These foods are said to bring you luck for New Year’s—here’s where to find them in Baton Rouge
Just when you thought the holiday gatherings were over, one more creeps up. New Year’s Day marks both the start of the new year and the end of the holidays, bringing bittersweet feelings to our hearts and an entire specialized feast to our stomachs.
New Year’s Day meals tend to revolve around a few key dishes—pork, greens, black-eyed peas and cornbread. I never put up much a fight when enjoying the tasty meal, but I have always wondered: How did this spread come to be?
After a little research and sleuthing, here’s what I discovered. These are the stories behind popular New Year’s Day dishes—and where you can snag some in Baton Rouge.
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Editor’s note: Call the restaurants ahead to check their New Year’s availability. Some may require earlier pick-ups due to the holiday.
PORK
The pork New Year’s Day tradition actually stems from Germany. There are two main reasons for dining on pork on the special occasion, though we will leave it to you to decide which to believe. First, fun fact: Pigs move forward when they eat and are unable to look behind themselves. Because of this, consuming pork is thought to represent progress in the new year, leaving negativity behind. It is also supposed to bring heath and prosperity, because pigs are traditionally very plump and meaty.
Where you can get it:
Iverstine Farms Butcher Shop
You can purchase fresh and local pork from this Perkins Road shop. It stocks more than 10 different cuts of pork, so you can pick the perfect type for your family. Iverstine also preps, cuts, smokes and cures the meat for you, so all you have to do is enjoy!
Chris’s Specialty Foods
The Millerville Road meat market has creative dishes like pork tenderloin with jalapeños and cream cheese, and even stuffed pork chops with shrimp dressing.
BLACK-EYED PEAS
Just as cornbread symbolizes gold, black-eyed peas are thought to symbolize coins. Eating the dish is meant to lead to much wealth throughout the year, and the more beans you eat the more coins you will collect!
Where you can get it:
Rouses Market
The supermarket has many different varieties of canned black-eyed peas. With a quick cook time, black-eyed peas will be an easy dish to ensure a year full of wealth and coins.
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods also has many varieties of canned black eyed peas. You can choose your favorite variety, or buy the uncooked beans and make them anyway you’d like!
CORNBREAD
Both corn and cornbread represent gold. This New Year’s tradition is most popular in the South, where eating both dishes is said to promise a hefty fortune in the upcoming year. Most people just eat cornbread, but the truly devoted sprinkle a few corn kernels into the bread for extra luck. It definitely helps that cornbread can easily sop up pork grease!
Where you can get it:
Piccadilly
Honestly, an entire meal consisting of Piccadilly’s infamous cornbread sticks sounds heavenly. If not, though, it’s still the perfect addition to your family’s feast. View the restaurant’s holiday catering menu, and grab an entire pan of the sweet and salty side dish.
BRQ Seafood & Barbeque
For a spicy twist on a New Year’s Day classic, try BRQ’s Poblano Cheddar Cornbread. The dish will help you mix things up but still stick with tradition! Find BRQ’s catering menu here.
CABBAGE OR GREENS
Cabbage and greens symbolize—wait for it—more wealth! The green vegetables represent cold, hard cash, and the more you eat, the more you’ll get. Cabbage is typically cut into long, skinny strips, and apparently the longer the strip, the more cash you’ll receive.
Where you can get it:
Voodoo BBQ & Grill
This barbecue joint offers an entire pan of its Gris-Gris Greens, among other dishes that are perfect for New Year’s Day, like pork and cornbread. You can order online here, or just call the location closest to you.
Zeeland Street Market
Zeeland Street is getting festive—you can score a heaping plate of greens, as well as practically everything you need for a perfect New Year’s Day meal. The Garden District restaurant is closed on New Year’s Day, but customers are welcome to pick up whatever they need during the day on New Year’s Eve.
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