WORDS Preston WIlliams
Good luck and plenty of money – that’s what many of us wish for as we toast good-bye to the previous year at midnight on December 31. Come lunch (or dinner, depending on how revelrous your N.Y.E.) we pile our plates with black-eyed peas, greens, and pork hoping for the promise of luck and money. Mystery and folk lore surround the tradition, and no one really knows the foundation. The only truth that matters is the one we grew up hearing.
One legend dates back to the Civil War. Black-eyed peas were considered animal food and were not worthy of General Sherman’s Union troops. When the Union soldiers raided the Confederate food supplies, legend says they took everything but the peas and salted pork. The Confederates considered themselves lucky to be left with such meager supplies and survived the winter. Peas became a symbol of luck in the South.
Black-eyed peas were also given to the slaves, as were most other traditional New Year’s foods. Let’s face it: most of the New Year’s recipes are soul food. One explanation of the superstition says that black-eyed peas were all the southern slaves had to celebrate with on the first day of January, 1863. What were they celebrating? That was the day when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. From that point on, peas were always eaten on the first day of January.
How are you supposed to eat the peas? My family always argues over this. Some people believe you should cook them with a new dime or penny, or add a coin to the pot before serving. The person who receives the coin in their portion will be extra lucky. I’ve heard you should eat exactly 365 peas on New Year’s Day; if you eat any less, you’ll only be lucky for that many days. I guess on leap years, you need to eat an extra one. If you eat any more than 365 peas, it turns those extra days into bad luck. Some say you should leave one pea on your plate, to share your luck with someone else (more of the humbleness that peas seems to represent). Others say if you don’t eat every pea on your plate, your luck will be bad.
Want to get rich? Here in the South, collard greens and corn bread bring the money on New Year’s Day, but it’s actually cabbage that is the king green around most of the world for New Year’s meals. Cabbage is a late crop and is available this time of year; because collard greens are a late crop too, they sub for cabbage in the South because that’s what grows here in winter. The southern tradition: each bite of greens you eat is worth $1,000 in the upcoming year. I love greens, all of them, and with as much as I ate last New Year’s, I’m surprised I’m not as rich as Creases! But I’ll try again this New Years!
Today, cabbage and greens (collards and turnips) both represent “green” money in New Year’s tradition, but historically, cabbage was eaten for health benefits. Cabbage was eaten by everyone from Caesar to the Egyptians to aid in digestion and for nutrition, then later for the prevention of scurvy. The philosopher Aristotle ate cabbage before drinking alcohol to keep the wine “from fuddling his prudent academic head” (I wonder why we don’t eat greens on New Year’s Eve then). Modern greens are not so different from those eaten by Caesar and Aristotle. The ancient cabbage those guys ate was closer to kale than our modern cabbage.
Corn bread represents pocket money or spending money. It’s another soul food we eat on New Year’s. The tradition stems from the color of the bread. Its color represented “gold” or “coin” money. Plus, it goes well with greens, peas and our next subject, pork.
The South isn’t the only place that eats pork on New Year’s Day. All over the world people are using marzipan pigs to decorate their tables, partaking in pig’s feet, pork sausage, roast suckling pig or pork dumplings. Hogs and pigs have long been a symbol of prosperity and gluttony. It’s why we say someone is “being a pig” when they take more than their share. Some cultures believe that the bigger pig you eat on New Year’s, the bigger your wallet will be in the coming year. So, the “fatter” the pig, the “fatter” your wallet. While people around the world are eating pig for New Year’s, we’re the only ones who put so much faith in the jowl cut.
I probably need to explain what a hog jowl is, as some Yankees have never heard of this cut of pork. It’s the “cheek” of the hog. It tastes and cooks similar to thick cut bacon. It’s a tough cut that is typically smoked and cured. Hog jowl is used to season beans and peas, or fried and eaten like bacon. Why hog jowl? The short answer is that we eat cured pork because it’s winter time. Hog jowl is a cured product which stores well for long periods. During the winter, cured pork would be readily accessible meat.
How do you cook hog jowl for New Year’s? Some people only use the jowl to season their black-eyed peas and collard greens. Most in the south would say that’s not enough to make you prosperous. You also have to partake in some fried hog jowl. It’s cooked similar to bacon, but hog jowl is a bit tougher and takes a little longer to cook. Jowl typically comes in a package, sliced like thick bacon or uncut on the “rind.” Most people remove the rind, slice it and fry the slices in a skillet until brown on both sides. It’s then drained on a paper towel and served. Since it’s a cured food, it typically doesn’t need extra salt, but some like to serve it with pepper or hot sauce.
It’s also been said that if you eat only black-eyed peas, and skip the pork, collard greens and the accompaniments, the luck won’t stick. They all work together or not at all. It’s a good thing the people who created these superstitions up didn’t believe luck and money came from a combination of snails, cornbread and black-eyed peas. I don’t think that would have caught on. So, before you go popping those bottles of champagne, run by your local farmer’s market and pick up a mess of your favorite greens, some jowl, and a pound or two of black-eyeds -- just don’t forget to save a coin or two for the peas.
