What are you eating today?

I can tell you many Black and West Indian people will partake of cultural foods as is our custom on this day.

Here are a few:

1. Hoppin’ John – Cow peas or field peas. Black-eyed peas are common because people can’t find the other two especially outside of the South and animal fat and cracklings paired with the staple white rice. (I prefer mine with smoked turkey meat.) Peas resemble pennies or traditional African copper coins and are made to manifest money and good fortune.

2. Collard Greens – Served with rice, hot sauce or pepper sauce. Collard greens are prepared because they represent green dollars and manifest money and luck.

3. Cornbread – A quick bread made with cornmeal, salt, sugar, milk/water, eggs, and butter. Cornbread represents gold bricks and represents wealth and luxury.

4. Okra – Enslaved Africans were brought to the French colony in large numbers starting in 1719, and by 1721 more than half the residents of New Orleans were African. Okra serves as evidence of West African influence across the south as well as the West Indies. The enslaved from Angola also brought okra to the New World but called it gumbo.

Gumbo is a popular southern dish that has its notoriety in New Orleans. Similar okra-based stews and soups could be found anywhere numerous enslaved Africans and their descendants lived particularly among the Gullah-Geechie people. As you know, my book The Thing About Home, is set in Georgetown and includes a bit of Gullah culture.

As for me and my house…I’m making Hoppin John rice with field peas, greens and shrimp. The shrimp is a Rhonda custom.

If you’d like to try the rice, follow this recipe from Kardea Brown. She is the author of the NYT Bestselling book The Way Home. https://www.facebook.com/reel/3591304677809579

Have an abundantly blessed year!

#hoodoofoods #newyear #kardeabrown #thewayhome