This Old-School Discontinued Campbell's Soup Used To Be A Fan Favorite

On the list of discontinued canned soups we're probably never getting back, it's possible to find some specimens that average contemporary foodies have never even heard of, like Scotch broth and mock turtle soup. Another long-gone canned soup that might be a head-scratcher today, Campbell's pepper pot soup, was once iconic enough that legendary artist Andy Warhol made it the subject of one of his famous soup can paintings. 

The contents of pepper pot soup can vary widely from place to place depending on the local resources and the chef in question. It has multicultural roots in both Africa and the Caribbean, from which the movement of enslaved people brought it the eastern seaboard of America. There, locals further adapted its flavors and ingredients. More specifically, the version of pepper pot soup that Campbell's produced was the variety associated with Philadelphia.

When you think of signature Philly foods, your mind might go to cheesesteaks, water ice, or even a style of bagels made with beer. Yet, pepper pot soup is woven into the fabric of Philly's culinary scene just as deeply. Its big, spicy taste and reputation for warming bellies during cold weather made it popular in the 19th century, when women would sell steaming ladles of the stuff on the street, shouting that they had hot soup on offer. But in 2010, the Campbell's version was discontinued, with the company pinpointing shifting consumer tastes as the reason for axing the soup after selling it for 111 years. One formerly ubiquitous ingredient that's since fallen from grace might be to blame: tripe.

The version of pepper pot soup that came to Philadelphia via folks from the Caribbean was made with offal. Organ meats are still represented in Philly soup with honeycomb tripe, which is the stomach lining of cows or other cud-chewing animals. Veal knuckle, another inexpensive cut, often found its way into pepper pot soup in the City of Brotherly Love. In the Carolinas, on the other hand, shelled crab is a popular ingredient. Tripe must be cooked low and slow for a long time to soften it, which makes it ideal for pepper pot soup's typical stewing process. Other essential components are root vegetables and greens, though the exact recipe, again, depends on the maker. Campbell's pepper pot soup included tripe, potatoes, carrots, onions, and both jalapeños and red pepper flakes for heat.

In Philadelphia today, pepper pot soup is having something of a renaissance, as modern-day adventurous eaters discover its singular delights and nuanced history. It seems unlikely that the POV of the general public will swing around on the subject of consuming offal any time in the near future, making any hopes of Campbell's bringing back pepper pot soup seem, speculatively, quite dim. The ingredients are fairly accessible and not terribly spendy, however, so there's nothing stopping you from trying your hand at making pepper pot soup at home and crafting a meal with rich cultural significance, plenty of spice, and tons of room for riffing.