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National Pepper Pot Day

Food · History · December 29

Pepper pot is a thick, peppery soup of tripe, vegetables and spice with deep roots in Philadelphia cooking. Here is what it is and how to try it.

National Pepper Pot Day falls on Tuesday, December 29, 2026. That is 63 days away.

Pepper pot is a thick, heavily peppered soup, usually built on beef tripe and simmered slowly with vegetables, herbs and plenty of black pepper. In the United States it is most closely tied to Philadelphia, where it was once sold hot by street vendors and became a local signature.

The tripe is the part that gives people pause. Cooked long enough, it turns tender and soaks up the broth, and the pepper keeps everything lively. Many versions add potatoes, onions, celery or small dumplings to thicken the pot and stretch it further. The result is hearty, warming and a little rough around the edges, the kind of soup meant to be eaten from a deep bowl.

The soup also has a history beyond one city. Cooks in the Caribbean make dishes called pepper pot too, though those are often quite different stews, sometimes built on other meats and different seasonings. The shared name has caused more than one confused conversation at a dinner table.

Marking the day usually means making a pot at home or finding one on a menu. If tripe feels like a big step, some cooks use beef shank or stew meat instead and keep the pepper and the slow simmer. It reheats well, and many people say it tastes better the next day, once the pepper has settled into the broth.

Ways to celebrate

• Simmer a pot of pepper pot soup using tripe or beef shank.
• Look for a local diner or deli that serves pepper pot.
• Compare a Philadelphia recipe with a Caribbean pepper pot recipe.
• Share a bowl with someone who has never tried tripe.

Dates

All national days on December 29

Also on December 29

• Still Need To Do Day
• Tick Tock Day

Categories: Food daysHistory days