Instant Pot Hoppin' John Recipe - Good Luck in the New Year Meal! (2024)

FAQs

What is the Hoppin John meal on New Year's Day? ›

What Is Hoppin' John? Hoppin' John is a dish traditionally eaten in the southern United States on New Year's Day. Dating back to the early 1800s, it is made with black-eyed peas (aka cow peas), rice, and meat (usually pork, in the form of bacon or ham). The meal can also include collard greens and cornbread.

And our tastiest superstitious tradition is eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day. This classic Southern dish, a one-pot meal of black-eyed peas, ham hock, and rice, is believed by many (not just the Sterlings) to ensure wealth and bring good luck in the upcoming year.

In the southern United States, eating Hoppin' John on New Year's Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck. The peas are symbolic of pennies or coins, and a coin is sometimes added to the pot or left under the dinner bowls.

For many Southerners, New Year's Day means we're eating Hoppin' John with a side of collard greens and cornbread. A bowlful of this classic recipe filled with black-eyed peas, Carolina Gold rice, and ham hock (or bacon) ensures we kick off the year with a promise of good fortune.

Black-eyed peas: These legumes are traditionally eaten in the Southern US for good luck and fortune in the new year. Lentils and beans: Similar to black-eyed peas, lentils and beans symbolize wealth and abundance in various cultures. Round foods: Donuts, cakes, and other round-shaped foods represent "full.

According to Southern lore, you will have good luck for the entire year if you have the traditional New Year's Day supper. In the South, that means a meal of collard greens, hoppin' John, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and pot likker soup.

What's the difference between Hoppin' John and black-eyed peas? Hoppin' John has black-eyed peas in it, but it also has other ingredients. In this recipe, the black-eyed peas are stewed with onion, garlic, celery, and a ham hock, similar to how some Southern-style black-eyed peas would be cooked.

Traditionally eaten as the first dish on New Year's Day, Hoppin' John is a family recipe that has been handed down from the 1800s. Our recipe includes blackeye peas, onions, jalapeños and a brine that has been in the McCall family for more than a century. Available sizes: 14.5 oz – check availability.

The tradition is thought to have originated in West Africa, and was brought over to the United States during the time of slavery. In many Southern states, it is believed that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Eve brings good luck and prosperity in the coming year.

Some say an old, hobbled man called hoppin' John became known for selling peas and rice on the streets of Charleston. Others say slave children hopped around the table in eager anticipation of the dish. Most food historians think the name derives from a French term for dried peas, “pois pigeons.”

What is another name for Hoppin John? ›

Hoppin' John is also known to many as Carolina Peas and Rice. Gullah or Low Country cuisine reflects the cooking of the Carolinas, especially the Sea islands (a cluster of islands stretching along the coats of South Carolina and northern Georgia).

If you want good luck in the New Year, Southerners will tell you that you have to eat a bowl of Hoppin' John on the first day of the year. No one is quite sure how this meal of rice, peas, and ham because associated with New Year's, but by the 20th century everyone knew about it.

Greens, pork, and cornbread, as well as black-eyed peas, cowpeas, or beans, are some of the typical symbolic foods served on New Year's Day. When planning your dinner menu, add the Southern foods that some say bring good luck and avoid those that may do just the opposite in the new year.

A highlight on the culinary map of the Palmetto State is Hoppin' John. Derived from the Gullah culture, this dish is as legendary as it is savory. Locally sourced ingredients, flavorful seasonings and spices and a certain level of flare are all part of what makes this a classic Southern dish.

Stew your black-eyed peas with tomatoes and they become a symbol of wealth and health. One unusual but common New Year's Day black-eyed peas tradition involves putting actual money in the dish. Some add to their “luck” by cooking their pot of peas with a penny or dime inside.

Cornbread, often served with black-eyed peas and greens, represents gold. For the BEST chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat exactly 365 black-eyed peas, no more or less. Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health.

Cornbread, often served with black-eyed peas and greens, represents gold. For the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat at least 365 black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. Black-eyed peas eaten with stewed tomatoes represent wealth and health.