Black-Eyed Peas, Collard Greens and Cornbread. And some folks say you should have hog jowl with it.
It is said that eating these Southern Classics will help bring a prosperous year. The greens represent dollar bills and the peas represent coins, ensuring wealth and luck. According to folklore this tradition dates back to the civil war. After Sherman burned the south the only thing left in the fields were black-eyed peas for animal fodder. Eating the pea represents humility and lack of vanity. "Eat poor on New Years and eat fat for the rest of the year"! Another saying says, " Peas for pennies, green for dollars, and cornbread for gold".
The pork (hog jowl is cured and smoked cheeks of pork) symbolizes forward progress -- A pig roots forward. A chicken scratches backwards. A cow stands still. So, for a meal that symbolizes your year ahead, it's definitely pork that you want to eat.
Okay, so that's not exactly what I made. I did make black-eyed peas and cornbread, but we had pork chops and spinach. I hope it still counts!!
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