11 New Year's Black-Eyed Peas Recipe Collection (2024)

FAQs

What is the tradition of black-eyed peas on New Year's Eve? ›

Some say you'll have the best chance at luck if you eat exactly 365 black-eyed peas, one for each day of the year. Others will even add a coin to the pot that the peas cook in, and it is said that whoever gets the coin in their dish will have the most luck in the coming year.

For the BEST chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat exactly 365 black-eyed peas, no more or less. Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health.

If necessary, you can substitute another type of bean for black-eyed peas—Pinkeye Purple Hull peas, also known as Southern Pink Lady peas, are another, lesser-known Southern staple and variety of cowpea would be an excellent choice.

If you want to ensure that the new year is a lucky one, take part in the classic Southern tradition: eat black-eyed peas on New Year's day. As the tradition goes, a serving of black-eyed peas eaten on New Year's day is said to bring luck and wealth in the year ahead.

Greens, Black-Eyed Peas, Cornbread, and Ham | Photo by Meredith. You may not be superstitious, but why tempt fate? Dig into these traditional lucky foods on New Year's Day to attract abundance and prosperity in the year ahead.

When Sherman's troops overtook and raided the food supplies of the Confederate South, Union soldiers regarded as them as animal feed and left them behind in the fields. The Confederates, however, survived by eating this crop and considered themselves lucky to have had them and, so, the peas became symbolic of luck.

Originating in Spain, the tradition of eating grapes at the stroke of midnight is believed to welcome good fortune and prosperity in the new year. It's known as "Las doce uvas de la suerte," or "The twelve grapes of luck,” and each of the 12 grapes represents a month of the new year.

Meanwhile, cabbage leaves are thought to bring prosperity to those who eat them on New Year's Day. Long believed to be an antidote to an overzealous night on the town, menudo is part of many holiday celebrations, especially breakfast on New Year's Day.

If you are planning to celebrate the New Year in the Southeast, it is most likely that you will be offered black-eyed peas in some form, either just after midnight or on New Year's Day.

In the United States, Southerners eat collards and black-eyed peas because they symbolize money. My Hungarian heritage is not without its new year's food superstitions. To celebrate, we eat pork and lentil soup. Supposedly because pigs root forward, they are a forward-looking bunch of animals.

Are navy beans the same as black-eyed peas? ›

Navy beans have no vitamin A in them whatsoever, while black-eyed peas have 1,305 international units of vitamin A in one cup. The large amount of vitamin A in black-eyed peas can help skin and eye health, but navy beans do not offer these benefits. Navy beans contain significantly more calcium than black-eyed peas.

Purple hulls have a creamy taste, while black-eyed peas are described as more earthy. To find either fresh, you'll need to track down a local farmer who grows them. Fresh black-eyed peas will be easier to find, but if you are lucky enough to find the purple hulls, act fast and get them while you can.

Collard greens were one of the few vegetables that African-Americans were allowed to grow for themselves and their families back in slavery time. Even after the Africans were emancipated in the late 1800s cooked greens were a comfort in the African-American culture.

The black eye pea is an amazing food for your dog. It's high in protein and dietary fiber to keep them happy and healthy. It also contains vitamins A, C, K, and folate that promote good health. The black eye pea has the added benefit of being heart-friendly.

So, we've established that eating black-eyed peas on January 1 will bring you a year's worth of prosperity. But the luck won't stick, according to many legends, if you don't eat them with greens (which symbolize money), cornbread (which symbolizes gold), and pork (which symbolizes luck, as pigs root forward).

Black-eyed Peas & Cabbage

Others say it started during the Civil War in Vicksburg, Virginia. The town ran out of food while under siege and the inhabitants were lucky enough to discover cow peas (a.k.a., black-eyed peas). Meanwhile, cabbage leaves are thought to bring prosperity to those who eat them on New Year's Day.

The Black-eyed pea originates from West Africa and has been cultivated in China and India since prehistoric times. It was grown in Virginia since the 17th century by African slaves who were brought to America along with the indigenous plants from their homelands. The crop would also eventually prove popular in Texas.

The symbolism behind black-eyed peas is twofold. First, the peas are said to resemble coins, symbolizing wealth and financial abundance in the year ahead. Second, their hearty nature represents resilience and sustenance during challenging times.

Like many other cultures, the Pennsylvania Dutch believe eating pork on New Year's Day brings good luck because pigs root around with their snouts in a forward motion. After all, we want to move forward, not backward, in the new year.