Black-Eyed Peas
Jan. 1st, 2005 10:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shipperxNo, not the group.
I was curious about the tradition that you're supposed to eat them on New Years Day (I know that this is just a Southern tradition, but it was amusing to go into the grocery store yesterday and see stacks of black-eyed peas prominantly displayed. Publix even had fresh ones (which is better). Googling, I found:
Now WHY is this? Dunno. Googling, the best answers I've found thus far are:
Back in the days of the Wild West, Southern gentility, and Northern hostility, black-eyed peas were used strictly for the feeding of cattle in the South. During the Civil War battle of Vicksburg, the town was under siege for over 40 days. No supplies went in and none came out. The entire town was on the brink of starvation. So they ate those humble "cowpeas," thus starting a southern tradition. Nowadays, black-eyed peas are eaten every New Year's Day to bring good luck for the coming year. All the way back to the days of the Pharaoh, black-eyed peas have been a symbol of luck and fortune. The superstition is that those who eat black-eyed peas, an inexpensive and modest food, show their humility and save themselves from the wrath of the heavens because of the vanity they might have. Black-eyed peas are neither a pea nor a bean. They are lentils.
Recipe Spam (I pulled out the recipe for Hoppin' John from the Frank Stitt book):
"Hoppin' John, one of the South's great traditions, is basically flavorful rice served with the "pot liquor" from long-stemmed shell peas -- black-eyed peas, cow peas, or pink-eyed peas. The broth from the cooked peas is naturally rich in flavor and the ham hock (or bacon) provide cured pork goodness. There are all sorts of ways to embellish this classic, in addition to the chutney used here. Try it with a dollop of pesto or chopped ripe tomato. Or a handful of fresh crabmeat sprinkled with chopped basil, lemon juice, and olive oil"
1cp fresh or frozen black-eyed peas, or crowders
7 cups water
1 medium onion cut in quarters
1 carrot, peeled and cut in quarters
1 celery stalk cut into quarters
1/4 lb bacon or ham hock
1 dried chile pepper
1 bay leaf
1 thryme sprig
large pinch Kosher salt
2cp basmati rice
3 scallions, chopped
several basil leaves, torn
extra virgin olive oil
Tomato chutney or Pickapeppa or hot sauce
Place peas in medium saucepan and bring to simmer. Add onion, carrot, celery, ham hock, chile pepper, bay leaf, thyme sprig, and salt. Simmer until vegetables are tender (appx 25 minutes) Drain peas, reserving broth, and return to pan, along with a little broth to keep peas moist. Transfer 3 1/2 cups of reserved broth to a saucepan and bring to simmer. Add rice and cook until it is fluffy and tender and has absorbed almost all of the liquid (16-18 minutes) remove from heat and let the rice continue to steam, covered (5 to 10 minutes) while you reheat the peas. Add the remaining broth to the peas and reheat. Transfer the rice to a serving bowl and spoon the warm peas and broth on top.; Scatter the chopped scallions, tomatoes, and basil over the peas. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and finish with a dollop of chutney (variation: Serve the peas with just chopped tomatoes, scallions and basil, or substitute pesto for the chutney.
I was curious about the tradition that you're supposed to eat them on New Years Day (I know that this is just a Southern tradition, but it was amusing to go into the grocery store yesterday and see stacks of black-eyed peas prominantly displayed. Publix even had fresh ones (which is better). Googling, I found:
Black-Eyes Peas:
A tradition common to the southern states of the USA dictates that the eating of black-eyed peas on New Year's Day will attract both general good luck and money in particular to the one doing the dining. Some choose to add other Southern fare (Ham, cabbage or collards) to this tradition, but the black-eyed peas are key.
* * *
Southern U.S.
