New Year's Eve meals

[marinaio61]

It's been our tradition to have Black Eyed Peas and Fried Chicken on New Year's Eve. This year it'll be Hoppin John and Fried Chicken, just to spice up the Black Eyed Peas a bit. I've heard it'll bring good luck, going to need a bunch of that after this year. Funny part is I'm a born and bred Yankee, no idea where I got into a typical Southern tradition, must have been when I was stationed in Norfolk, VA.

[bighomer]

Well around my neck of the woods it's black eyed peas and hog jaw or jowl iff'in you ain't as country as me.

[Railsplitter]

We'll probably just order a pizza.

[Doc B]

My parents made us eat at least a spoonful of black eyed peas, every New Year. It's a tradition I abandoned, as soon as I left home!

[Colonel26]

I’m with Big H. Here it’s cabbage, black eyed peas, and hog jowl (except here it’s pronounced something like jole). We just call it “jole meat”. Oh and real (not sweet) cornbread out of a cast iron skillet.

And for the record, it don’t get much better than black eyed pea’s any time of the year.

[Steve Warden]

Dad's from West Virginia.
Growing up it was always a fork-full of sauerkraut at the stroke of mid-night.
We, my wife and I, carried on the tradition for a few years, then, like Doc B, dropped it.

For us, New Year's Eve has become just another night. The meal is what ever happens to come to mind, and we're usually in bed by 9:30pm, just like every other night!

[XX Case XX]

My favorite...

___________
Mike

[dlr110]

Growing up it was black eyed peas, a pan of cornbread and Mom could always do something with a pound of hamburger meat. If there was any cornbread left, Mom would crumble it up in a glass of buttermilk. These days Cheryl and I will have the black eyed peas, but there is no telling what we'll have with them. Just might have to go to Cracker Barrel and see what they're serving them with.

[Mumbleypeg]

Black-eyed peas are standard table fare here year around (cream peas are better though if you can find them - I usually grow my own). Traditional to have black-eyed peas on New Years Day served alongside ham, some cheese grits, and cornbread.

Ken

[woodwalker]

Cabbage, hog jowl and black eyed peas with cornbread out of a cast iron skillet here in Southeast Missouri. Good sweet onion on the side. Sweet tea to drink!

[jmh58]

Beer.. And more Beer..
John

[marinaio61]

Several with Hog Jowls, never had them and I doubt I could even find them here in NE Colorado. Are they mostly fat or mostly meat?

[treefarmer]

It 's interesting to read the reasons behind the traditions of theses meals.
We eat all sorts of field peas, various greens and cornbread all year. But for the New Years meal we do add the hog jowl. We bought a big boneless pork loin for Christmas dinner, it cost $1.44, today Miss Joy bought a package of smoked hog jowl, it was $2.82 per pound. The jowl really makes the meal! We slice and fry some, skin on, like very crisp bacon, we use larger chunks to season both greens and peas for that meal. I look forward to this meal because even though we have the peas and greens all during the year, they are not seasoned with fat hog jowl. When I ask why, Miss Joy blames it on my mother. She was an R.N. and she said all that pork fat is not good for our health so we use other oils for cooking and seasoning, peanut, olive and corn oils are in the pantry.
Black-eyed peas, greens of some sort, cornbread and the smoked hog jowl should once again grace our table this year. There is usually a dessert but nothing connected to a New Years tradition. I can do without the cake or pie, pass me another piece of corn bread, some butter and cane syrup.
Treefarmer

[mcrunkin]

Shrimp and Grits here is the south......

[woodwalker]

Several with Hog Jowls, never had them and I doubt I could even find them here in NE Colorado. Are they mostly fat or mostly meat?

Mostly like bacon. Chewy or sometimes hard in the middle and has a nice rind on the outside that you can chew on. Loved it with cornbread (not sweet) and Turnip Greens! Grew up on that meal. Still love it!

[Mumbleypeg]

Several with Hog Jowls, never had them and I doubt I could even find them here in NE Colorado. Are they mostly fat or mostly meat?

I bet your local butcher can get them for you, but maybe not on short notice. They’re served worldwide but known by other names in most places outside the southern U.S. Basically it’s the cheek of a hog, “cured” or smoked like bacon.

Ken

[Colonel26]

All this talk of various field peas, cornbread, various greens, cabbage, and jowl meat has made me hungry. When we had hogs butchered this year, the folks that did it cured the jowl meat like pa used to, salt and sugar then hickory smoked and sliced thick. Fried up in an iron skillet, it’s delicious!

