Why Do We Eat Black Eyed Peas For New Years
Camila Farah
Stew your black eyed peas with tomatoes and they become a symbol of wealth and health.
The peas are said to represent coins and the greens are the paper money. A lot of the stuff we eat on new year s is soul food. Black eyed peas are supposed to resemble coins and coins mean prosperity she said. Adding a shiny penny or dime to the pot just before serving is another tradition practiced by some.
Black eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health. So black eyed peas signify coins and. Black eyed peas were also given to slaves as were most other traditional new year s foods. By eating them now they are a symbol of prosperity for a new year.
Peas became symbolic of luck. One explanation of the superstition says that black eyed peas were all the southern slaves had to celebrate with on the first day of january 1863. In some areas actual values are assigned with the black eyed peas representing pennies or up to a dollar each and the greens representing anywhere from one to a thousand dollars. Black eyed peas were also given to enslaved people as were most other traditional southern new year s foods and evolved through the years to be considered soul food one variation of the superstition says that black eyed peas were all the enslaved people in the south had to celebrate with on the first day of january 1863.
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One unusual but common new year s day black eyed peas tradition involves putting actual money in the dish. For the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead one must eat at least 365 black eyed peas on new year s day. Black eyed peas are associated with a mystical and mythical power to bring good luck and many a southern new year s day menu features the dish in one form or another southern food researcher john egerton says in his book southern food.Source : pinterest.com