Virginia's peanut soup has origins that reside in the motherland, Africa. While its history can't be traced back to a specific date, it's African cuisine staple in countries like Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. Peanut soup is also extremely popular in east Asian countries like Taiwan. Peanut soup made its way stateside during the colonial era of the state of Virginia. With African slaves still holding onto their heritage, they made the dish popular and mainstay in the United States.
The soup typically features a groundnut or peanut base crushed into a smooth paste with elements of chicken stock, onions, and celery to provide a smoother consistency and burst of flavor that is undeniably exquisite. With Virginia being able to hold on to this soup as a culture dish since the beginning formation of this country, it has to be good. Restaurants like the 1776 Log House Restaurant in downtown Wytheville, Virginia have been stirring up pots of peanut soup for centuries now.
Chefs made their way into celebrity land a while ago. But how many celebrities that weren’t trained as professional cooks are actually whizzes in the kitchen? Here are several that come to mind.
Actress Julia Roberts is confident about her cooking skills. “I’m quite a good cook,” she told E! News. “I’m like a closet home ec teacher…I can really cook anything.” Roberts has said she often cooks fish for herself and her kids. And speaking of her three children, “They think that I’m a good cook,” Roberts told People. “They actually told me that I should open a restaurant.” She also relishes cooking for the holidays, particularly shredded Brussel sprouts. Roberts hasn’t published a cookbook, but we did find recipes attributed to her for peach crisp and banana hemp muffins. Or you can make the same summer salad the actress supposedly eats.
Chrissy Teigen started off as a supermodel. Then her love of cooking filtered into her professional life too. At this point, she’s created recipes for a limited Blue Apron release and also just launched her own home and cooking line at Target named “Cravings,” after the two cookbooks she’s released. Teigen describes cooking as “a time of peace” for herself. So maybe peace out to her tuna melt sandwich or the fried chicken wings that are a favorite of her husband, John Legend.
Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, comes from a cooking Italian family. Her father started his own restaurant in New York and also published a cookbook. And apparently, Lady Gaga has inherited the family’s cooking genes. Her Instagram account occasionally features photos of her culinary activities. Sure, sometimes it’s topless cooking. But other times it’s more poignant like in the post she shared about her bringing food to the family of her dear friend who passed away. Want to try a Gaga/Germanotta family favorite? Check out her recipe for whole wheat pasta with a sweet fennel sauce.