Who Is Hoppin' John?

For many Southerners, New Year’s Day wouldn’t be complete without a plate of cornbread, hoppin’ john, and a mess o’ greens. It is the belief of many Southerners that the consumption of these foods on New Year’s Day will bring good luck for the rest of the year. The hoppin’ john is actually a mix of rice and field peas or black-eyed peas, traditionally seasoned with onions and pork fat. Collards, turnips, mustard or kale, any combination will suffice to make the "mess," and the cornbread is intended to soak up the juice.

But, why?

How did this meal become a tradition for so many Southern families?

There are as many stories attempting to explain this tradition as there are recipes for hoppin’ John, but a popular theory asserts that black-eyed peas originated in West Africa and were transported to North America during the slave trade. The first historical mention of hoppin’ John appeared in the book, A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States, which was Frederick Law Olmstead’s travel journal, published in 1846. The passage describes hoppin' John as a meal consisting of rice, cowpeas and bacon, eaten and enjoyed as a luxury by slaves.

According to the website of Anson Mills, a South Carolina enterprise specializing in heirloom corn, rice, wheat and even beans,

"Southern field peas, more commonly called cowpeas, comprise an entire subset of the legume family. The colloquial term comes from old farming practices in which hay from the pea harvest was left in the field for grazing cattle. Shade and drought tolerant, cowpeas were intercropped with rice, corn and wheat, and played a subtle but vital role supplying nitrogen to the soil. This system of using cowpeas in rotation and intercropping was African-inspired and became the basis for sustainable rice horticulture on the Sea Islands of Georgia and South Carolina.

One variety in particular, a tiny cowpea known as the Sea Island Red Pea, proved vigorous enough to survive into the 20th century. Planted in July, picked young and cooked green with freshly harvested rice in the autumn, this dish--known by its local Gullah name, “Reesy Peesy”--became the Sea Islands’ most enduring. After harvest, dried red peas cooked with Carolina rice came to define the famous “Hoppin John.”  

Many cultures around the world enjoy the simple, savory combination of rice and beans, such as feijoada in Brazil, platillo moros y cristianos in Cuba, gallo pinto in Costa Rica, pabellón criollo in Venezuela, kongbap in Korea, rajma in India and mujadarra in the Middle East.

It is said that a true Southerner can be distinguished from someone “passing through” by their reaction to the pungent aroma of a pot of greens cooking on the stove. During slavery times, greens were often some of the only food readily available to slaves and their families, as they are notoriously hearty and grow in cooler temperatures, enjoying their peak from January-April.

Meat that was discarded from the plantation home, such as pigs’ feet and neck bones, were often tossed in the pot and cooked down with the greens into a smooth-tasting gravy known affectionately as “pot liquor.” Fresh, hot cornbread was used to soak up the juices, and many wise old women have urged their family members throughout the years to indulge in this fabulous health tonic.

The collard green is a powerful food source that dates back to prehistoric times. Rich in vitamins K, A and C, as well as calcium, iron and omega-3 fatty acids, the collard green is without a doubt a super food. Its close relatives include mustard, turnips, and kale, all of which are members of the cruciferous family of vegetables, along with broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Studies have shown that collards have amazing anti-inflammatory properties, and may even have the ability to prevent cancer. 

Some people like to splash pepper vinegar or hot sauce on their greens and hoppin’ John, while others might prefer barbecue sauce, ketchup, Sorghum, mayonnaise or molasses. In some households, a coin is thrown into the pot of collards, and the family member who finds the coin in their mess o’ greens is said to be especially lucky. Regardless of where, when or how these fantastic foods are consumed, it is undeniably a meal that is steeped in tradition, reeking of history and bearing a heavy load of superstition.

How do you do New Year’s Day?