The story of the Southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas as the first meal on New Year’s Day is generally believed to date back to the winter of 1864 – 1865.
When Union General William T. Sherman led his invading troops on their destructive march through Georgia, the fields of black-eyed peas were largely left untouched because they were deemed fit only for animals.
The Union foragers took everything, plundered the land, and left what they could not take, burning or in shambles.
But two things did remain, the lowly peas and good Ol’ Southern salted pork.
Our Favorite Black Eyed Pea Recipe Here
As a result, the humble yet nourishing black-eyed peas saved surviving Southerners – mainly women, children, elderly and the disabled veterans of the Confederate army – from mass starvation and were thereafter regarded as a symbol of good luck.
The peas are said to represent good fortune. Certainly, the starving Southern families and soldiers were fortunate to have those meager supplies.
According to tradition and folklore, peas are served with several other dishes that symbolically represent good fortune, health, wealth, and prosperity in the coming year.
Some folks still traditionally cook the black-eyed peas with a silver dime in the pot as a symbol of good fortune.
Our Favorite Corn Bread Recipe Here
Greens represent wealth and paper money. Any greens will do, but in the South the most popular are collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, and cabbage.
Cornbread is a regular staple among Southerners in the absence of wheat. It symbolizes gold and is very good for soaking up the juice from the greens on the plate.
Most Southerners always have some cornbread on hand in their kitchen because it is good for dinner and in the morning with syrup.
Pork symbolizes bountiful prosperity, and then progressing into the year ahead. Ham and hog jowls are typical with the New Year meal, though sometimes bacon will be used, too. Pigs root forward, so it’s the symbolic moving forward for the New Year.
Tomatoes are often eaten with this meal as well as they represent health and wealth.
So reflect on those stories when you sit down at your family table and enjoy this humble, uniquely Southern meal every New Year’s Day. Be thankful for what this year did give you in spite of the bad, and hope and pray for better days that are coming ahead for you.
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CINDY LEAL MASSEY, TEXAS AUTHOR
Clever Journeys 
It sounds a lot like how the Irish think of colcannon, which is potatoes and cabbage or kale, with coins in it, for Saint Patrick’s Day. It’s hard to draw a line between paganism and thankfulness for blessing; food always contains much symbolism. I knew people in the South ate blackeye peas for good luck on New Year’s Day, but I didn’t know why. It’s really beautiful to think of it as a thanksgiving meal, isn’t it! I had some last week, cooked with ham, onion and okra; I just love that stuff. I know it goes with it, but I didn’t make cornbread. I like the idea of it symbolizing gold, like wheat does prosperity. Pretty neat article.
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You’re making me hungry.
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I was a regular consumer of black-eyed-peas in my childhood, along with cornbread and milk. My folks didn’t make much money, so when the cash got low, or ran out, the peas, pinto beans and the cornbread hit the table a runnin. I plan to have me a big bowl of them little darlings tomorrow night.
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Same here. I was afraid not to eat them.
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On New Year’s Day, I made a spicy hot rice, shrimp, okra and tomato dish, with salt and vinegar chips and garlic, onion dip. It had no symbolism, but it tasted great. Now that I think of it, I don’t think the North has any traditional New Year’s Day food, except a big ham dinner.
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Yum! Good for you.
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