By Robyn Keller
With the New Year coming rapidly, I thought it would be nice to share my traditional New Year’s Day recipe. I know from talking to many people that different regions have their own traditional New Year’s recipes, but one similarity they do have, is the foods consumed on January 1st are supposed to bring you good fortune. Greens, such as cabbage, collards, kale and chard are consumed because their green leaves resemble folded money; and are thus symbolic of economic fortune.
My Sister-in-Law, Shelly, is from the south, and she always makes Black-eyed peas. There are even those who believe in eating one pea for every day in the New Year. This all traces back to the legend that during the Civil War, the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, ran out of food while under attack. The residents fortunately discovered black-eyed peas and the legumes were thereafter considered lucky.
In Italy and the United States, the custom of eating pork on New Year’s is because the rich fat content signifies wealth and prosperity. So in keeping with some of these traditions, I’m sharing my mobileFRIENDLY recipe, Pork and Sauerkraut. It's easy because you prepare the meat, stick in a pan and voila! ENJOY!