HOW BLACK-EYED PEAS BECAME A NEW YEAR’S TRADITION

My great grandfather was a doctor during the Civil War and served in the Confederate Army. As the story goes, when Union General William T. Sherman, in his famous “March to the Sea,” had his troops take all the supplies from the Confederate soldiers they encountered along the way. This was part of his “scorched earth” policy and so the Confederate soldiers were extremely grateful to find that the Union soldiers left any salted pork and peas behind as they were thought to be fit food for animals only. Since that time, in the South, black-eyed peas and ham hocks are considered to be required fare for New Year’s Day, bringing prosperity and good luck to all who eat them. In my home, it was a tradition and even if we did not care for peas, we had to eat one. One lonely pea would be placed on each of our plates and once that was gone, we would be served our New Year’s Day meal. When we got older, we all became fans of Hoppin’ John on New Year’s. Hoppin’ John is a mixture of rice, peas, ham and onions all thrown together in a pot and boiled until the rice was done. This was a treat we looked forward to all year and as I look back, I am not at all sure why we only had this on New Year’s Day. It is a simple recipe; hearty and not unhealthy. They’re definitely a stick-to-your-ribs kind of dish. These days though, you can find all sorts of dishes that include black-eyed peas. From cold salads to soups to purees, black-eyed peas can be served in almost anything that isn’t dessert. But my new favorite is Seasoned Deep Fried Black-Eyed Peas from Tablespoon.com. Here is the recipe: Enjoy and may luck and prosperity be yours this coming year! https://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/seasoned-deep-fried-black-eyed-peas/