Any American Southerner will tell you that New Year’s Day is not complete without eating black-eyed peas (in reality a bean), that they are in fact the first thing you should eat on New Year’s Day. There are several explanations for this tradition, most of which come down to the crop’s resilience during hard times and hard winters. Legend has it, the humble bean was ignored by pillagers during the civil war becoming the primary food source for surviving Confederates, making it ‘lucky’, and today it is eaten for luck and prosperity. Some say you have to eat 365 beans to ensure luck throughout every day of the year, that any less will result in unlucky days. Many people cook the beans with a new dime or penny, then portion them out. The person whose bowl contains the coin will have the luckiest year of all. One tradition is to eat all the beans on your plate; yet another is to leave just one to ‘share your luck with someone else’.
One of the most common preparation of the beans, ‘Hoppin’ John’, contains ham hock or salt pork. Many versions contain collard greens, stewed tomatoes, or rice.
Considering adopting this tradition for your family gathering tomorrow? Try this recipe from Homesick Texan, or this one from the Food Network.
Happy New Year!
I enjoy eating.