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Black-eyed Pea Tradition & Recipe
I'm not fond of eating blackeyed peas myself but in my family, it is traditional to cook and eat blackeyed peas and hog jowls on New Years Day, like em' or not! In fact I can't remember having a New Years without black-eyed peas. I will never forget how my Mother and Daddy would always make me eat them on New Years Day. hahaha! It is believed that the more you eat the more money you will have for the new year, not to mention the good luck. No way did my parents want me to miss out on that and I was happy to force them down with some ketchup for the chance of a great new year!
(Pam, webmaster of Gone-ta-pott..com)
Wikipedia encyclopedia tells us "In some areas, black-eyed peas are served as a starchy side dish, cooked with or without sidemeat, bacon, ham bones, fatback or another pork product and/or diced onion, and often served with a hot chili sauce or a pepper-flavored vinegar." "In other areas, they are served in a traditional dish called "Hoppin' John" made of black-eyed peas cooked with rice, sometimes pork (such as hog jowls, ham hock, sidemeat or fatback), and seasonings."
Example of a Black-eyed Pea Recipe
2 pounds dried black-eyed peas
8 ounces hog jowl or 2 small to medium ham hocks
6 cups water water
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
salt, to taste
Pick out any bad peas and rinse well, then soak in cold water overnight. Place ham hocks or hog jowl in large kettle with water, bring to boil, and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Drain peas and add to the hog jowl. Add whole onion, crushed red pepper, sugar, and salt. Add more water if needed to cover peas. Cover tightly and simmer slowly 2 hours or until peas are tender.
Serve with hot cooked rice and cornbread. Serves 8.
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"The "good luck" traditions of eating black-eyed peas
on New Year's Day are recorded in the Babylonian Talmud (compiled ~500 CE), Horayot 12A: "Abaye [d. 339 CE] said, now that you have established that good-luck symbols avail, you should make it a habit to see Qara (bottle gourd), Rubiya (black-eyed peas, Arabic Lubiya), Kartei (leeks), Silka (either beets or spinach), and Tamrei (dates) on your table on the New Year." A parallel text in Kritot 5B states that one should eat these symbols of good luck." "The accepted custom (Shulhan Aruh Orah Hayim 583:1, 16th century, the standard code of Jewish law and practice) is to eat the symbols." "This custom is followed by Sepharadi and Israeli Jews to this day." "The first Sepharadi Jews arrived in Georgia in the 1730s and have lived there continuously since. The Jewish practice was apparently adopted by non-Jews around the time of the Civil War."
"These "good luck" traditions date back to the U.S. Civil War." "Union troops, especially in areas targeted by General William Tecumseh Sherman, would typically strip the countryside of all stored food, crops, and livestock and destroy whatever they couldn't carry away. At that time, Northerners considered "field peas" and corn suitable only for animal fodder, and as a result didn't steal or destroy these humble foods." "Many Southerners survived as a result of this mistake."
- Rice and peas is a popular dish in Jamaica and other Caribbean Islands.
- Texas Caviar is a traditional New Year's Day dish made from black eyed peas marinated in Italian salad dressing and chopped garlic and served cold.
- In Portugal black-eyed pea is used to serve boiled cod and potatoes and also with tuna and in salads.
- In Vietnam, black-eyed peas are used in a sweet dessert (black-eyed peas and sticky rice with coconut milk).
- In Cyprus, they are eaten with sliced vegetables, oil, salt and lemon.
- In the northern part of Colombia black eye peas are used to prepare a fritter called "Buñuelo." The beans are immersed in water for a few hours to loosen their skin and soften the bean. The skins are then removed either by hand or with the help of a manual grinder. Once the skins are removed, the bean is ground or blended and eggs are added which produces a soft mix. The mix is fried in hot oil. It makes a nutritious breakfast meal.
In many cultures, the black-eyed pea is considered a natural aphrodisiac
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"Black-eyed peas are traditionally eaten on New Year's Day in the American South and in some other parts of the U.S."
Originally native to Africa, the black-eyed pea was introduced into the West Indies and from there to the Southern United States, where it is still a widely used ingredient in soul food and Southern U.S. cuisine.
"The traditional meal also features collard or mustard greens or cabbage." "This is supposed to bring good luck and financial enrichment."
• Black-eyed Peas: stand for good luck-
• Greens: symbolize paper money-
• Cornbread accompanies the meal-
