Thick, peppery tripe soup with vegetables, dumplings and a heavy hand on black pepper. The historic soldiers' soup of Valley Forge.
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's Olde City Coffee and a handful of South Philly counters. The defining features: lots of black pepper, hand-cut tripe (or chicken in modern variations), dumplings, root vegetables, and the heat that gives the soup its name.
1 editor pick for Philadelphia pepper pot soup in Philadelphia, ranked by editorial score. All Philadelphia signature dishes · Philadelphia pepper pot soup across every city.