Black-eyed Peas, Anyone?

In the South, black-eyed peas are eaten on New Year’s Day, and as far as I can remember, I’ve never missed the tradition. I have a pot cooking on the stove now. Black-eyed peas were introduced to the United States as early in the 17th century in Virginia. The black-eyed pea was probably first domesticated in West Africa although it was also grown in Asia.

Flavoring my black-eyed peas is a slice of hog jowl. Yes, I always eat a bit of it also, and the taste is actually quite good. Along with the peas cooked with hog jowl, we always have greens. These greens can vary, but my family usually enjoys turnip greens. Collards, mustard greens, or even cabbage—any green leafy vegetable can be eaten for good luck in the new year. This year, we’ll be eating mustard greens grown organically in our own garden.

Also accompanying our meal will be ham and cornbread. Greens without cornbread? No, that would not be wise.

These foods all have positive connotations for the new year. The greens represent money, the peas, we were always told represent coins, and the ham, progress, because of the rooting, forward action of pigs.

Wikipedia gives an alternate version of why black-eyed peas are considered good omens. After soaking and then cooking the dried peas, they increase in size. Increase is what we want for the new year—at least in regard to our money. This meme is popular on Facebook around Christmas time:

The fat bank account comes, according to the tradition, through the black-eyed peas.

Another food we eat is pork. I grew up with a saying “Root, hog or die poor.” This goes back to well before 1834. Pigs were turned loose to forage for themselves. The more they rooted, the greater chance they’d find food.

Before the Civil War, several songs were published with this saying, such as this one:

And that reminds me of another saying, “Even a blind hog finds an acorn once and a while.” This, in my family, is always said when someone comes up with a good idea or perhaps says the correct thing at the correct time. Some of us have a way of putting our foot in our mouth at every opportune occasion. Yet, perhaps, those of us with that tendency may be like the blind hog and “find an acorn,” find the right words to say, or perhaps, do the right thing.

Pigs root forward and are always searching, making them a symbol of prosperity. We, like the lowly pig, must continuously search, and we may just find that acorn.

And there you have it—my menu for today. I will be dining on black-eyed peas, cornbread, mustard greens, and ham—all the things needed to give me the desires of my heart for 2019.

Happy New Year!

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Brokken Redeemed