Hoppin’ John is a rice and bean dish popular in Africa, the Caribbean, and the southeastern US. It’s made with white rice, black-eyed peas, onions, and salted pork. Variations include different beans and meats. It’s eaten on New Year’s Day for good luck and prosperity. Its origin is uncertain, but it’s believed to have originated in the mid-Atlantic coast and country plantations of South Carolina.
Hoppin’ john is a rice and bean dish common in Africa, the Caribbean islands, and the southeastern region of the United States. The dish is typically made with long-grain white rice and black-eyed peas, although other types of beans or peas may be used. A traditional Hoppin’ John recipe also includes diced onions and a kind of salted pork.
Every family and region has its own method of preparing hoppin’ john. In some places, the rice and peas are cooked together; in others, the rice and peas are cooked separately and served together at the table. Variations on black-eyed peas include black beans, kidney beans, and peas. To give the dish its savory flavor, ham hocks, back fat, or bacon can be used. Some cooks also add sausages to the dish.
Much folklore is associated with hoppin’ john, although the origin of the name is uncertain. It is believed to be a mispronounced derivation of the French word for pigeon peas, “pois de pigeon,” which is properly pronounced “pwah-duh-pee-zhon.” Other possible origins include a nickname for a man with a limp named John or the tradition of extending a dinner invitation with the phrase “Hop in, John.”
Hoppin’ john is a very popular meal on New Year’s Day. It is believed to bring good luck and prosperity, especially when served with green leafy vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens or collard greens. Sometimes a coin is hidden in the pot for some luck. When the leftover hoppin’ john is served the next day, it’s called Skippin’ Jenny or Limpin’ Kate.
The dish first appeared in the New World on the intercoastal islands along the mid-Atlantic coast and country plantations of South Carolina. One of the most colorful references to hoppin’ john in American literature is in the novel “The Member of the Wedding” by Carson McCullers. In this passage, the main character expresses his passion for the dish:
“Now Skipping John was F. Jasmine’s favorite food. She had always warned them to wave a plate of rice and peas in front of her nose when she was in her coffin, to make sure there were no mistakes; for if a breath of life had remained in her, she would have sat down and eaten, but if she had smelled the bouncing John and had not moved, they could have simply nailed the coffin and be certain that she was indeed dead.
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