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New Year Black-eyed Peas and Southern Prosperity

© Lisa Casey Perry

It is truly apropos that we begin the Southern Cooking topic on the subject of Black-Eye Peas. They are abundant and well loved in all regions of the South. Black-eyed peas have about 100 calories per serving. High in fiber, protein and calcium, completely fat-free, they are satisfying and healthful. It's all of the other stuff we put in them that sends them to our thighs!

I was a grown woman, living for a short time in Oregon, before I learned that not everyone in the country eats black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. What a shame! Like turkey at Thanksgiving, or candy canes at Christmas; for southerners no year starts without black-eyed peas.

I was hoping to give the readers of this topic some great stories about feast and famine attributed to the superstition, but everyone I've talked to can't remember a time when they missed out, even when it meant standing in line at the 7-Eleven (the only store open) to buy a can of the little brown peas. Personally, I cannot remember missing a year, although some years have certainly been more prosperous than others.

The Internet is loaded with information on this tradition. I noted many stories of the peas representing money and the emphasis on how much should be eaten. We were taught a simple strategy: The more one ate, the better luck one could expect.

It is also worth noting that not everyone who lives "down here" likes black-eyed peas. My oldest daughter could never stand them. She covered her serving in ketchup. That helped, but wasn't as tasty when I made the sweeter, honey cooked black-eyed peas later. Anyway, to honor her peculiar dislike for the little pea, I have included a non-traditional recipe sure to go down nicely for anyone looking to insure his or her success in 2003.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Traditional Southern New Year's Day Black-Eyed Peas Approximately 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups dried, black-eyed peas 1 onion, chopped 1 cup of chopped ham OR ½ cup chipped raw bacon OR ½ cup diced salt pork salt to taste

Wash, and then soak 2 cups of dried black-eyed peas overnight, or for at least four hours. Drain and rinse peas. Place clean, soaked peas in a large saucepan and cover with 6 cups of cool water. Add 1 chopped onion and desired meat for flavoring. Your choice of meat will determine how much salt is needed. As a rule of thumb, you'll want to add 1 tsp of salt per cup of dried peas, but this may vary according to taste.

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