pepper pot (sometimes pepperpot) has two overlapping meanings. In the W. Indies it means a savoury stew, often highly seasoned, incorporating various vegetables and (for example) pieces of pig’s tail and stewing beef. However, no one recipe can be identified as ‘the recipe’. Connie and Arnold Krochmal (1974b) observe that ‘each island has its own version of pepperpot’. And Norma Benghiat (1985), who counts it as a soup, gives an excellent historical survey, in which she says:
It is probably of Arawak origin, though it seems to have been more of a stew in those days. It is still prepared in the Amerindian way in Guyana, but in Jamaica it has changed over the years under the influence of cooks of different cultures. The ingredients have varied according to what has been available, and the dish has become more of a soup.
