This nourishing Jamaican soup is prepared with beef, pig tails, gungo peas, yams, onions, thyme, pimento seeds, and either scotch bonnet or habanero peppers. The soup is usually enriched with the addition of spinners (Jamaican dumplings) made from flour, water, and salt.

All ingredients are slowly simmered until the meat, peas, and vegetables become tender and the soup develops a thicker consistency. Gungo peas soup is a Jamaican staple that is enjoyed throughout the year, but it is especially popular during the holidays and on Saturdays.