This article mentioned that it was a custom to eat pork and black-eyed peas on New Years Day. I have always heard that this tradition evolved form Sherman's March through Georgia during the Civil War. Because refrigeration wasn't available, armies were often forced to live off of the land so to speak; confiscating supplies from the locals (see plunder and pillage). The Union Army was no exception and their plight was doubly dire because virtually all of the rail road lines that could have brought supplies were destroyed. When the Union Army came upon a farm, they would often take the hogs and chickens for their own use. In order to lighten their load, they would often butcher the hogs on site leaving only the heads and entrails, thus the tradition of eating hog jowls came about. Most people have a better cut now days. The black-eyed peas are for luck because they are one of the few things that the Union Army left behind. Most of the Union soldiers had never seen black-eyed peas before and because of the large black spot on them thought that they were rotten. The New Year’s Day meal is rounded out with greens. They are traditionally collard greens, but some use mustard or turnip greens. The greens symbolize money.
This article mentioned that it was a custom to eat pork and black-eyed peas on New Years Day. I have always heard that this tradition evolved form Sherman's March through Georgia during the Civil War. Because refrigeration wasn't available, armies were often forced to live off of the land so to speak; confiscating supplies from the locals (see plunder and pillage). The Union Army was no exception and their plight was doubly dire because virtually all of the rail road lines that could have brought supplies were destroyed. When the Union Army came upon a farm, they would often take the hogs and chickens for their own use. In order to lighten their load, they would often butcher the hogs on site leaving only the heads and entrails, thus the tradition of eating hog jowls came about. Most people have a better cut now days. The black-eyed peas are for luck because they are one of the few things that the Union Army left behind. Most of the Union soldiers had never seen black-eyed peas before and because of the large black spot on them thought that they were rotten. The New Year’s Day meal is rounded out with greens. They are traditionally collard greens, but some use mustard or turnip greens. The greens symbolize money.