Southern New Years Lucky Food Traditions

Some southern households are very strict when it comes to their New Year’s tradition. They believe that what they eat for dinner on New Year’s Day will bring about good fortune…if they eat the right thing that is. These southern New Year’s lucky food traditions can bring about some luck for you and your household in the new year.

Black-Eyed Peas

You can make black-eyed peas in so many different ways. If you don’t have time to make your dish using them fresh, don’t worry as frozen black-eyed peas tend to taste just as great as those that are fresh and their texture also isn’t usually affected. Eating them will bring about prosperity in the the new year. In the south, they are often cooked with a hamhock or fatback along with some salt. Many claim that they represent coins which can bring about wealth for those who eat them. Another popular dish is Hoppin’ John. You can also bake them and make a crunchy snack or a topping for salad.

Collard Greens

You can bring a lot of luck into your home by eating, and displaying, collard greens this year. Before eating them, take a couple of the uncooked greens and hang them over your door or ceiling to not only bring about some good luck, but to keep evil spirits at bay as well. Collard greens can be made a variety of ways, but in order to give them the best flavor, cook them in a crockpot on low for several hours with some vinegar.

Cornbread

The luck in this dish lies in the color: yellow. The golden color can bring luck when it comes to money. When making it, don’t use flour or sugar if you want it to be as authentic as possible. Also, make sure you use some cracklings to add a lot of flavor to it.

Pork

The more pork you eat on New Year’s day the more luck it will bring you. So why not have bacon for breakfast, pork chops for lunch and baked ham for dinner? Also, don’t forget to throw a bit of bacon grease in with your vegetables to make them more flavorful. If you don’t eat pork, have fish. Fish swim forward which represent forward movement in the new year. Avoid beef and chicken as the theory is that cows stay still and no one wants to be in the same place in the coming year, and chicken scratch backwards – no one wants to go in that direction either!

Pot Likker Juice

Are you looking for a bit of luck when it comes to love in the New Year? Don’t throw out the pot likker juice that’s leftover after cooking your collard greens. This vitamin-rich liquid can be made into a soup or drizzled over your black-eye peas. Already have a significant other? Pot likker is known to be an aphrodisiac. If you don’t want to drink it, dip your corn bread.

So you may be asking what shouldn’t I eat on New Years day… Do we have the post for you What NOT To Eat On New Year’s Day covers it all.