in what country did black eyed peas originate?

Though black-eyed peas (also known as cowpeas) have no folkloric connection in West Africa to money (some people believe the peas symbolize coins), they have long been associated with good luck for several reasons.

One belief was that the “black eyes” of the pea would protect one from the dreaded “evil eye”— a negative spell cast by one’s enemies

. Others ate black-eyed peas on auspicious occasions. For example, on Good Friday, a cowpea-and-coconut-custard combination called frejon is a traditional meal in parts of West Africa.

Additionally, a dish called ewa-Ibeji (which translates as “Beans for Twins”) was originally cooked with oil and only for ailing twin children, but now it is ceremonially prepared for healthy twins.

In some traditional West African religions, black-eyed peas were prepared to worship a diety — if it was believed to be their favorite food — on ceremonial days.

On this side of the Atlantic, black-eyed peas retained their lucky status.

People of West African heritage carried them around as a lucky charm, to ward off harmful magic spells and the evil eye.

People of West European heritage thought beans in general symbolized fertility because dried beans, including black-eyed peas, increase in size when cooked.

With all of these folkloric influences, the black-eyed pea was destined to be a good luck symbol.

What’s the Deal With Eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day?

The tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day actually began with Western Europeans.

By the colonial period, the British celebrated New Year’s Day with the superstition of “the first-footer.” Ralph Whitlock wrote in his book In Search of Lost Gods:

A Guide to British Folklore that “the first person to set foot over the threshold on New Year’s morning must in most districts be dark-haired or dark-complexioned;

he or she is then a bringer of good luck. Sometimes the first-footer brings a present of coal and bread, symbolizing a wish that the house shall never be short of fuel or food in the coming year.

that first day

” Reinforcing this was the belief that whatever happened on that first day — whether good or bad — would happen for the rest of the year.

Over time, the black eyes of the peas on one’s dinner table replaced the requirement of having a dark-eyed stranger knocking at one’s door on January 1.

In essence, African Americans reinterpreted a European belief and then presented it to white southerners as something they invented;

The good vibes that people of West African heritage had about black-eyed peas melded with European superstitions to produce a quintessential Southern tradition.

However you feel about this particular legume, I hope that you’ll join in the fun and make a pot of black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. It’s a coin-toss as to whether or not prosperity will come your way — but with this recipe, at least you’ll salivate at the prospect.

How to Make Black-Eyed Peas

This is one of the first recipes that I got from my late mother, Johnetta Miller. Though this is a recipe for black-eyed peas, this is my standard approach for making any vegetable in “soul food style.”

Ingredients

1 pound dried black-eyed or other field peas

1 smoked ham hock or smoked turkey wing (about 8 ounces)

1 medium onion, chopped

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Salt, to taste

Preparation

Rinse the peas and pick through them to discard any small stones or broken peas.

Pour the peas into a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 2 inches.

Bring them to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour. (Alternatively, place the peas in a large bowl, cover with cold water, and let stand at room temperature overnight.)

Meanwhile, make a stock by placing the ham hock or turkey wing in another large saucepan.

Cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the stock is flavorful, about 1 hour. Discard the hock or wing.

Drain the soaking liquid from the peas and add them to the stock. Make sure the peas are submerged. Stir in the onion and pepper flakes.

Simmer until the peas are nearly tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and continue simmering until the peas are tender and well-seasoned, about 10 minutes more. Serve the peas warm.

Are black-eyed peas native to America?

History. The black eye pea is cultivated throughout the world. Most of the black-eyed pea cultivation occurred in the Southern United States as early as the 17th century in Virginia. The crop would also eventually prove popular in Texas.

How did black-eyed peas get to America?

After being domesticated there 5,000 years ago, black-eyed peas made their way into the diets of people in virtually all parts of that continent. They then traveled to the Americas in the holds of slave ships as food for the enslaved.

Why do you leave 3 black-eyed peas?

Each item on the plate has symbolic meaning for the New Year. Black-eyed Peas represent “coins,” collard greens represent money or “green backs”, corn bread represents “gold,” and if tomatoes are added to Hoppin’ John it symbolizes “health”.

Black-eyed pea

Several legends exist as to the origin of this custom. Two popular explanations for the South’s association with peas and good luck dates back to the American Civil War.

In Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, lobya or green black-eyed-beans are cooked with onion, garlic, tomatoes, peeled and chopped, olive oil, salt and black pepper.

resource: wikipedia