“In the South, people traditionally have black eyed peas on New Year’s Eve to bring good luck. I made a huge pot of it this year. We can use all the luck we can get.”
~Toni Armenta Andrukaitis
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Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, so I made a huge pot of my black eyed pea/bean/salsa dip for the occasion. I’ll share with some friends and neighbors, but this stuff is really good. I’ll enjoy it for days.
If you want to know my secret no-chop, no work, easy recipe, here it is…. open up a lot of cans and jars and dump them all in a big pot.
Do you know why it’s good luck to eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day? As with most superstitions, there are several answers to the question.
Most Southerners will tell you that this culinary custom dates back to the Civil War. Black-eyed peas were considered animal food. The peas were not deemed worthy of serving to General Sherman’s Union troops. When Union soldiers raided the Confederates’ food supplies, legend says they took everything except the peas and salted pork. The Confederates considered themselves lucky to be left with those meager supplies, and survived the winter. Peas then became symbolic of luck.
Happy Wednesday, my friends.
Toni Andrukaitis 
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