If youre a homegrown Southerner, then chances are youve at least heard of Hoppin John, even if it isnt part of your annual New Years Day meal. The classic New Years dish includes peas, pork, and rice, and its been around since the 1800s (via History). The ingredients represent — and are meant to bring — luck, peace, and money in the New Year to those who eat it, though how this belief came about is unclear.
People believe the fare hails from South Carolinas Low Country. The earliest recorded recipes for Hoppin John can be traced to cookbooks of the 1840s. Southern slaves, however, were cooking it many years before that. One of the main ingredients, peas, was cheap and an easy way to feed slaves, as was rice. It helps explain the origins of the dish, though slaves probably didnt find the dish to be lucky after all.
The name of the dish has a history shrouded in mystery. Some believe it was named after an elderly hobbled man known as Hoppin John who sold peas and rice in Charleston, South Carolina. Others tell a tale of slave children bouncing around the table as they awaited their serving of the fare. Many food historians think the name comes from a French term, pois pigeons, which described dried peas.
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.”
People believe the fare hails from South Carolinas Low Country. The earliest recorded recipes for Hoppin John can be traced to cookbooks of the 1840s. Southern slaves, however, were cooking it many years before that. One of the main ingredients, peas, was cheap and an easy way to feed slaves, as was rice. It helps explain the origins of the dish, though slaves probably didnt find the dish to be lucky after all.
The name of the dish has a history shrouded in mystery. Some believe it was named after an elderly hobbled man known as Hoppin John who sold peas and rice in Charleston, South Carolina. Others tell a tale of slave children bouncing around the table as they awaited their serving of the fare. Many food historians think the name comes from a French term, pois pigeons, which described dried peas.
Hoppin John is a rather simple dish that was traditionally made with one pound of bacon, one pint of peas, and one pint of rice. The earliest published form of the recipe appeared in Sarah Rutledges The Carolina Housewife in 1847. She explained that the key is to cook everything together in one pot. But one distinction that you might not know or overlook while making this dish today is that it used to be made utilizing the traditional Carolina method for making rice. The Carolina method used a lot of salted water to boil the rice until the grains were plump. The excess water was drained off and everything in the pot was left to steam over low heat (via Serious Eats). Another key difference is that the peas used in early versions of Hoppin John were actually “red peas” or “cow peas.”
If youre a homegrown Southerner, then chances are youve at least heard of Hoppin John, even if it isnt part of your annual New Years Day meal. The classic New Years dish includes peas, pork, and rice, and its been around since the 1800s (via History). The ingredients represent — and are meant to bring — luck, peace, and money in the New Year to those who eat it, though how this belief came about is unclear.
Today, people make it using bacon, black-eyed peas, Carolina Gold rice, and myriad spices and aromatics like garlic, thyme, and cayenne. Also important is the Holy Trinity of Cajun and Creole cooking: onion, bell pepper, and celery, the basis for a wide variety of dishes (via The Spruce Eats). According to Southern Living, the rice is cooked separately from everything else. Then the bacon and black-eyed pea mixture is spooned over the rice when served.
Hot Pursuit It‘s common to add a touch of red pepper or hot sauce. A 1912 News & Courier article described the way old-time cooks made hoppin’ John: “Give her some peas, some rice, a bit of fat bacon, and two or three pods of red pepper, and she would turn you out a dish of Hoppin’ John, with each grain of rice separate from the other and the rice from the peas.”
What’s Hoppin’, John? While various theories exist about the origins of the name ”hoppin’ John,” a plausible explanation is that it comes from a paraphrased Gullah version of the French words for pigeon peas, pois pigeons, pronounced “pwa-peejohn.”
Meat of the Matter While the oldest Lowcountry recipes call for adding fried bacon to the mixture, today other pork meats such as ham hocks, salt pork, or pork jowls are also used. In Africa, where the dish originated, beef would have been the meat of choice.
Lucky Charms Some folks put a shiny new dime in the pot while cooking. Whoever finds the coin in his bowl will get an extra dose of good fortune. Another tradition calls for each person to leave three peas on the plate after finishing, with one each to represent luck, wealth, and romance.
Take Your Pick Black-eyed peas are traditionally used in Charleston hoppin’ John, yet field peas, crowder peas, and even kidney beans may be employed.
The History of: Hoppin’ John | A New Year’s Southern Tradition
FAQ
What is the meaning behind Hoppin John?
What is the difference between Hoppin John and black-eyed peas?
Why is Hoppin John eaten on new year’s Day?
Did black-eyed peas originate in Africa?
What is Hoppin’ John made of?
Hoppin’ John, also known as Carolina peas and rice, is a peas and rice dish served in the Southern United States. It is made with cowpeas, mainly, black-eyed peas and Sea Island red peas in the Sea Islands and iron and clay peas in the Southeast US, and rice, chopped onion, and sliced bacon, seasoned with salt.
Why is it called Hoppin’ John?
Some believe it was named after an elderly hobbled man known as Hoppin’ John who sold peas and rice in Charleston, South Carolina. Others tell a tale of slave children bouncing around the table as they awaited their serving of the fare. Many food historians think the name comes from a French term, pois pigeons, which described dried peas.
Are Hoppin’ John beans?
Wherever you have an African presence, you will find Hoppin’ John in one form or another. “South Carolina peas and rice is made with cowpeas or red peas, but if you go to other states, they will use black-eyed peas because that was what was available,” Baker explained. All of these peas are in the same family and are, technically, beans.
Who invented ‘Hoppin’ John’?
One source suggests that “Hoppin’ John” was a handicapped man who cooked and sold the dish in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1841. One tradition has children hopping around the dinner table as the dish is brought in from the kitchen.