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As a city girl born and raised in Chicago, I never gave much thought to black-eyed peas. The dried zebra-looking beans were always soaked overnight by my grandmothers before cooking. Who knew you could buy them fresh?\u00a0It took my relocation to Birmingham, Alabama, as an adult to learn that the peas \u2014 which are actually legumes and part of the family of cowpeas \u2014 could be purchased fresh, frozen, canned, and dried. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
On a 2005 shopping trip to Jefferson County Farmers Market<\/a> in \u2018Bama I was transfixed watching the vintage pea-shellers<\/a> at work. Peas in their pods were dumped into the sheller, and the jiggling machines stripped the pods off and spit the shelled peas into bushel baskets!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Southern tradition<\/a> of eating these peas for the New Year may have come about from the customs of early immigrants to the Americas. Black-eyed peas, or cowpeas, were included as provisions on ships carrying enslaved peoples from Africa to the New World. After landing in the Americas, folks often grew the peas in their plantation gardens.\u00a0By the mid-1700s the peas were being eaten by the enslaved and their owners in the South.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Immigrants from Scotland<\/a> in the 1700s may have brought their \u201cfirst footer<\/a>\u201d belief that the first person to set foot in their home on the new year needed to be someone of dark hair or complexion to bring a year of good luck. Sephardic Jews<\/a> settled in Georgia in the 1730s.\u00a0The Jewish practice of eating black-eyed peas, which are symbols of abundance and fruitfulness for Rosh Hashanah,\u00a0most likely spread to non-Jewish members in the community. Whether folklore or fact, the blend of these customs may have been the basis for making black-eyed peas a must-eat on New Year\u2019s Eve or New Year\u2019s Day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n According to the late John Egerton, author of Southern Food<\/a><\/em>, it is believed that black-eyed peas have a \u201cmystical and mythical power to bring good luck.\u201d The peas are said to represent coins. Get your peas early \u2014 you don\u2019t want to tempt fate by starting the year without them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Because both of my grandmothers cooked dried peas, those are my peas of choice.\u00a0I don\u2019t really have a particular brand; I choose generic packages of dried peas \u2014 typically the store brand. Many of my friends, family, and fellow food professionals I chatted with agreed, although a few hard-core brand-loyalists, mentioned the Camellia<\/a> or Rancho Gordo<\/a> as the brands they prefer. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Black-eyed peas are incredibly versatile. They\u2019re great in soups<\/a> and stews<\/a>, work well with or without meat<\/a>, and can be served mashed<\/a>, fried, grilled, roasted, and even blended into baked goods. They\u2019re also a good source of fiber, copper, calcium, and folate<\/a>, and also contain Vitamins A and K. For folks who opt for a plant-based diet, black-eyed peas provide 13% of your recommended amount of iron per serving.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n On New Year\u2019s Day I\u2019ll have my peas with rice, plus greens and cornbread.\u00a0However you choose to dish up black-eyed peas, here are a couple of my favorite cooking tips to help make sure your black-eyed pea pick earns four-star reviews and good luck in the new year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Do you have a favorite black-eyed peas recipe for New Year\u2019s Day? Tell us about it in the comments.<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA Brief History About Eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Year\u2019s Day<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
What\u2019s So Great About Black-Eyed Peas?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
What\u2019s the Best Way to Use Black-Eyed Peas?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
If You\u2019re Going to Cook with Black-Eyed Peas, a Few Tips<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n