One of the reasons I became interested in food was learning the origin stories of food and how their unique names came to be. Not to my surprise, that is also the interest of many of my instructors. Often times, they’ll give us, not really bonus assignments, but extra work because “Why not?” otherwise, if something looks interesting or cool I’ll just look it up myself. That is exactly what I did with the hilariously titled “Hoppin’ John” recipe we made in Veg and Far during my first block.
Hoppin John is a rice and bean dish that is traditionally served at New Year’s dinner. When I did my little bit of research, I found that this is a southern dish that was part of low country cuisine. It is made up of black eyed peas, spiced meat, and rice and served with collard greens and corn bread.
The first written recipe for Hoppin’ John appeared in The California Housewife in 1847. No one is really sure how the name came to be, but there are four stories that are primarily believed:
- It was tradition for children to be called to the meal on New Year’s and “hop” around the table before sitting down to eat.
- Once, a man named John came “a hoppin” to dinner when his wife made the dish. (This one is more of a long shot).
- A southern tradition would be to invite guests to dinner by saying “Hop in, John!” (again, another long shot)
- (The most widely beleived) The dish dates back as far as 1841, when, as per tradition, a crippled man would hawk it into the streets. The man’s nickname, of course, was Hoppin’ John.
A New Year’s tradition for this dish is much like the French King Cake tradition. A shiny coin is buried somewhere in the dish, then served. The lucky person to find the coin in their dish is assured good luck for the coming year. For maximum luck, the first thing to be eaten on New Year’s Day is Hoppin’ John.
The origin of food is always interesting to research. You can find anywhere from some of the blandest stories, like that of scones (they were created as something for Queen Elizabeth I to enjoy with her tea), to the strangest ones, like Hoppin’ John. I hope I added to your food knowledge just a little bit.
Stradley, L. (2004). Hoppin’ John recipe and history: Black-eyed peas and rice recipe. Retrieved from http://www.whatscookingamerica.net/History/HoppinJohn.htm