A Cheesy Brazilian Black-Eyed Pea Dish for Luck in the New Year

My mother, who grew up in East Texas (which she would argue is technically the South), introduced me to the Southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas to ring in the new year. This tradition allegedly came from West Africa, where black-eyed peas are said to have originated. The distinctive black dot where the pale pea curves is reminiscent of cowry shells, which were once used as currency in West Africa. As such, black-eyed peas have come to symbolize wealth, which is how it became a New Year’s Day staple for many Southerners.

I remember going on a New Year’s Eve Caribbean cruise once and meeting a couple of passengers from Tennessee. They were discussing what they would do if the chef had the audacity to let Jan. 1 arrive without serving black-eyed peas. In the end, they were able to find a can of “congo peas” while we were docked in St. Kitts. I still have that image of them huddled together in their stateroom eating spoonfuls of cold beans right from the can.

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from Food52 https://f52.co/2EZ1BT2

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