According to legend, the Ghanaian dish pepper soup is able to protect people who eat it from influenza epidemics. The overwhelming heat of the peppers is enough to scare away most people of European dissent, but it can also reward those who can stomach the spice. In the latest issue of Gastronomica, Adela (Mary) Blay Brody writes a touching ode to her beloved pepper soup. She includes stories from her grandmother of how the dish warded off European colonialists (for a time) and she also explains how she acclimated her husband to the spicy African food. She also provides a recipe for a variation of the dish, with the spice dialed down for the faint hearted. She writes:
Dear reader, please don’t fear to come to my house for dinner. I have learned over four decades how to modify my dishes for every palate. Starting with my husband, I have cooked to make non-Africans weep tears of pleasure, not pain, as I adapt my recipes and add new ideas from around the world.
Source: Gastronomica (article not available online)
