Virginia peanut soup was popularized by the taverns and eateries of Williamsburg, Virginia. While the exact creation date of Virginia peanut soup is unknown, it can be dated back to the 1700s. King’s Arms Tavern opened in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1772, and served Crème of Peanut Soupe on its menu. In its basic form, peanut soup calls for peanut butter, flour, butter, peanuts (for garnish), light cream, and seasonings.
It may be called Virginia peanut soup, but peanuts are not native to Virginia or North America, so they had quite a journey. Peanuts likely originated in the Andes region of South America and were known to grow as far north as Mexico. Peruvians were eating peanuts as early as 750 B.C.E.
A watercolor painting of peanut plant produced between 1794 and 1832.
Courtesy of Harvard Library.
When Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors arrived in the “New World,” they began to conquer, colonize, and explore the land. That was when Europeans were first introduced to peanuts. The conquistadors transported peanuts from South America to Mexico and then traveled back to Spain and Portugal. Peanuts then spread to Africa and Asia. The first people to introduce peanuts to North America and subsequently to Virginia were enslaved Africans in the 1700s.
In 1847, the first known written recipe appeared in Sarah Rutledge’s The Carolina Housewife. Routledge’s recipe called for “to half a pint of shelled groundnuts well beaten up, add two teaspoons of flour and mix well. Put to them a pint of oysters and a pint and a half of water. While boiling, throw in a red pepper, or two, if small.” Food scholars theorize that the recipe in Rutledge’s cookbook was likely a version of a recipe from enslaved African cooks. Food historian Dr. Jessica B. Harris argues that those recipes are Big House (the home of the plantation owner and their family) versions of the peanut soup eaten by the enslaved.
Sarah Rutledge’s 1847 recipe for Ground-Nut (Peanut) Soup.
Courtesy of the University of South Carolina Libraries.
Dr. George Washington Carver’s peanut soup variations from his 1919 book.
Courtesy of National Agricultural Library.
Peanut soup did not become broadly popular until after the Civil War when Union soldiers who came across peanuts liked them and took them back home. The circus movement also contributed to the widespread adoption of peanuts, as they were a favorite snack at the circus. George Washington Carver was renowned for his extensive research on the peanut. He published How to Grow the Peanut: And 105 Ways of Preparing it For Human Consumption in 1917, featuring five different variations of peanut soup.
Peanut soup is still made and eaten in Williamsburg, Virginia. The King’s Arms Tavern has been serving it as a tradition for over 250 years, and the Hotel Roanoke’s Regency Room still serves it. Peanut soup can also be found outside of Williamsburg at places like Southern Kitchen in New Market, located in Northern Virginia. Peanut soup can also be made at home with simple ingredients like butter, onion, celery, chicken broth, smooth peanut butter, and cream.
Peanut Soup with a side of bread from Channing’s Tavern in Williamsburg in 2012.
Courtesy of Alyson Hurt. CC BY-NC 2.0.
King’s Arm Tavern in 2023 at Colonial Williamsburg.
Courtesy of Ron Cogswell. CC BY 2.0.
The Regency Room at the Hotel Roanoke, which serves peanut soup, has been open since 1939.
Courtesy of the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center.
