Root Source: Black-Eyed Peas

by Cookthink

what you should know Asked how he came up with the name for his Grammy Award-winning, hip-hop group, Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am replied: "Black-eyed peas are a food for the soul." It's true. For centuries, this humble food has nourished the souls and bodies of the poor, besieged and disenfranchised. Because they're drought-resistant and nutrient-rich, these and other cowpeas are common staples across the globe. spared the torch Black-eyed peas came to the West Indies with African slaves. From there, they crept up into the southern United States, where they were initially used as feed for livestock. It was because of their low stature that General Sherman didn't bother to torch fields of black-eyed peas as he marched through the South. pea, as in people Black-eyed peas became a fixture of southern soul food, and are now eaten every New Year's Day to ensure good luck and prosperity in the coming year. Ever wonder why? dry vs. frozen vs. canned If you've got the time, use dry beans. If not, use frozen beans. If you can't find frozen beans, use canned beans. (Be sure to rinse them.) what you need In her Carolina Rice Kitchen: the African Connection, Karen Hess traces the roots of Hoppin' John back to ancient pilafs. Born in Ethiopia but raised in Sweden, Marcus Samuelsson explores "African fusion" cooking in his stunning cookbook The Soul of a New Cuisine. Nesting bowl sets are handy in big and small kitchens for soaking beans, rinsing rice and serving big one-pots at the table. We love the stylish, curving set from Sunami Sobu. Two-word, one-pot must-have: Dutch oven. what you do The most famous black-eyed pea-based dish is Hoppin' John, an elemental pea-rice-pork meal, of which you'll find variations of all over the world: the Brazilian feijoada, the Senegalese ciebou neibe, the Cuban moros y cristianos. For a quick Hoppin' John, use frozen or canned black-eyed peas. We took the basic template and added some Thai flavors to make this Bangkok Hoppin' John. We like to make a lot of this black-eyed pea salad on Sunday afternoon and have it to snack on early in the week. We're a week and a half past the turn of the new year, but that doesn't make Coconut & Lime's Lucky Cabbage and black-eyed peas any less delicious. A reminder: if you'd like to wander through cookthink.com, we now have an index of all our recipes. And don't forget about our brand new Cookthinktank.