Pepperpot Soup

[Holly Moore]

Even before I moved here, I believed pepperpot soup to be a Philadelphia New Years tradition. And every year since I moved here I have sought confirmation only to find that no restaurant and not even the Union League concurs.

My quest continues. Has anyone else heard of such a tradition? And more importantly does any Philadelphia restaurant or tavern brew up a kettle on New Years Day?

[Andrew Fenton]

Does any restaurant in Philly ever serve pepper pot soup? I've never seen it; I get the sense that it's a dead food tradition: blame the tripe, I guess. Alas.

[phifly04]

This is interesting Holly

http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/friends/...perpotsoup.html

Sorry it dont answer your question,i found it intriguing

Dave s

Edited December 5, 2004 by phifly04 (log)

[MarketStEl]

Woody's Bar (202 S. 13th) has traditionally dished out free cups of pepper pot soup on New Year's Day.

That's about the only day of the year when, if you see a man in a dress inside, he's straight. (The bar's owner, Bill Wood, has a long history of supporting the Mummers, and many marchers stop in after they're done parading.)

[mrbigjas]

i bet they have it at city tavern.

[KatieLoeb]

i bet they have it at city tavern.

←

You beat me to it. This is what I was thinking.

[NulloModo]

Hmm, pepperpot soup involves tripe? I always thought it was a turtle dish for some reason...

[mrbigjas]

it's supposed to involve tripe, as far as i know. at least that's how i always thought of it. however, the listing on the menu at citytavern.com says 'beef, pork, taro root & greens' and doesn't mention tripe.

campbell's still makes their version; available at netgrocer.com, if not in your neighborhood grocery store.

[KatieLoeb]

Hmm, pepperpot soup involves tripe?  I always thought it was a turtle dish for some reason...

←

You're thinking of Snapper Soup, for which Bookbinder's was duly famous. Now I think the only places serving it are Pearl's Oyster Bar at RTM and Sansom Street Oyster House. Both versions are good. Make sure to ask for some sherry to add "to taste". It's really what makes the soup. IMO.

[MarketStEl]

Hmm, pepperpot soup involves tripe?  I always thought it was a turtle dish for some reason...

←

You're confusing pepper pot soup and snapper soup.

(Edited after reading post directly above:) Ouch! Always read everything before posting anything. Always read everything before posting anything. Always read everything...

Edited December 6, 2004 by MarketStEl (log)

[herbacidal]

Even before I moved here

←

You moved here? I thought you wuz a native.

Edited December 6, 2004 by herbacidal (log)

[Phil Ward]

Having spent almost a decade working as a cook/sous chef/pastry chef/Exec Chef in Phila, I had to make endless pots of snapper (turtle) soup and the occasional pepper pot (tripe) soup.

It was never fun cleaning the cooked turtles or working with the tripe but the end results were always rewarding.

For me the essential ingredients in snapper soup are: the turtle stock and a good veal stock, of course the herbs and spices (mace was key), finished off with lots of chopped/diced turtle meat (we would occasionally extend the meat with a bit of turkey if the turtles were small), chopped hard boiled egg and a good splash of a fine dry sherry. YUM!

You can still find good versions of snapper soup from time to time but I have rarely seen pepper pot available.

Phil

Edited December 8, 2004 by Phil Ward (log)

[ludja]

I was browsing through an old Saveur (Jan/Feb 2004) tonight and saw a recipe and reference to a Pepper Pot Dish! (It was in a story picking Philly as one of it's top 100 best things for the year, here as "Most Underrated Am. Food Town").

Anyway, the recipe is an adaptation called: "Veal Osso Buco Pepper-Pot Style". (it does have tripe in addition to the veal). The recipe is not in Saveur's on line archive.

The recipe is credited from Lacroix at the Rittenhouse.

Did anyone actually have pepperpot soup this past New Years?

Edited February 13, 2005 by ludja (log)