dried salted”
Enquiries for dry salted or dried salted omasum usually mean a dried product with far lower moisture than a salt-cured one. Ours is salt-cured, not dried, so we do not use either label. If your specification says dry salted, tell us which product you mean.
“Frozen”
Many enquiries ask for frozen omasum at −18 °C. Salted omasum is preserved by the salt cure, not by freezing, and ours ships in a reefer at 0 to +4 °C. Confirm the temperature your import permit and your cold store expect.
“Beef”, “cattle” and “buffalo”
“Beef omasum” is often used for cattle and buffalo alike, and buyers openly request buffalo omasum. Our omasum is mainly cattle, about 92%, with about 8% buffalo, packed together in the same lot. If your permit or customer specifies a species, say so at enquiry.
Grade letters
Suppliers grade omasum by piece weight, but the letters are not standard: one seller’s AA is another’s A. Compare grades in grams, never by letter. Ours are A ≥800 g, B 600–799 g and C ≤599 g.
How to write the product line on an enquiry
An enquiry written like this gets an accurate quote on the first reply:
- Product: salted beef omasum (bible tripe, 牛百叶 / sách bò), HS 0504.00.00
- Colour: Natural Black or Scalded White
- Piece weight: in grams, for example 800 g and above
- Species: cattle, buffalo, or cattle and buffalo
- Packing: carton weight in kg, for example 20 kg
- Quantity and destination port: for example one 40 ft container, CFR Hong Kong or CFR Haiphong
For the tariff side, see why the HS code for salted beef omasum is not in Chapter 2. For what goes wrong in transit, see why salted omasum spoils and the three numbers that prevent it. Market terms are on our Hong Kong and Vietnam supply pages.
Questions buyers ask about omasum names
Is bible tripe the same as omasum?
Yes. Bible tripe, book tripe and leaf tripe are English trade names for the omasum, the third compartment of a cattle stomach. The names come from its thin leaves, stacked like the pages of a book.
Is 毛肚 omasum or rumen?
It depends on who is writing. In the salted-offal trade, 盐毛肚 and 盐渍毛肚 mean salted omasum. In other usage, including much Cantonese usage, 毛肚 can mean the rumen. On a purchase order, write omasum (瓣胃, 牛百叶) rather than 毛肚 alone.
Is honeycomb tripe the same as omasum?
No. Honeycomb tripe (金錢肚, tổ ong) is the reticulum, the second compartment. Omasum is the third compartment and has leaves, not a honeycomb pattern.
What is omasum called in Vietnamese?
Sách bò or lá sách bò. Buffalo omasum is sách trâu. Tổ ong (honeycomb) and khăn lông are different compartments.
What is librillo?
Librillo is the Spanish trade name for bible tripe, the omasum. It is used in Latin American buyer enquiries and in USDA cut lists.
What is the HS code for salted omasum?
Salted beef omasum is classified under HS 0504.00.00, guts, bladders and stomachs of animals, not under Chapter 2 meat and offal headings. Our HS code guide explains why.
We export salted beef omasum from Bangladesh in both Natural Black and Scalded White, graded by piece weight in grams. See the full salted omasum specification, or ask for a quote with the product line written as above.