Hoppin’ John

Rich in history and folklore, Hoppin’ John is an essential part of New Year’s Day celebrations in the American South, particularly in Black communities; it’s believed to bring those who eat it good luck in the year ahead.

According to Toni Tipton-Martin’s Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking, the custom of serving Hoppin’ John recipes on New Year’s is rooted in “Freedom’s Eve,” December 31, 1862, “when the enslaved gathered in churches to await the news that the Emancipation Proclamation had set them free.” In the South Carolina Lowcountry and other Southern locales, the celebratory meal often includes a side dish of braised collard greens.

There are several theories about the origin of the dish’s name. Chef and activist Millie Peartree explains that some say it “comes from children ‘hoppin’ ’ around the dinner table; another story tells of a man named John who came ‘a-hoppin’ ’ when his wife took the dish from the stove.” Others believe the name stems from a Gullah version of the French “pois à pigeons,” a variety of dried pea.

Recipes for Hoppin’ John can vary significantly. Some call for cowpeas (a type of field pea) to be cooked with a ham hock (or smoked turkey) and Carolina Gold rice together in a single pot. Peartree prefers to simmer black-eyed peas on a stovetop, pile the tender peas atop separately cooked rice, and garnish with a shower of sliced green onions.