HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I have never been so happy to say those words. After reflecting on this year, I started thinking about the past and what started certain food traditions to help usher in a “good” new year. I did a bit of research and I thought I would share a few things with you.
Eating black eyed peas on New Years has been symbolic for good luck for approximately 1500 years and has been a part of several different cultures and religions. However, more recently, it has been termed a more “southern” tradition dating back to the civil war. Southern folklore states confederate soldiers were left with minimal food supplies and only had peas and pork to eat. The confederate soldiers considered themselves “lucky” to have these staples during the cold winter months and thus started the trend.
Cabbage or other green leafy vegetables were also included in the New Year’s meal as to help bring prosperity. Since the US currency is green and green leafy vegetables are obviously green, the connection was made, and the tradition was set.
Finally, the inclusion of pork is mostly for the flavor and it is also a seasonal meat. However, one article did attempt to make the connection that since pigs “root forward when foraging, the pork represents positive motion.” Additionally, some might include cornbread with their New Year’s meal to complete the common phrase ““Peas for pennies, greens for dollars, and cornbread for gold.”
As a kid, I never really enjoyed these foods but as an adult I have found ways to modify recipes to my preference. Below is the recipe I plan to try this New Year’s Day, it includes all of the New Years “necessities.”
Enjoy!
Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Sausage and Kale
(recipe modified from spicysouthernkitchen.com)
NOTE: This recipe may contain ingredients that can trigger pain in some people who have food sensitivities to pork, red meats, and nightshades.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
14 ounces Andouille/Kielbasa/venison smoked sausage, sliced
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14.5-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth
2 cups dried black-eyed peas, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
salt and pepper
1 bunch kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and bacon and cook until sausage is
browned, and bacon is crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. - Add onion to the grease in the Dutch oven and cook until soft, about 5 mins, add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Add tomatoes, chicken broth, black-eyed peas, dried thyme, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover partially and cook until peas are soft, about 60-75 mins
- Return sausage and bacon to Dutch oven.
- Add kale one handful at a time, stirring it in as you go. Once kale has wilted, it is ready to serve.
- Cornbread served on the side.
Stubbins, R. (2021). Eat Good . . . . Feel Better [PDF document]. Retrieved from R. Stubbins, personal communication, December 31, 2021.