Skip to content
Search
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • Events
  • Print
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Videos
    • CN Review
    • Donate
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Search for:
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • CN Review
  • Print
  • Events
  • Videos
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
Search
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • Events
  • Print
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Videos
    • CN Review
    • Donate
Cuisine Noir Magazine
Search for:
  • Food & Drink
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Recipes
  • Book Grub
  • CN Review
  • Print
  • Events
  • Videos
Support Our Work - Donate
Support Our Work - Donate

How Did Those Black-Eyed Peas Get So Lucky?

Organic Black-Eyed Peas
Photo credit: bhofack2 (iStock)
November 29, 2014
Adrian Miller
Share this article
       

If you have any connection to the American South, it’s likely that you’ll have a pot of black-eyed peas stewing somewhere in the kitchen on New Year’s Day.  For 364 days out of the year, the black-eyed pea is a solid soul food staple, but on New Year’s Day, this plebian pea (actually a bean) takes on magical qualities, beckoning millions with a promise: “Eat me, and I will bring you good fortune (in coins) or good luck.” It’s one of our country’s most interesting and shared culinary traditions since it crosses class lines, geographic boundaries and racial differences. You may wonder how this onetime “slave food” gained such celebrity status. Since soul food is one of America’s earliest fusion cuisines, it’s no surprise that there are several theories for the origin of this particular New Year’s Day superstition.

In West Africa, where black-eyed peas are native and called “cowpeas,” traditional religions have deities and spirits who possess human attributes, including having favorite foods. On religiously auspicious days, followers ritually prepared black-eyed pea dishes to please certain gods. Many West Africans also believed that the peas’ eyes warded off the omnipresent “Evil Eye.”  Black-eyed peas are a festive food for non-religious occasions as well. The Yoruba people of Nigeria make Ewa-Ibeji–a black-eyed pea dish including onions, pepper, smoked fish and palm oil–when they want to ceremonially bless twins. As a twin, I fully endorse this concept. Thus, enslaved West Africans had several good reasons to transplant the black-eyed pea’s potential for good fortune in the Americas.

RELATED: Mother and Daughter Duo Recreate Four Generations of Soul Food

RELATED: Chef Kevin Mitchell to Channel Nat Fuller in Re-Creation of 1865 Feast

As for eating this lucky dish on January 1st, we can thank Western Europeans. The British crossed the Atlantic with the “first-footer” superstition—a belief that the first visitor one should get on New Year’s Day is a person with, among other things, dark eyes. Black-eyed peas on the table made a good substitute for a dark-eyed visitor at the door. Sephardic Jewish immigrants arrived here with a tradition of eating black-eyed peas on Rosh Hashanah (the first day on the Jewish calendar) for–you guessed it–good luck. Perhaps different folkloric perspectives on black-eyed peas converged in the kitchen when black cooks prepared meals for the numerous Sephardic Jewish families living in antebellum Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. Ultimately, the story may come back full circle to Africa given the Moorish influence in southern Spain where the Sephardic Jews thrived before being forced into exile by the Spanish Inquisition.

Whatever the historical path, we’re lucky to have delicious and nutritious black-eyed peas on our plates this January 1st, and any other day of the year.

Purple Hull Peas

This versatile, yet rustic recipe comes from Hardette Harris, a private chef from Minden, Louisiana. Purple hull peas are a variety of field pea. If unavailable in your area, you may substitute black-eyed, cream, or crowder peas. If you can’t find purple hull peas at your local grocery store, try a farmer’s market or roadside stand. A pot of peas makes a wonderful main dish when served with cornbread, yellow onion slices, tomato slices, and a couple dashes of pepper sauce or apple cider vinegar. 

 Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 large smoked ham hocks (about 1 pound)
3 large smoked pork neck bones (about 1 pound)
5 ounces thinly sliced salt pork
10 to 12 cups water
8 cups shelled fresh purple hull or other field peas (about 2 pounds)
1 small yellow onion, sliced
2 fresh okra pods
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

PREPARATION

1.   Rinse the ham hocks, neck bones, and salt pork. Place them in a large pot and cover with water. Bring just to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Skim away any foam from the surface. Taste the cooking liquid. If it is too salty, discard 1 cup at a time and replace it with fresh hot water until the flavor is adjusted to your taste. If the liquid is bland, continue simmering to concentrate the flavors. Discard the solids.

2.   Return the cooking liquid to a simmer. Stir in the peas, onion, okra, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Cover and simmer until the peas are tender, but not falling apart, 45 to 60 minutes. (The fresher the peas, the more quickly they cook.) Check the seasoning and serve hot.

3.   If desired, you may pull meat off the ham hocks and add it to the dish before serving.

MORE FROM CUISINE NOIR

Quentin Love: Transitioning Communities One Meat at a Time with TurkeyChop
Grandbaby Cakes: From Blog to Business

  • Kitwanda and Tyronne Cypus of Kiki's Chicken and Waffles in South Carolina
    under Black Chefs, Food & DrinkKiki’s Chicken and Waffles Holds the Right Bones for Success
  • under Food & DrinkEmily Meggett’s Legacy Honored Through Food and Family
  • James Harden with J-Harden Wines
    under Food & DrinkJames Harden Celebrates First Anniversary of J-Harden Wines with Visit in Houston
  • JJ Williams and his daughters on the show "Bring It"
    under Food & DrinkThe New Breakout Culinary Star of Lifetime’s “Bring It” Series, JJ Williams
Share this article
Adrian Miller

Adrian is a food writer, certified barbecue judge, semi-active politico and recovering lawyer living in Denver, Colorado. Visit his website at www.adrianemiller.com for books, upcoming appearances and more.

Related Articles

Loading...
Jon Basil founder Uduimoh Umolu with bottles
Black Beer and Spirits Featured Food & Drink

Jon Basil’s Founder Eyes Expansion in Tequila Market

Chef Jade Klaasen, centre, with left to right, ‘Flatfoot’ dancers Siseko Duba, Jabu Siphika, Sifiso Khumalo, Sbonga Ndlovu and Ndumiso ‘Digga’ Dube
Food & Drink

Jade Klaasen Connects Finnish Food and Flavors in South Africa

Ham - How to keep from drying out
Food & Drink

The Best Ways To Keep Your Ham From Drying Out

Be the first to know about the latest online, industry updates, world news, events and promotions that connect the African diaspora through food, drink and travel.


    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising

    #IAmCuisineNoir

    This site participates in affiliate programs. See our full disclosure for more information.

    Copyright© 2023 Cuisine Noir and The Global Food and Drink Initiative. Privacy Site by ACS Digital

    Any unauthorized duplication, download or reprint of images or content from this website for promotional or commercial use is strictly prohibited without written permission from The Global Food and Drink Initiative. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Trademark pending.