Philadelphia pepper pot soup is a signature dish of United States; we have verified places to eat it in Philadelphia. Thick, peppery tripe soup with vegetables, dumplings and a heavy hand on black pepper. Start with where to eat Philadelphia pepper pot soup in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia pepper pot soup · Philadelphia

Thick, peppery tripe soup with vegetables, dumplings and a heavy hand on black pepper. The historic soldiers' soup of Valley Forge, kept alive at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.

Pepper pot soup was reportedly created at Valley Forge in 1777 by Continental Army cook Christopher Ludwick under General George Washington's orders to feed the starving troops with what little was on hand: tripe, scraps, peppercorns and stale bread. The recipe travelled into Philadelphia kitchens with returning soldiers and became a 19th-century city staple, hawked by Black Philadelphian street-cart vendors known as Pepper-Pot Women. The dish faded after the Second World War but holds on at Reading Terminal Market and a handful of South Philly counters. Lots of black pepper, hand-cut tripe, dumplings and root vegetables give the soup its name.

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