Where did the legend of eating Blackeyed Peas on New Year s Day for good luck originate?
There is a tradition, which says if you eat Blackeyed Peas on New Year s Day, you will have good luck throughout the New Year. The Blackeyed Pea or cow pea has been around since the dawn of time. The Blackeyed Pea remains have been found in the excavations of the Swiss Lake dwellers of the Bronze Age (2500-1000BC). African slaves brought the Blackeyed Pea to America in 1674. They quickly became a vital source of nourishment for slaves and they could be grown in virtually any type of soil. During the Civil War, Yankee soldiers destroyed cash crops such as cotton and staples such as tomatoes and potatoes, but overlooked the fields of Blackeyed Peas. Southerners, gentry, commoners and former slaves alike, turned to the Blackeyed Pea as a staple. The legend that eating Blackeyed Peas on New Year s Day brought good luck emerged from this period of American history. Many old families of Charleston, South Carolina, began preparing a dish called “Hoppin John” out of Blackeyed Peas, bacon, and
