Black Eye Pea's and Happy Hogmanay!

photo: Edinburgh Tourist Board

In the South it is a tradition to eat Back Eyed Pea’s on New Years day, it is believed to bring prosperity. In Italy they eat 12 grapes at midnight to signify the 12 months of the year and in Japan the Soba noodle is eaten. In Scotland New Year is called Hogmanay and first footing is custom.

After midnight, the person to cross over the threshold of friends and neighbors houses gives gifts of salt, coal, shortbread and whiskey. That person is to bring luck for the rest of the year. Edinburgh is the best place in the world for me at new year, be it cold, the streets are closed of and you have live music in Princess Street gardens and fireworks on the stroke of midnight visible all over the beautiful city. If you get the chance GO!

Tasty Trix did a guest post with Ghanaian red red so when I found out about black eyed pea's being a Traditional Southern food, I knew this was the dish!

Ghanaian inspired dish based on Red Red.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of pre soaked black eye pea’s
• 1/2 onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1/2 cup wild shrimp
• chili pepper flakes
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• red palm oil or vegetable oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. heat oil and saute onion until translucent then add tomato and reduce down to a paste.
2. add the vegetable stock, shrimp and black eye peas and simmer for 30 minutes.

Heres a wonderful article on New Year's Food History from Slash

Food

http://www.slashfood.com/2009/12/28/new-years-food-history/

Happy New Year may God richly bless you in 2010,

love and new years hugs!