It 's interesting to read the reasons behind the traditions of theses meals.
We eat all sorts of field peas, various greens and cornbread all year. But for the New Years meal we do add the hog jowl. We bought a big boneless pork loin for Christmas dinner, it cost $1.44, today Miss Joy bought a package of smoked hog jowl, it was $2.82 per pound. The jowl really makes the meal! We slice and fry some, skin on, like very crisp bacon, we use larger chunks to season both greens and peas for that meal. I look forward to this meal because even though we have the peas and greens all during the year, they are not seasoned with fat hog jowl. When I ask why, Miss Joy blames it on my mother. She was an R.N. and she said all that pork fat is not good for our health so we use other oils for cooking and seasoning, peanut, olive and corn oils are in the pantry.
Black-eyed peas, greens of some sort, cornbread and the smoked hog jowl should once again grace our table this year. There is usually a dessert but nothing connected to a New Years tradition. I can do without the cake or pie, pass me another piece of corn bread, some butter and cane syrup.
Treefarmer

That’s a big tradition here too. Cornbread or biscuits with butter and syrup. But we also do peanut butter and syrup. That’s good stuff right there.

[rea1eye]

Interesting topic. Never heard of these New Years Eve traditions.
Funny what you learn on a knife forum.

Bob

[Mumbleypeg]

Bob, I’ve never heard of them as New Years Eve traditions, unless eaten after midnight which makes them New Years Day traditions. It’s believed that eating black-eyed peas on New Years Day brings good luck, and eating pork means you will enjoy prosperity in the coming year. I’m sure it’s about as valid as any other superstition, but we still do it!

I’ve been told the popularity of field peas (black-eyes, purple hulls, cream peas, etc) originated with black slaves in the old south, and became even more popular during the Civil War when the invading Yankee troops, upon raiding southern farms commandeered livestock and other staples but would not take the field peas, which they considered “cattle feed”. Southerners knew how to cook them and were glad to have them.

How much of that is true I don’t know, but I do like them. Canned field peas are standard items on grocery shelves here, and in the produce section and farmer’s markets when in season.

Ken

[Colonel26]

Bob, I’ve never heard of them as New Years Eve traditions, unless eaten after midnight which makes them New Years Day traditions. It’s believed that eating black-eyed peas on New Years Day brings good luck, and eating pork means you will enjoy prosperity in the coming year. I’m sure it’s about as valid as any other superstition, but we still do it!

I’ve been told the popularity of field peas (black-eyes, purple hulls, cream peas, etc) originated with black slaves in the old south, and became even more popular during the Civil War when the invading Yankee troops, upon raiding southern farms commandeered livestock and other staples but would not take the field peas, which they considered “cattle feed”. Southerners knew how to cook them and were glad to have them.

How much of that is true I don’t know, but I do like them. Canned field peas are standard items on grocery shelves here, and in the produce section and farmer’s markets when in season.

Ken

In reference to the livestock feed thing, my grandparent’s generation called all the field peas, except black eyed peas, cow peas.

[tallguy606]

One guy said, "I eat my peas with honey, I've done it all my life. It makes the peas taste funny, but it keeps them on my knife."

[edge213]

I've never heard of special meals for New Years Eve. Only on New Years Day, which around here is cabbage.
Usually in the form of corned beef and cabbage or "pigs in the blanket" (cabbage rolls).

[jerryd6818]

We never had a special meal for New Years Eve or New Year Day.

Hog jaw (our pronunciation of jowl) Is my all time favorite. There used to be a grocery store here in town that carried it and every chance I got, I would buy it instead of bacon. Much better flavor in my opinion. Black Eyed Peas, purple hull beans and pinto beans are among my favorites. All flavored with a little bacon grease of course. I never was and still am not a fan of white beans, Navy Beans nor Great Northern. I'll be called a heretic but I prefer a little sugar in my cornbread and flavored with bacon grease. Not cake sweet but just a smidgen of sugar.

[OLDE CUTLER]

Not a traditional thing, but for tonight with a few friends over it will be shredded turkey and cheese sandwiches, pasta salad, orange fruit salad, relish tray and a mystery dessert that will not be know until it gets here. We tend to eat a lighter meal on New Years Eve to allow for cards, snacks and drinks later.

[edge213]

Eating cabbage on New Years Day = good luck for the year......duh?