You probably think of them as the humble, luck-bringing bean you eat on New Year's Day. Or maybe just a staple of Southern soul food that goes great with a hunk of cornbread. But for a surprising number of cultures and throughout certain eras of history, the black eyed pea carried a weight that was anything but lucky.
It's weird, right?
Food is rarely just food. It’s politics. It’s superstition. Sometimes, it’s a symbol of the things we’d rather forget. While most of us are busy soaking them in a pot with a ham hock, others have spent centuries viewing them through a lens of survival, poverty, or even spiritual "heat." The black eyed pea isn't just a legume; it’s a complicated piece of cultural baggage that some people still find a bit taboo to talk about in polite company.
The "Cowpea" Stigma and the Shadow of Poverty
Let’s get real for a second. If you grew up in certain parts of the United States, especially in the mid-20th century, admitting you ate black eyed peas every day wasn't exactly a flex. It was a neon sign that you were broke.
Historically, these were known as "cowpeas." Why? Because for a long time, Europeans and wealthy colonists thought they were only fit for livestock. They were the "poverty pea." In the hierarchy of the dinner table, if you were eating cowpeas, you weren't eating steak. You weren't even eating "respectable" English peas.
This created a lingering social taboo. Even today, you’ll find older generations who refuse to touch them because it triggers memories of the Great Depression or lean years where that little bean was the only thing standing between a family and total starvation. It’s a classic case of food-based classism. We see it with lobster—which used to be prison food—in reverse. With the black eyed pea, the stigma of the "slave food" or "cattle feed" label took generations to scrub away.
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Honestly, the only reason they became "lucky" is because they were often the only thing left in the fields after Union soldiers swept through the South during the Civil War. The soldiers took the corn and the livestock but left the "cowpeas" because they thought they weren't human food. Survival is a powerful rebrand, but the taboo of the "low-class" meal still hums in the background for some.
Pythagorean Problems: Why Some Ancients Wouldn't Touch a Bean
Believe it or not, the taboo goes way back—way, way back. We’re talking ancient Greece.
Pythagoras, the guy who gave us the theorem about triangles, had a legit phobia of beans. While we can’t say for certain he was talking specifically about the subspecies that became the black eyed pea (which originated in West Africa), his followers, the Pythagoreans, avoided all legumes with a religious fervor.
Why?
Some historians, like Robert Graves, suggested the beans looked too much like human embryos or even genitalia. Others thought they contained the souls of the dead. There was this creepy idea that because beans cause gas, they were literally stealing your "breath of life" or "pneuma." To eat a bean was, in a weirdly literal sense, like eating your ancestors.
It sounds wild, but that spiritual taboo against beans—including the ancestors of the black eyed pea—persisted in various Mediterranean cults for centuries. Imagine a world where eating a side of peas could get you kicked out of your local philosophical society.
The African Diaspora and the Complexity of the "Soul Food" Label
In the context of the African Diaspora, the black eyed pea is a bittersweet symbol. It traveled from West Africa to the Americas via the Transatlantic Slave Trade. For many, it represents resilience. For others, it’s a reminder of a period of forced labor and systemic oppression.
There’s a specific nuance here that outsiders often miss.
Within some Black communities, there has been an internal debate about "Soul Food" and its health implications. Because the black eyed pea is often prepared with high-sodium smoked meats or lard, it sometimes gets lumped into a "taboo" category of foods that are seen as contributing to systemic health issues like hypertension or diabetes.
Dr. Jessica B. Harris, a renowned culinary historian, has spent years documenting how these ingredients are actually nutritional powerhouses when stripped of the later "fast-food" modifications. But the taboo remains for some: a conflict between honoring ancestral traditions and trying to escape the health traps associated with the "poverty diet" of the Jim Crow era.
Jewish Tradition and the Rosh Hashanah Connection
Now, let's flip the script. While some see them as taboo or "low," Sephardic Jewish tradition views the black eyed pea as essential.
During Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), it’s traditional to eat rubiya. Most scholars agree this refers to the black eyed pea. The name is a pun on the Hebrew word yirbu, which means "to increase."
But even here, there’s a bit of a divide.
Ashkenazi Jews (with roots in Eastern Europe) didn't traditionally have this on the menu. When the two cultures mashed together in places like Israel or the U.S., there was often a "cultural taboo" or at least a confused eyebrow-raise at the idea of eating these peas for a holy holiday. It’s a reminder that one person’s "taboo" is another person’s "sacred ritual."
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The Science of the "Bad Luck" Myth
Is there any actual danger?
Unless you have G6PD deficiency (Favism), not really. Favism is a genetic condition most common in people of Mediterranean, African, and Middle Eastern descent. If you have it, eating certain beans can cause your red blood cells to break down.
While fava beans are the main culprit, many people in these regions traditionally developed a generalized taboo against all beans—including the black eyed pea—as a survival mechanism. If you didn't know which bean would make you sick, you just stopped eating all of them.
It’s a biological reality that turned into a cultural superstition.
How to Handle the Taboo Today
If you’re worried about the "bad vibes" or the social stigma of the black eyed pea, the best way to move forward is through education and preparation. This isn't just a "cheap" filler. It’s a crop that fixes nitrogen in the soil, making it an environmental hero.
Rethink the Preparation
Move away from the heavy salt-cured meats if health is your concern. Use smoked paprika or chipotle peppers to get that "soul" flavor without the arterial damage. This helps bridge the gap between tradition and modern health standards.
Honor the Origin
Acknowledge that this pea isn't just "Southern." It’s African. It’s global. Understanding the journey from West Africa to the Caribbean and then to the American South changes the narrative from one of "slave food" to one of "intellectual agricultural transfer." Enslaved people brought the knowledge of how to grow these in harsh conditions. That’s not a taboo; that’s a legacy of expertise.
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Check the Calendar
If you're superstitious, stick to the New Year's tradition. But honestly? The real "taboo" is ignoring a nutrient-dense, drought-resistant protein source because of 19th-century class anxiety.
The black eyed pea is finally starting to shed its "cowpea" reputation in the fine-dining world. Chefs are using them in high-end cassoulets and cold salads. The taboo is fading, but the history remains. It's a small bean with a very long memory.
Next Steps for Your Kitchen:
- Source heirloom varieties: Look for "Sea Island Red Peas" or "Whipperwill" peas. They have deeper flavors and help preserve genetic diversity.
- Soak properly: If you're worried about the "digestive taboo" (gas), a long soak with a pinch of baking soda can neutralize some of the complex sugars that cause distress.
- Explore the Diaspora: Try a Nigerian Akaras (fried bean cakes) or a Brazilian Acarajé. Seeing how the pea is treated as a delicacy in its ancestral home is the fastest way to kill any lingering stigma.