Hoppin’ John is the Southern dish of rice and black-eyed peas traditionally associated with New Year’s Day.
The dish commonly includes onions and pork, although recipes vary by region and family. In the American South, black-eyed peas are often linked with prosperity, while greens symbolize money and cornbread can symbolize gold. These associations make Hoppin’ John part of a broader New Year’s food tradition.
The name’s exact origin is uncertain, and historians have proposed several explanations. The dish is connected to African American cooking and to West African food traditions involving legumes and rice. It is sometimes confused with red beans and rice, but Hoppin’ John is specifically identified with black-eyed peas and rice.