In the South, the peas are typically cooked with a pork product for flavoring (such as bacon, ham bones, fatback or hog jowl). The traditional meal also features collard, turnip, or mustard greens and ham. The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize
prosperity; the greens symbolize
money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, represents
positive motion. Cornbread also often accompanies this meal. Ano
ther suggested origin of the tradition dates back to the Civil War, when Union troops, especially in areas targeted by General William Sherman, typically stripped the countryside of all stored food, crops and livestock and destroyed whatever they could not carry away. At that time, Northerners considered "field peas" and field corn suitable only for animal fodder and did not steal or destroy these humble foods. Their loss! ~ Chef Wilkinson ~
In the South, the peas are typically cooked with a pork product for flavoring (such as bacon, ham bones, fatback or hog jowl). The traditional meal also features collard, turnip, or mustard greens and ham. The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, represents positive motion. Cornbread also often accompanies this meal. Ano
ther suggested origin of the tradition dates back to the Civil War, when Union troops, especially in areas targeted by General William Sherman, typically stripped the countryside of all stored food, crops and livestock and destroyed whatever they could not carry away. At that time, Northerners considered "field peas" and field corn suitable only for animal fodder and did not steal or destroy these humble foods. Their loss! ~ Chef Wilkinson ~
