Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck

Subject: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: open mike
Date: 30 Dec 10 - 09:25 PM

Start the New Year with a dish of good luck! Have yourself some "Hoppin' John"!! A staple in the Southern diet for over 300 years, black-eyed peas have long been associated with good luck. A dish of peas is a New Year's tradition in most areas of the South, thought to bring luck and prosperity for the new year. http:/.../southernfood.about.com/library/weekly/aa123198.htm According to one source, each black-eyed pea eaten brings a day of good luck.
            The planting of crops of black-eyed peas was promoted by George Washington Carver because, as a legume, it adds nitrogen to the soil and has high nutritional value. The "good luck" traditions of eating black-eyed peas at Rosh Hashana, the ...Jewish New Year, are recorded in the Babylonian Talmud (compiled ~500 CE) "Hoppin' John", made of black-eyed peas, rice, and pork, is a traditional dish of Southern United States. Corn bread also often accompanies this meal. Texas caviar, another traditional dish in the American South, is made from black-eyed peas marinated in Italian salad dressing and chopped garlic, and served cold. Bobbie Gentry's 1967 ballad "Ode to Billie Joe": Papa said to Mama as he passed around the black-eyed peas, "Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense; pass the biscuits please."The Black Eyed Peas are a six-time Grammy Award-winning American hip-hop group from Los Angeles.

They say that black eyed peas bring prosperity...we could all use some of that..and start by supporting the black eyed pea farmers and get some today...some stores have prominent displays of black eyed peas.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: open mike
Date: 30 Dec 10 - 09:40 PM

oops should have said "bs" event though there is a tiny music comment re: Ode to Billy Joe in the above post...
see also other threads with new years luck including, sourkraut, new dimes cooked into the pot, herring, grits and greens, cornbread & molasses...and other yummy discussions...
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=126178#2801127
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=81688#1498468
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=54110#2887705
http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=42504#618152

Isn't there also some tradition about opening front and back door
to let god spirits in bad sprits out? and something to do with a coin and / or salt??

Spaw said he used a silver dollar cooked into the pot....now there is
some prosperity for you!!

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: Amergin
Date: 30 Dec 10 - 09:50 PM

How is listening to some crappy pop band lucky?

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: open mike
Date: 30 Dec 10 - 10:43 PM

it was just a name reference...not a recommendation..
and i am not sure that "hip hop'' describes them well..

here is more info i gleaned from the above threads...
"First foot" is what people call it. This is apparently a Scottish
new year tradition..The first-foot usually brings several gifts, including perhaps a coin, bread, salt, coal, or a drink (usually whisky), which respectively represent financial prosperity, food, flavour, warmth, and good cheer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-Foot

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: EBarnacle
Date: 30 Dec 10 - 10:58 PM

Personally, I'll stick with caviar as an inducement to the gods of prosperity.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: mousethief
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 12:15 AM

We have hoppin' john every new year's. Not sure what it has to do with pop music but then I'm ignorant that way.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: open mike
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 01:50 AM

in reply to this, "The Black Eyed Peas are a six-time Grammy Award-winning American hip-hop group from Los Angeles" as when you google black eyed peas you will find a lot of references to this group

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: Janie
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 05:42 AM

Black-eyed peas and collards, or "Beans 'n Greens" is the traditional New Year's Day supper here in North Carolina.

Hoppin' John

1 pound dried black-eyed peas
2 small smoked ham hocks or meaty ham bone
2 medium onions, divided
3 large cloves garlic, halved
1 bay leaf
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 can (10 to 14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with chile peppers, juices reserved
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, minced
2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 green onions, sliced
Preparation:

In a large Dutch oven or kettle, combine the black-eyed peas, ham bone or ham hocks, and 6 cups water. Cut 1 of the onions in half and add it to the pot along with the garlic and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until the beans are tender but not mushy, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the ham bone or hocks, cut off the meat; dice and set aside. Drain the peas and set aside. Remove and discard the bay leaf, onion pieces, and garlic.
Add 2 1/2 cups of water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, and simmer until the rice is almost tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Mince the remaining onion then add to the rice along with the peas, tomatoes, and their juices, red and green bell pepper, celery, jalapeno pepper, Creole seasoning, thyme, cumin, and salt. Cook until the rice is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the sliced green onions and the reserved diced ham. Serve with hot sauce and freshly baked cornbread.


In my family, the tradition is corned beef and cabbage, with a shiny dime added to the pot. Whoever gets the dime is assured extra good luck in the coming year.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: Bill D
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 02:02 PM

My family was 'aware' of the tradition, and I have often eaten BEP on New Years... I never worked out what passed as "good luck", so I can't say which years worked out due to the tradition.

I happen to LIKE BEPs...often right out of a can, so occasionally I eat some.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: Little Robyn
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 05:49 PM

Just after midnight we were fed pease puddin' and stotty cake!
Pease puddin'is made from yellow split peas, boiled up - similar to BEPs.
We were with some Geordies and that's traditional fare for their New Year celebration.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: mousethief
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 06:51 PM

I don't eat pop groups, and couldn't care less about the Black Eyed Peas. I enjoy hoppin' john.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: GUEST,Goose Gander
Date: 31 Dec 10 - 08:26 PM

Well, I could use some luck. So I'll go make a pot and see what happens.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: mousethief
Date: 01 Jan 11 - 02:36 AM

We got our beans a-soakin' for tomorrow's feast :)

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: open mike
Date: 01 Jan 11 - 12:18 PM

1-1-11 !
thinking good thoughts for SPAW as i propel into the new year
on bean gas!!
pwwwwt!!

