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Black-eyed peas are not just good for your health, they're also believed to bring those who eat them good luck into the next year. |
By MARCIA ARMSTRONG
What do black-eyed peas have to do with good luck and prosperity?
Everything or nothing, depending on what you believe.
According to Southern folklore, those who eat the little beige-with-a-black-spot legume on New Year's Day will have good luck the rest of the year.
The peas aren't alone in attracting good fortune. A lucky New Year's meal also features collard or mustard greens and cornbread.
According to the myth of pea prosperity, the peas represent coins, the greens symbolize paper money, and cornbread stands for gold.
While Fredericksburg resident Ann Black fixes a New-Year's-Day pot of peas for her grown children and their families every year, she doesn't buy into the legend.
"I don't know that it really brings good luck," Black said. "It's a tradition, kind of like blowing out birthday candles or pulling the wishbone on the chicken."
Kimberly Perry grew up believing that any luck bestowed by eating black-eyed peas comes from the penny that her family places in the pot just before serving.
"The person who gets the penny in their bowl will have good fortune all year," said Perry, who lives in King George County.
Another key to attracting a year's worth of good luck is humility, Perry said.
"The belief is that if you start the year out humbly, you will end up prosperous," she said. "So you cook all humble food--black-eyed peas, turnip greens, cornbread, and fried green tomatoes if you can find them--for New Year's Day. Not expensive stuff; not filet mignon."
Perry begins her pea preparation by sawing off pieces of bone from a cooked ham, as did her mother and grandmother before her.
"I get the meat off the bone and use the bone in the peas," she said. "That's what gives it such good flavor."
She washes and rinses a big batch of dried peas, then covers them in 2 inches of salty water to soak overnight.
"The water allows the peas to rehydrate and absorb the salt," she said. "If you don't soak them, they take a lot longer to cook."
She rinses the peas again the next day, puts them in fresh water, adds the ham bone, salt, pepper, onion and a little garlic.
"If you want spicy, you can chop a jalapeño pepper and put that in, too," she said.
Black favors frozen peas, mostly because great-tasting fresh peas are too hard to find.
That's because fresh black-eyed peas have a tendency to sour, said Jim Blackwell, marketing director for Ukrop's in Spotsylvania County.
"Any time you've got a refrigerated item, you run that risk," he said. "But, we have dates on black-eyed peas, and as long as it's in date, it does OK."
Sales of black-eyed-peas, especially the dried variety, skyrocket this time of year, Blackwell said.
"We sell 75 percent of our black-eyed peas for the whole year during New Year's week," he said.
Stewed tomatoes and hog jowls, time-honored accompaniments in black-eyed pea recipes, are also big sellers, Blackwell said.
Perry's grandfather established a tradition of eating peas heaped with mayonnaise. The tradition in Black's family is that everyone, child to adult, has to eat a black-eyed pea, whether they like them or not.
"Even the little bitty kids," Black said, "have to eat just one."
Marcia Armstrong is a freelance writer living in Utah. She can be reached atLeft behind in the fields, they became important food for the Confederate South. --The Library of Congress |
Brought to the West Indies from West Africa by slaves, by earliest records in 1674. They are a key ingredient in Hoppin' John (peas, rice and pork). Originally called mogette (French for nun). The black eye in the center of the bean (where it attaches to the pod) reminded some of a nun's head attire. --The Library of Congress |
| TEXAS CAVIAR
2 cups blackeyed peas 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 can chopped green chiles dash of cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce 2 tablespoons minced onion 2 tablespoons minced celery 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar teaspoon salt freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon minced cilantro, (or more, if you are a cilantro fan) 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
Cook's note: Be sure your peas, onion and celery contain as little water as possible. Texas Caviar is chunky--not soupy.
Procedure: Drain peas, rinse with cold water and drain again.
Combine olive oil, chiles, cayenne, onion, celery, vinegar, salt and pepper, and mix well. Pour over peas and stir gently. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
At serving time, add chopped tomatoes and cilantro, and stir gently to mix. Recipe from: texascooking.com
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