# Who else is having black-eyed peas on New Year's Day? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975 "2011-12-31T20:30:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/21 "2011-12-31T23:00:22Z")
I do kind of wonder at the appellation “a walking Wikipedia”. Does that give the fella added credence or not? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/22 "2011-12-31T23:40:19Z")
My relatives come from Southern Virginia. You had black eyed peas and stewed tomatoes on New Years. Pork/ham was just an add on. Greens were necessary. I moved to Northern Ohio in 1971. These strange folks had pork and sauerkraut. Never hear of that growing up in the South. Now we have New Years meals that combine all of the above. Best of all worlds. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/23 "2012-01-01T01:37:23Z")
:smack: Totally forgot my mom is coming over for dinner tomorrow so we can do “our” Christmas with my daughter (who was out of town on the 25th.) Hmmm…means I need to fancy it up a little. Guess I’ll add a ham, and, inspired by y’all, some sweet potatoes. Still do the blackeyed peas, but as a side dish. Dagnabbit…she’s gonna eat half my greens! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/24 "2012-01-01T02:23:25Z")
2x post; deleting one ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/25 "2012-01-01T02:25:55Z")
> [@](#): > > The “good luck” traditions of eating black-eyed peas at Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, are recorded in the Babylonian Talmud (compiled ~500 CE), Horayot 12A: "Abaye [d. 339 CE] said, now that you have established that good-luck symbols avail, you should make it a habit to see qara (bottle gourd), rubiya (black-eyed peas, Arabic lubiya), I believe ‘rubiya’ is fenugreek. To wikipedia I say: cite? ETA: well one dude has some [explanation](http://www.gilmarks.com/7001.html), at least. ---
**Author:** ![Old\_Eel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/977dab/32.png) [@Old\_Eel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Old_Eel)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/26 "2012-01-01T02:28:29Z")
Yup, same basic meal here: Ham, black eyed peas, collards, and corn bread. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/27 "2012-01-01T02:40:42Z")
Yep, hopping johns are the way we do it here. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/28 "2012-01-01T02:57:27Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Huh. I had no idea it was a Jewish thing. I know it as a Southern (unspecified) thing. Yep, me too. Got mine in the fridge. Mmmmmm… ---
**Author:** ![NGC2024](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f475e1/32.png) [@NGC2024](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NGC2024)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/29 "2012-01-01T03:17:00Z")
We do pork and sauerkraut in Lancaster County, PA. I can’t recall a single New Year’s Day in my entire life that I didn’t have pork and sauerkraut. I do recall, however, that I ate most of those meals with a crushing hangover. Pennsylvania Dutch superstition says that eating pork brings good luck because a pig roots forward to look for its food, while chickens scratch backward and cows stand still. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/30 "2012-01-01T03:55:13Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > I believe ‘rubiya’ is fenugreek. To wikipedia I say: cite? That’s mentioned in the quote. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/31 "2012-01-02T14:08:32Z")
Since I’m the only one who eats them, I mix a drained can of black eyed peas with a can of Glory brand Seasoned Greens. (I made a recipe from scratch once, using all fresh ingredients and a ham hock, but the ham hock was SO salty it ruined the whole thing, it was inedible. Maybe I should try a smoked turkey wing.) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/32 "2012-01-02T14:12:35Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Since I’m the only one who eats them, I mix a drained can of black eyed peas with a can of Glory brand Seasoned Greens. (I made a recipe from scratch once, using all fresh ingredients and a ham hock, but the ham hock was SO salty it ruined the whole thing, it was inedible. Maybe I should try a smoked turkey wing.) I never salt my peas/beans until the end. Not because it will make the beans hard (it won’t, although it will help the skins stay intact), but because, as you found out, smoked meat products vary widely in their salt content. Sometimes I have to add tons of salt, sometimes none at all. The only way to tell is to taste and adjust at the end of the cooking. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/33 "2012-01-02T15:40:23Z")
It’s not a tradition at all in our family, but they were serving them (with chili and cinammon rolls) at our church Sunday morning so we had some then. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/34 "2012-01-02T16:27:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > That’s mentioned in the quote. 😉 The deuce you say! Why yes it is. We ended up with hoppin’ John for NYE…mmmmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/35 "2012-01-02T17:55:12Z")
