When is National Pepper Pot Day?
Friday December 29thA soup with deep roots and a mythology to go with it is commemorated on National Pepper Pot Day. Explore the flavors and history of the filling dish on December 29th..
Pepper pot soup is a highly seasoned soup made with peppercorns, small pieces of meat, tripe, spinach, and broth. The dish may be more familiar by the name of Philadelphia Pepper Pot because it was brought to the area by people from Africa, the West Indies, and the Caribbean. In their homes, their families' homes, and in markets, Colonial Black women enjoyed the dish. Many historians agree that it is considered an early street food.
This soup is one of George Washington's chef's most popular stories. The Continental Army was deployed t Valley Forge on December 29th during the brutal winter of 1777 to 1778. The tale goes that during the brutal winter of 1777 and 1778. George Washington ordered the army's chef to prepare a meal that would raise morale and warm the troops. So the chef rounded up some ingredients and named it Pepper Pot Soup. The troops loved the dish and dubbed it "the soup that won the war" after it was served.
Although the tale may be inaccurate, it does receives some credit for raising the popularity of pepper pot soup in Philadelphia and giving the dish its other name, Philadelphia Pepper Pot, although the dish's true name isn't correct.
