#hoppin john

[continent-of-wild-endeavor]

Hello 2023! Or so they tell me.

Eat you some pork & greens & beans today, friends. It'll help.

[slowlycooking]

Slow Cooker Hoppin' John - Plain Chicken

Slow Cooker Hoppin' John - Black Eyed Peas, Rotel tomatoes, smoked sausage, beef broth, onion, bell pepper, cajun seasoning and rice.

[yearofsimplefood]

Husband made his traditional hoppin’ John to ring in the new year - fingers crossed it’ll bring luck!

[freshtendril]

Happy New Year Hoppin’ John!

Using the Hogs Brains cowpeas from last Fall.

They are richly flavored and have great texture with a creaminess about them. These dried legumes are superior to regular blackeyed peas.

I will definitely grow them again.

[robertsfoodandmore]

I guess this is Hoppin’ John. Black eye peas with collard greens and ham served with rice. And cornbread! Happy new year!

[stateofdisunion]

Featured Avatars: Mississippi, Alabama,  South Carolina, and Texas (With Minnesota and Michigan canoodling in the background of the first panel. i couldn’t resist).

Sorry this is late: I had a baby shower I was making art for that took precedence over this. 

History: Eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck is a Southern Tradition of some disputed origin, though it emerged generally around the end of the Civil War and started in the Low Counties. 

The most traditional dish is Hoppin’ John, which is just black eyed peas and rice. That name is of unknown original, but may have been based on a French name. Most suggestions are  . . really ridiculous (example: one site suggested it is based on the southern slang “hop on in, John” to invite someone to dinner. No one says that. No one has ever said that).  

It is true that the first written recipe was written down in the The Carolina Housewife (Which is still in print and can be bought from Amazon) by Sarah Rutledge. However, it was based on the cooking practices of Slaves brought over from West Africa, and is considered African in origin. 

It is also true that if you make as instructed it is pretty bland these days because of the changes in the food. The rice is not the same and is so processed that the nutrients actually have to be added in, there is some dispute on whether black eyed peas were even used (there are several beans it could have been referring too, and general consensus is it was something else), and just in general it is not as good, which is why you see most recipes adding a lot of seasoning to it (My husband agrees with Texas).

Originally the rice that was used was a type called Carolina Gold, that has a much nuttier flavor. However, it must be grown in very wet climates, unsuitable to heavy machinery, and so labor costs (when paid fairly) make it unprofitable. You can, however, buy it from small companies, like Anson Mills, who grow heirloom varieties of foods.   

Dying of Malaria was a HUGE cause of death for Slaves that worked on the Carolina Rice farms. Basically, before it became illegal to import new slaves, it was cheaper to let a slave die of untreated Malaria and buy a new one then it was to try and get them better, so that is what the plantation owners did. 

[paredepodre]

This flavorsome dish from the American South combines black-eyed peas, onion, ham hock and long-grain rice in a satisfying, simmered pilaf. A sprinkling of smoked Cheddar cheese melts lusciously over the top.

[yearofsimplefood]

Husband’s Beans and Greens for New Year’s Day are delicious!