I was raised in the South, and always heard the story recounted in the last paragraph of the wikipedia [entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-eyed_pea#Lucky_New_Year_food) that was previously linked above: > [@](#): > > …Another suggested origin of the tradition dates back to the Civil War, when Union troops, especially in areas targeted by General William Tecumseh Sherman, typically stripped the countryside of all stored food, crops, and livestock, and destroyed whatever they could not carry away. At that time, Northerners considered “field peas” and field corn suitable only for animal fodder, and did not steal or destroy these humble foods. Because the Union troops supposedly left the black-eyed peas, this crop kept many Southerners alive after Sherman’s invasion, especially the following winter. As the story goes, many Southerners had nothing else to eat on New Year’s Day, and so were lucky to have it. This led to the tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for luck, and by extension, to bring good luck for the subsequent year. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/36 "2012-01-02T18:01:22Z")
We had hoppin’ John, turnip greens and cornbread for NY day. The Fella’s sister made the hoppin’ John and I made the turnip greens and cornbread. With his whole family at his dad’s house, it was all gone by the end of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/37 "2012-01-02T18:48:58Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Does eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day bring good fortune in the coming year? WHO CARES? They’re just good eatin’! But since I only make them once or twice a year, I may as well make them on January the 1st. I ate 'em yesterday, and I ate the leftovers today, along with collards (for $$), and stewed tomatoes (for health). However, sugar has no place in cornbread. I’ll go to my grave believing that. Cornbread should be savory, not sweet, ESPECIALLY when you make cornsticks. Cornsticks are awesome. I even had some cornbread and buttermilk for supper, in memory of my mom. She used to eat it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/38 "2012-01-02T19:20:27Z")
> [@Archergal](#): > > I ate 'em yesterday, and I ate the leftovers today, along with collards (for $$), and stewed tomatoes (for health). By the way, my 6 year old would like me to announce a new New Year’s Day food association: eating sweet potatoes means you will have a sweetheart in the new year! Why? 'Cause I told her the meaning of the peas, pig and greens, but had no explanation other than, “'cause they taste good with ham” for the sweet potatoes. She decided to make one up. So there you go. Everyone who had sweet potatoes will be lucky in love this year! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Butterscotch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@Butterscotch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Butterscotch)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/39 "2012-01-02T19:34:59Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > By the way, my 6 year old would like me to announce a new New Year’s Day food association: eating sweet potatoes means you will have a sweetheart in the new year! > > Why? 'Cause I told her the meaning of the peas, pig and greens, but had no explanation other than, “'cause they taste good with ham” for the sweet potatoes. > > She decided to make one up. So there you go. Everyone who had sweet potatoes will be lucky in love this year! 😃 That’s lovely! A great new tradition… In Italy the traditional New Year’s Eve dinner is lentils, they resemble coins and you eat a lot so you won’t want for cash in the new year. The lentils are cooked with [Zampone and Cotechino](http://italianfood.about.com/od/italianmeatrecipes/ig/Salumi--Italian-Cold-Cuts/Cotechino-and-Zampone.htm) which I find revolting so use sausage instead! ---
**Author:** ![Archergal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Archergal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archergal)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975/40 "2012-01-02T19:44:28Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > By the way, my 6 year old would like me to announce a new New Year’s Day food association: eating sweet potatoes means you will have a sweetheart in the new year! > > Why? 'Cause I told her the meaning of the peas, pig and greens, but had no explanation other than, “'cause they taste good with ham” for the sweet potatoes. > > She decided to make one up. So there you go. Everyone who had sweet potatoes will be lucky in love this year! 😃 I like it! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-else-is-having-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/607975.md?page=3)