New year good luck dinner | Southern traditions | Southern folklore- foods of good luck

Everyone knows the staple foods that should be served for New Years Day. Pork, Black Eye Peas, greens and corn. But why? Well, in the case of pork, Hogs move forward as they are foraging (rooting) so it symbolizes forward movement in the new year. Plus they are a large animal, which symbolizes prosperity. Chicken and turkey are a bad choice because they forage (scratch) backwards, which is throwing away good luck. Greens symbolize wealth (money). I'm a fan of collards personally, but cabbage (even kraut) or mustard greens also work. Black Eyed Peas. This is an interesting one. Thought to symbolize luck. It goes back to the Civil War, the South was ravaged and cowpeas ( BEP) were one of the few crops left. The people who found them felt fortunate to have food, even if it was the lowly black eye peas. Corn is because of the color yellow, which looks like gold. Again, this goes back to hard times and hoping for a little money . Cornbread recipe... 2 cups all purpose flour 1 cup cornmeal 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsps honey 1 1/4 cup milk 1 cup olive oil or butter 3 eggs Grease a 9x13 pan or large skillet Baked at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Happy new year!