Another way to enjoy peanuts! Photo
courtesy Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Peanuts, which originated in South America, actually came to the U.S. with African slaves. Brought to West Africa by Portuguese and Spanish traders, peanuts were a staple crop for West Africans.

We first had a bowl of peanut soup at the King’s Arms Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. We were a young teen who liked peanut butter, but the concept of peanut soup seemed an oddity. So we had to try it.

It was love at first slurp. But in the ensuing decades, it’s been pretty hard to come across a bowl of peanut soup north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Thanks to Montebello Kitchens, purveyors of Virginia artisan foods, anyone can now have peanut soup three ways: Traditional, African Piri Piri (spicy) and Thai Curry (hot). All three simple-to-make varieties are delicious. As a bonus, they’re made from defatted peanut flour, are fat-free and only 145 calories per serving!

• Read the full review to see how we serve peanut soup.
• For you from-scratch cookers, we’ve also included the recipe for the King’s Arms Tavern creamy peanut soup and a recipe for spicy Senegalese peanut soup.
• Find more of our favorite soups and recipes in our Gourmet Soup section.