New Year's foods -- What do you eat for good luck? :)

I live in Virginia, and around here it's black eyed peas.  Also, they are perfectly healthy!  Every New Year's Day I make black eyed pea soup in my pressure cooker.  Yum!  Let's hope they work this year!

So what does everyone else do??? 

I have never had black eyed peas.... How do you make yours???  My husband says they are really good.  I need a good luck food to start the year out right...

My mom used to make a huge Mexican feast, I try not to use occasions center around lots of food myself.

We eat Cabbage...........maybe not for good luck but makes for a smelly house LMAO!

Michelle

Thanks for the responses -- interesting that the German tradition is a whole meal & not just one item. 

jbartl- For Black Eyed Pea Soup -- Brown an onion in olive oil, add a clove of minced garlic, then add 6 c. chicken or beef stock (I use low or no salt), add 2 c. black eyed peas, a piece of lean ham if there's some handy.  Cook for 10 min. on high pressure in a pressure cooker, let the pressure release on its own, and it's done.  We serve it with hot sauce (like Texas Pete).

If you don't have a pressure cooker, you would soak the beans overnight, then assemble & simmer for however long it takes for the beans to get nice & soft.  Just taste along the way and believe me, you'll be able to tell if they're not done - they'll be hard & nasty.

Let me know if you try it! 

Original Post by allthetime:

We do pickled herring. Not really sure what culture this originated from.

 I'm guessing Scandinavian. When I lived there picked herring was big. I had never eaten it before then.

Thanks, everyone!

I'm from the South too (North Carolina) and its very specific :) My grandma always fixed the meal but I never really ate it though - I always think I bring my own luck!

The idea in the South is to have a New Years Day meal to bring you luck, good health and money...Black Eyed Peas with a dime cooked in them for luck, collard greens for money and Pork (Hog Jowls if you can bear it and ham if you can't) for good health, funny enough!!! Gotta have corn bread and you gotta use bacon for extra seasoning. :)