Ever since Greyfriar’s closed, I’ve longed for its peanut soup. Greyfriar’s was a popular restaurant on Market Street in downtown Chattanooga, and the peanut soup was a favorite of several of us at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. We’d often order it for lunch and were always asked, “You want a small or large?” And our answer was always the same: Large. Always large.
Peanut soup is a wonderfully odd combination of ingredients: tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, celery and, of course, peanut butter – the crunchy kind that offers a nice texture to the soup. I say odd because one doesn’t normally think of pairing peanut butter with tomatoes. But it works.
There are several versions of peanut soup. There’s a creamy version that has its roots in 19th-century Virginia, stemming from the advent of commercial peanut butter. It didn’t take long for the commercial product to become a household staple. Soon, consumer tastes matured to wanting more than a slather of peanut butter spread on a piece of bread.
Then there’s the African version of peanut soup – a water-based soup thickened with ground peanuts and enriched with fruits de mer – seafood – fished from the African coast.
African peanut soup of today is a blend of both. It’s creamy enough without being too heavy and light enough for September’s transitional weather. We’re not quite ready for heavy, cold-weather fare, but after a summer diet of salads and chilled dinners we’re definitely ready for the mellow flavors of fall. This soup fits the bill in a delicious manner.