New Year's trivia: black-eyed peas, hog jowl, and greens

Being the curious Southern girl that I am, I have always wondered why we eat black-eyed peas, hog jowl, and greens on New Year's day.  It turns out it has nothing to do with being broke after Christmas, but it is related to making do.  

  

As Barry, the girls, and I gathered around Memaw and Papaw's table for breakfast on New Year's morning we discussed this tradition.  I remember Grandma Conner making black-eyed peas, greens, and cat-head biscuits (among many other things) on New Year's but it seems like she cooked salt pork with hers.  (For non-Southern folk: no cats are harmed in the making of a cat-head biscuit.  It just means the biscuit is as big as a cat's head.  I sure miss those biscuits!)

Papaw's side of the family has their very own tradition.  His Grandpa Staab told them that it must be the first thing eaten in the new year.  Aunt Patsy is the only descendant who follows that tradition that we know of.  The rest of us wait a bit.

Memaw had heard that the Southern tradition of black-eyed peas and greens hailed from the Civil War era.  After a particularly hard raid from Union troops the Confederate soldiers were left with only black-eyed peas, which she thought the Northerners probably did not know how to cook, and some greens in the fields.

It turns out that there are many sources that discuss this tradition, and in the South the particulars do relate back to a specific location and event; the Siege of Vicksburg. For non-history enthusiasts, the siege of Vicksburg was devastating, with some civilians living in caves outside the city to survive. 

Everything was said to be destroyed or confiscated except the field peas used to feed cattle.  It is a colorful story but it must be noted that the battle lasted from May to July 1863, after which Pemberton surrendered to Grant. While the dates do not coincide, I do like the notion of endurance that is associated with the story.  It is especially touching after visiting Vicksburg in 2009 and touring the battlefield.  

I am not a superstitious person, and I do not really believe in luck, but I am a lover of history and perpetuating tradition is a way to keep our past with us.  That being said, I ate my black-eyed peas with pan fried hog jowl added for flavor, along with mixed greens (collards included!).  I also had a wonderful duck gumbo that I hope becomes another tradition.  The next day I had the above pictured bowl of leftover peas along with some kale sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and Cajun seasoning. 

Like many holiday traditions, there is a loose basis of fact blended with myth.  It may not seem important to know the story behind, but I believe that it enriches our celebrations and gives us a sense of our place in history.  I don't believe these interesting facts and fables are just trivia, I believe they are our foundations.  It's good to inspect foundations.