One of my favorite things is learning about regional American cooking that I never knew before. There are so many recipes and traditions that are a common part of everyday life in particular areas of our country. Yet for the rest of us, these things might as well be foreign. Case in point, the Southern tradition of eating black eyed peas for New Years’ Day.
It is something that most Southern households are familiar with, being a symbol of good luck for the following year. And after a year like 2020, I think we all good use a little good luck for 2021.
A Tradition of Unknown Origins
While there are many theories about the origins of eating black eyed peas on New Years Day, many of these stories are a bit conflicting/problematic. And worst of all, no one seems to cite any real sources to back up their claims. That being said there are two main ideas about how this tradition began. So I figured I’d explain them both and leave it up to you to decide which one sounds more plausible.
Theory # 1
This theory revolves around General Sherman’s march to Atlanta during the Civil War. It is common knowledge that Sherman practiced a scorched earth policy, ordering his soldiers pillaged the Confederate countryside for food supplies. However, according to this story, his army left all of the blackeyed peas alone, viewing it as animal fodder. And thus the only food Southerners had to eat that winter was black eyed peas, starting the tradition.
Sounds like a pretty good theory, right? The only problem with it is the fact that Sherman definitely would have had animals in his army. So to say that they didn’t need animal fodder is a little problematic in my opinion.
Theory # 2
The second theory states that the tradition began among African American slaves during the same time. You see, the emancipation proclamation, which freed slaves in Confederate territory, came into effect on January 1, 1863. And many slave families celebrated the occasion with a feast. However, begin impoverished, the only food they could muster up was some blackeyed peas, and thus it stuck as a tradition.
Now, you have to admit that this does a good job of explaining why New Years Day is the occasion for eating black eyed peas. However, I have one small issue with this idea; the fact that white southerners started celebrating this tradition at the same time. Why would a group that was mostly pro-Confederate so universally celebrate the emancipation proclamation? But hey, weirder things have happened throughout history so I guess you never know.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Most recipes will instruct you to soak your peas overnight before cooking them. The rationale being that it will save you precious cooking time. And while this is technically true, in my experience it will only save you about 15 to 30 minutes. So feel free to soak them if you want, but it’s not necessary.
- That being said black eyed peas, like most beans, need to be thoroughly inspected before cooking. You will want to remove any that are small and shriveled up. And while it isn’t common, you can sometimes find small pebbles which can chip your teeth. So make sure you do this step!
- The key to making good southern style black eyed peas is to include some form of smoked meat. Typically this would be either a ham bone with some ham meat, a ham hock, or a ham shank. However, if you can’t find any of those you can also use smoked turkey legs/wings, smoked sausages, or even cooked smoked bacon.
- Want to make it vegan? Then swap out the chicken stock with some vegetable stock, and leave out the smoked meat. However, it might be a good idea to add a dash of smoked paprika to get the right flavor.
- If you want to keep it traditional then serve your peas with some collard greens and cornbread. Or you can serve your peas over some white rice to make another classic Southern dish called hoppin’ john.
Black Eyed Peas Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10
Ingredients
1 Lb of dried black eyed peas, inspected and washed
2 Ham hocks, or 1 Hambone, or 1 Smoked turkey leg
1 Quart of chicken stock
2 Quarts of water
1 Medium onion, diced
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
1 Jalepeno, deseeded and minced (optional)
¼ Teaspoon of either cajun or creole seasoning (optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- (Optional) Soak your black eyed peas: Place your peas into a large bowl and cover it with enough water that it goes at least an inch above the peas. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let them soak for at least 8 hours to overnight.
Drain the peas of this liquid before cooking with them
- Cook the smoked meat: To get the most flavor out of our smoked meat we need to cook it prior to adding the peas. So get out a large-sized pot, place your smoked meat in it, followed by the quart of stock and 2 quarts of water.
Place the pot over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Add the remaining ingredients: After the 45 minutes to 1 hour toss in the black eyed peas, onion, garlic, and jalapeno + cajun seasoning if using. Stir everything together and let it come back to a simmer.
Cover the pot and let everything cook for at least and 1 hour and 15 minutes. After that time you can check to see if your peas are done by smashing one with your finger on a wooden spoon.
If it smashes easily then they are cooked, if not then you will need to simmer the peas for another 15 to 30 minutes.
- (Optional) Thicken your peas: At this point, there should be a good amount of liquid, or potlikker, left in the pot. However, if you want to thicken up your peas you can do it in one simple step. Simply remove 1 cup of the peas from the pot and place them into a bowl. Then use a wooden spoon or fork to smash the peas into a paste.
Return these smashed peas to your pot and stir everything together.
- Finish the dish: If you are using a piece of smoked meat with a bone you will need to remove it from the pot. Then you will need to shred the meat off of the bone, discard the bone, and return the meat back to the pot.
Finally, all you have to do is taste the peas and add salt and pepper to your liking. Serve the finished black eyed peas in a large bowl and enjoy!
Black Eyed Peas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Lb of dried black eyed peas inspected and washed
- 2 Ham hocks or 1 Hambone, or 1 Smoked turkey leg
- 1 Quart of chicken stock
- 2 Quarts of water
- 1 Medium onion diced
- 2 Cloves of garlic minced
- 1 Jalepeno deseeded and minced (optional)
- ¼ Teaspoon of either cajun or creole seasoning optional
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- (Optional) Soak your black eyed peas: Place your peas into a large bowl and cover it with enough water that it goes at least an inch above the peas. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let them soak for at least 8 hours to overnight. Drain the peas of this liquid before cooking with them
- Cook the smoked meat: To get the most flavor out of our smoked meat we need to cook it prior to adding the peas. So get out a large-sized pot, place your smoked meat in it, followed by the quart of stock and 2 quarts of water. Place the pot over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Add the remaining ingredients: After the 45 minutes to 1 hour toss in the black eyed peas, onion, garlic, and jalapeno + cajun seasoning if using. Stir everything together and let it come back to a simmer. Cover the pot and let everything cook for at least and 1 hour and 15 minutes. After that time you can check to see if your peas are done by smashing one with your finger on a wooden spoon. If it smashes easily then they are cooked, if not then you will need to simmer the peas for another 15 to 30 minutes.
- (Optional) Thicken your peas: At this point, there should be a good amount of liquid, or potlikker, left in the pot. However, if you want to thicken up your peas you can do it in one simple step. Simply remove 1 cup of the peas from the pot and place them into a bowl. Then use a wooden spoon or fork to smash the peas into a paste. Return these smashed peas to your pot and stir everything together.
- Finish the dish: If you are using a piece of smoked meat with a bone you will need to remove it from the pot. Then you will need to shred the meat off of the bone, discard the bone, and return the meat back to the pot. Finally, all you have to do is taste the peas and add salt and pepper to your liking.
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