The black-eyed pea…more of a legume, really, has a long history of good luck, starting with the bible (i.e. Jewish New Year), then migrating to Africa and then to the U.S. in the 1600s with the slave trade. This staple crop of the south hit the big time during the Civil War purely out of necessity, when Northern soldiers destroyed everything else growing on rural farms. They are a key ingredient in Hoppin’ John (peas, rice and pork) and part of American soul food. So for the past 400 years or so, black-eyed peas have been a nourishing symbol of a lucky, prosperous new year for those of us beneath the Mason-Dixon Line.
In their most traditional form, black-eyed peas are cooked with a ham hock (or other pork product) and served with Southern delicacies like collard greens (representing money) and corn bread (representing gold). These hearty little peas are inexpensive, high in fiber and they hold up really well to hot sauce (well, it is the south).
Here are other traditions for New Years Luck:
• In Brazil and Italy, eating lentils are a sign of riches to come, since they expand as cooked. As well as eating pomegranates and saving 7 seeds in your wallet, only after dedicating 3 seeds to the three kings who visited Christ by throwing them over your shoulder after calling their names.
• In Spain, consume twelve grapes at midnight – one grape for each stroke of the clock and each grape symbolizing each month of the year. This dates back to 1909, when grape growers in the Alicante region of Spain initiated the practice to take care of a grape surplus. The idea stuck, spreading to Portugal as well as former Spanish and Portuguese colonies such as Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru.
• In France some people eat heart or log shaped desserts, sometimes made of ice cream.
• The Danish eat Kale sprinkled with sugar.
• In Japan, the osechi-ryori, a group of symbolic dishes eaten during the first three days of the New Year, includes sweet black beans called kuro-mame.
• Roast suckling pig is served in Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Austria—Different pork dishes such as pig’s feet are enjoyed in Sweden while Germans feast on roast pork and sausages often with sauerkraut.
• In many Asian countries, long noodles are eaten in order to bring a long life. One catch: You can’t break the noodle before it is all in your mouth.
• Poland, Hungary, and the Netherlands eat donuts, and Holland has ollie bollen, puffy, donut-like pastries filled with apples, raisins, and currants.
SOUTHERN BLACK EYED PEAS
Ingredients
1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinse and sorted
1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt to taste
Additional crumbled bacon, optional
Directions
In a large Dutch oven, place the peas, bacon and enough water to cover; bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour. Do not drain.
In a small skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in thyme and salt; add to pea mixture. Return to the heat; simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until peas are soft. Top with crumbled bacon if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings.

