Pepper Soup: Nigerian Soup for the Body and Soul

The Nigerian pepper soup is a spicy light broth soup that is made up of a combination of traditional African spices and ingredients. The delicacy isn’t particularly attributed to any tribe as it is prepared by all local tribes. It can be prepared with chicken, catfish, goat meat or offal. This dish is very popular and is considered a special ceremonial cuisine that can be served in bars and restaurants and even on special events. Pepper soup is distinctive for its enchanting aroma and hot, spicy taste.

There are different ways of preparing the Nigerian Pepper Soup, which gives it uniqueness in taste depending on the choice of spice combination used by the individual; this combination may be all or just a few selected spices. Its spicy taste is distinguished by the ground calabash nutmeg which gives it a rich scent and flavor, the scent leaves which adds to its aroma as well as leaves it with a rich minty taste, while the chili or habañero pepper gives it the hot taste that is necessarily accompanied by the soup’s identity and literal name.

Benefits of Pepper Soup

• Pepper soup is one of the foods that come to mind during a cold chilly weather. A hot plate of pepper soup gives an instant warm up to the body when there is intolerable cold.
• For flu and fever, pepper soup is very medicinal and its spices tackle all feelings of malaise, and provide an almost instantaneous cure.
• The calabash nutmeg, traditionally called Ehiri or Ehuru seems small but mighty in its medicinal strength, it is efficient in the treatment of diarrhea, relieves toothache, headache, chest pain, and body aches. It can be good for stomach issues, rashes, dermatitis and skin disease. It also relieves constipation and has anti-sickling capabilities that could help a great deal in managing sickle cell diseases.
• It is popularly used as a post natal meal for recuperative measures. This is an age old tradition that applies to most local tribes. It is an excellent food choice for healing of the woman who has just delivered a baby. The spices present in the soup give an herbal elixir for recuperation and blood flow circulation. It is believed to control uterine hemorrhage in women who have just given birth.

Make Pepper Soup for yourself. Check out the recipes below!