The black-eyes peas known as Hoppin John [Me: Er...uh...no. Black-eyed peas are Black-eyed peas. Hoppin' John is peas & rice] are eaten to bring prosperity in the New Year. On New Year's Day, families get together and have a wonderful dinner. This dinner must consist of pork (for health), green cabbage (for wealth), and black-eye peas (for luck)
Now WHY is this? Dunno. Googling, the best answers I've found thus far are:
Much of the population in the last half of the 1800s lived on small farms where the well being of the family was closely tied to their skill as gardeners. Which was done without the aid of fertilizers, hybrids, or insecticides. Blackeyed peas were a common crop. Since they stored well as dried peas they could provide the family with a good food source for many months. Southern peas are a legume that uses symbiotic bacteria to supply itself with nitrogen, so a good crop could be had on relative infertile soils. Even better, in many soils of the southeast, the nitrogen fixed by the bacteria persisted into the following year, leading to better crops of any kind. Crop rotation from peas to other crops was known to be a good practice. Now for the Good Luck. Those families that had planted so much of their land in peas that they were still eating them at the new year had, by doing so, enriched their soil with the nitrogen that would lead to better crops in the following year. The scenario repeated itself enough til people began to associate peas on new years day as a sign of good luck to follow, and a superstition was born.
* * *
Back in the days of the Wild West, Southern gentility, and Northern hostility, black-eyed peas were used strictly for the feeding of cattle in the South. During the Civil War battle of Vicksburg, the town was under siege for over 40 days. No supplies went in and none came out. The entire town was on the brink of starvation. So they ate those humble "cowpeas," thus starting a southern tradition. Nowadays, black-eyed peas are eaten every New Year's Day to bring good luck for the coming year. All the way back to the days of the Pharaoh, black-eyed peas have been a symbol of luck and fortune. The superstition is that those who eat black-eyed peas, an inexpensive and modest food, show their humility and save themselves from the wrath of the heavens because of the vanity they might have. Black-eyed peas are neither a pea nor a bean. They are lentils.
* * *
Supposedly, the Yankee soldiers burned all the southern crops, except for the black-eyed peas, which they thought were weeds. So, the Southerners considered it good luck that they still had something to eat. (This may have some validity, since in parts of the North black-eyed the peas are still known as cow peas.) The other is a little more far-fetched. It said that black-eyed peas swell up when cooked, so they are a symbol of fruitfulness. Yeah, sure.
Recipe Spam (I pulled out the recipe for Hoppin' John from the Frank Stitt book):
"Hoppin' John, one of the South's great traditions, is basically flavorful rice served with the "pot liquor" from long-stemmed shell peas -- black-eyed peas, cow peas, or pink-eyed peas. The broth from the cooked peas is naturally rich in flavor and the ham hock (or bacon) provide cured pork goodness. There are all sorts of ways to embellish this classic, in addition to the chutney used here. Try it with a dollop of pesto or chopped ripe tomato. Or a handful of fresh crabmeat sprinkled with chopped basil, lemon juice, and olive oil"
1cp fresh or frozen black-eyed peas, or crowders
7 cups water
1 medium onion cut in quarters
1 carrot, peeled and cut in quarters
1 celery stalk cut into quarters
1/4 lb bacon or ham hock
1 dried chile pepper
1 bay leaf
1 thryme sprig
large pinch Kosher salt
2cp basmati rice
3 scallions, chopped
several basil leaves, torn
extra virgin olive oil
Tomato chutney or Pickapeppa or hot sauce
Place peas in medium saucepan and bring to simmer. Add onion, carrot, celery, ham hock, chile pepper, bay leaf, thyme sprig, and salt. Simmer until vegetables are tender (appx 25 minutes) Drain peas, reserving broth, and return to pan, along with a little broth to keep peas moist. Transfer 3 1/2 cups of reserved broth to a saucepan and bring to simmer. Add rice and cook until it is fluffy and tender and has absorbed almost all of the liquid (16-18 minutes) remove from heat and let the rice continue to steam, covered (5 to 10 minutes) while you reheat the peas. Add the remaining broth to the peas and reheat. Transfer the rice to a serving bowl and spoon the warm peas and broth on top.; Scatter the chopped scallions, tomatoes, and basil over the peas. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and finish with a dollop of chutney (variation: Serve the peas with just chopped tomatoes, scallions and basil, or substitute pesto for the chutney.