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Jan 11 - 01:19 PM

Janie's recipe might even make Hopping John palatable. I have had too many servings without sufficient spices (and without the lightening effect of tomatoes), and found the dish blah. There seem to be as many recipes as cooks who have prepared it- main ingredients ham, black-eyed peas.

According to a Texas newspaper article, the 'good luck' idea was a PR promotion, starting in the 1940s, to increase business for a cannery in Athens. (according to C. F. Eckhardt, a Texas writer).
www,taylordailypress.net, Dec. 31, 2010, "Black-eyed Peas: Hoax or Tradition?", by Tricia Rosetty.

A CSIRO bulletin suggests that this pea was first domesticated in West Africa and was used as part of the slave cuisine in the Caribbean and U. S., from about mid-17th C.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: GUEST,Goose Gander
Date: 01 Jan 11 - 02:30 PM

i have a left-over hamhock from last night's smoking. should i put it in with the peas?

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Jan 11 - 03:24 PM

?

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: GUEST,Goose Gander
Date: 01 Jan 11 - 04:06 PM

ham bone, from a shoulder.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: pdq
Date: 01 Jan 11 - 04:36 PM

season's greetings...peas be with you

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: michaelr
Date: 01 Jan 11 - 04:45 PM

Had some black-eyed peas and kale last night. They were good, albeit vegetarian - could have benefitted from the addition of a ham bone.

Tonight I'm making Charmion's herring salad. Happy New Year all!

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Jan 11 - 05:57 PM

and also with stew, pdq.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 01 Jan 11 - 10:18 PM

I liken New Year's Day food to the Haggis served at Burns Night celebrations. It's poor country food that our everyday tastes have largely gone beyond, but it won't hurt you and you only have to eat it once a year.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 02 Jan 11 - 04:36 PM

LEJ's Bayou Hoppin John Recipe

Dice 1 cup green pepper,2 cloves garlic, 1/2 onion, and sautee at medium heat in olive oil. After about 5 minutes, throw in 2-3 small sliced andoiulle sausage. Brown sausage lightly.
Now add two 12 oz cans black eyed peas w juice, or a pound or so raw, soaked black eyed peas and 1 cup waterif you don't want canned. Stir and blend in 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, teaspoon coarse red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, and tablespoon or so Louisiana Red Hot Sauce, or less of Tabasco. Simmer for 1 hour.
Add pre-cooked white rice, about a cup. Simmer another half hour, minding the liquids level, as the rice will absorb moisture, so add water as needed. Should have a consistency like a thickened stew. Add coarse-ground pepper and salt to taste.
This stuff improves so much with time, that I almost advocate refrigerating it and re-heating after 24 hours. Serve with French Bread, add additional hot sauce to taste.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: catspaw49
Date: 31 Dec 11 - 08:05 PM

Growing up in this neck of the woods means having pork and sauerkraut. When I started moving around the country, I found that other folks had their own "good luck" meal traditions. I added in a few figuring that I needed all the luck I could get so along with the kraut and pork now comes turnip greens and black-eyed peas, etc.

This past year (after a rocky start) has been pretty damn good. Last New Year's I was on a feeding tube.................Hmmm.....there may not be anything to this "good luck" food thing, ya' know?


Spaw

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Dec 11 - 10:00 PM

Black-eyed peas were a staple of my youth—along with such things as cornbread, hominy, and buttermilk—but I don't recall them ever being associated with any holiday, or any particular recipe, or with "good luck." We mostly ate them just as they came out of the can, only heated on the stove, except on those rare occasions when we got them fresh from the garden. (I think this only happened after visiting the farm of some relative who grew them.)

As an adult, I discovered the good-luck/New-Year's/hoppin'-John thing by reading about it in some cookbook. I've made it a few times, but it never grew to be a family tradition.

This is a pretty "plain" recipe, but I think it reflects the plainness of its origin:


From The Tuesday Soul Food Cookbook, [by the editors of Tuesday Magazine], (New York: Bantam Books, 1969), page 131:

Hopping John
(serves 8 to 10)

1 pound black-eyed peas
2 quarts boiling water
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean salt pork or bacon, diced
salt and pepper to taste
crushed red peppers
1 cup raw rice, cooked separately

Wash the black-eyed peas, soak overnight in cold water; or boil them for 2 minutes, and soak 1 hour or longer (or use the quick-cooking variety). Drain well. Put the peas in a large pot, add the boiling water, onion, salt pork or bacon, and seasonings. Simmer, covered, for about 2 hours, or until the peas are very soft, adding water as needed. Taste, and correct the seasonings.

Cook the rice until dry and fluffy. Add the cooked rice to the cooked peas in the pot. Simmer gently until all liquid is absorbed.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 31 Dec 11 - 10:05 PM

You can also use any recipe for "red beans and rice" and substitute black-eyed peas for the red beans.

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: GUEST,Dani
Date: 31 Dec 11 - 10:10 PM

Living in Charleston, one could not escape the Hoppin' John tradition, and now it's a part of our own family lore. Plus, for us, it's a good reminder of how scrumptious simple food can be! This year, it is a re-calibration of how we want to be eating.

Ours consists of blackeyed peas, simmered with sauteed onions, some salt, and the experimental addition of kombu this year. Definitely made them even more delicious! Plain brown rice.

Then, collards, the fresher the better (so easy to grow!), sauteed with garlic and olive oil, steamed with some cider vinegar. Tonight, I added a spoonful of molasses and they are the most delicious ever.

After the year past, I'll take all the good luck I can get : )

Dani

Subject: RE: Black-eyed peas bring New Year's luck
From: GUEST,Dani
Date: 31 Dec 11 - 10:13 PM

PS: give BlackEyedPeas-the-band a fair shake! Will-I-Am is a flippin' genius!

http://youtu.be/rWjf2IWz0SU


Dani