Illustration by Sarah Wiseby
Indigenous to West Africa, the cowpea—a.k.a. the black-eyed pea—isn’t actually a pea at all; it’s a bean. Known for its nutrient-dense texture, these legumes were originally used as livestock feed before becoming part of the litany of throwaway foods that sustained the enslaved. Lore has it that during the Civil War, soldiers turned their noses up at the idea of eating “field peas,” but they became an economic boon for the South later in the war and in the years after emancipation.
Every January 1, many African American households across the country start off New Year’s Day with a steaming pot of black-eyed peas, a tradition that’s tied to good luck and prosperity in the coming year. “Over time, this New Year’s Day tradition has taken on various forms,” food historian Adrian Miller wrote in Garden & Gun in 2020. “In the Carolinas, particularly in the areas strongly influenced by Geechee and Gullah culture, rice is cooked along with black-eyed peas or red field peas so that the lucky dish becomes hoppin’ John.” (Traditionally made with pork or smoked turkey thighs, hoppin’ John originated in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, and is one of the state’s most well-known dishes.) If you don’t boil up a batch yourself, make sure you snag some from Millie’s Place or Southern Grace Eats.
- Millie’s Place, 5923 Madison Rd., Madisonville, (513) 527-4075
- Southern Grace Eats, 3751 Montgomery Rd., Norwood, (513) 818-8182
