Getting back to bean and rice dishes ... I grew up in Florida, where traditional food at New Year's is Hoppin' John. There are innumerable variations, but the one my mother cooked is: white beans (Great Northerns, or field peas, or cow peas) cooked until soft, and served on a bed of white rice, with coarsely chopped raw Vidalia/Bermuda onion sprinkled liberally on top. Traditional side dish is greens (spinach, or collards, or mustard, or - yecch - turnip tops) dressed with white vinegar in which a green chili pepper has been steeped for weeks.

It is usual to cook the beans with a slab or two of fatback in the pot, but it can be omitted.