Below the headline “What’s up with Americans & Hummus?” writer Hagar Sides, described the Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean dip popularity burst as crossing the lines “from hole-in-the-wall restaurants to supermarket shelves,” in her 2017 online blog published on TimesofIsrael.com.
I stumbled across this esoteric post during an online search after rereading Freda DeKnight’s 1948 cookbook prompting readers to “become more familiar” with black-eyed-peas and “add them regularly to your vegetable list.”
“If you shun them on the market shelves or never heard of them before, just try cooking them as suggested,” the former Ebony magazine food columnist and fashion coordinator, had written in A Date With A Dish (see sources).
Chef Marcus Samuelsson, among my favorite chefs, food personalities and cookbook authors, seconded the notion of black-eyed peas as a flavorful cultural reminder in The Soul of a New Cuisine (see sources).
“My friend Keke is from Ghana, and his mother told me about one of her favorite dishes: red-red, a stew of fried plantains and boiled black-eyed peas that is common at Ghanian tables,” Samuelsson wrote in 2006.
This “black-eyed” focus from both Samuelsson and DeKnight clearly sparked my long-ago reminder of watching my grandmother press her kitchen potato ricer handles to crush cooked black-eyed peas for my favorite childhood condiment—better than ketchup or mustard.
After seeing that dip through my “rear-view tasting mirror,” I couldn’t wait to replace my weekly hummus recipe with Granny’s Black-Eyed Dip. And now, recognizing the cultural significance of black-eyed peas flavored with tahini (crushed sesame seeds) spices up my desire to replace less-flavorful chick peas (garbanzos beans) with black-eyed peas in my next bean dip.
Hidden Flavor Contributions—
Here’s how William C. Witt mapped African ingredient connections in his essay written for African American Foodways, edited by Anne L. Bower (see sources). “Although…some are indigenous to Africa, and others were introduced into Africa from the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia, it is generally accepted that the following came across the Atlantic with slaves in one way or another: rice, yams, millet, cowpeas, black-eyed peas, sesame seeds, sorghum (guinea corn), oranges, avocados, various bananas and plantains, okra, spinach, mustard greens, eggplant, cassava, maize, some squashes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, chiles, coconuts, and a variety of roots and tubers,” he wrote.
And with no plans to refer to this archival dish as Black-Eyed Pea Hummus, I’m not only claiming all the delicious cultural rights for past and future generations, I’m joining Samuelsson and DeKnight in searching for ways to encourage the use of the small “black circular bean” beyond “New Year good luck.”
I’ll keep you posted about the Black-Eyed Pea (BEP) bread still being developed in my test kitchen. Until then, I’m savoring all the successfully reconstructed Black-Eyed Pea “flavors of home” passed down in the form of vivid memories, a first-edition “A Date with a Dish” cookbook and two BEP recipes in her elegant handwriting. In other words, my grandmother is always with me.
“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” — Helen Keller
Thank you, Granny.
Freda’s “Plain” Black-Eyed Peas (from A Date with A Dish,1948) 1 pound dried black-eyed peas 1½ pounds smoked meat or bacon ends 1 bay leaf Pinch of thyme Several red pepper pods 1 each, chopped: garlic clove, onion ½ teaspoon dry mustard powder Salt & pepper, to taste Parsley sprigs
Parboil meat 30 minutes. Wash and soak peas. Add onions, garlic and seasonings to meat. Boil slowly. Add salt and pepper. Do not be afraid to season; peas need good seasonings to pep them up. They also absorb a lot of water, so be sure they are kept well covered.
Granny’s Updated Black-Eyed Pea Dip
1 can (14.5 ounces) black-eyed peas, well-drained
Juice of 1 lemon
4 to 5 peeled garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tahini
3 tablespoons water, or more as needed
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, see ‘Spice Note’ below both recipes
3 tablespoons olive oil
Add the black-eyed peas to a food processor. Sprinkle with lemon juice and minced garlic cloves. Puree ingredients until mushy. Add the tahini and water; puree until mixture begins to come together. Add the Creole seasoning, processing several times. Add the olive oil; process, adding more water or oil as needed to reach desired creamy consistency.
Granny’s “Skinny” Black-Eyed Pea Dip
1/2 cup nonfat Greek plain yogurt
1/4 cup tahini
3-4 peeled cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, (see note)
1 can (14.5 ounces) black-eyed peas, well-drained
Combine the yogurt and tahini in a food processor. Sprinkle with garlic cloves and lemon juice. Puree until the mixture comes together. Add the Creole seasoning, processing several times. Add the mashed peas, adding a little water as needed to reach desired consistency.
Spice Note: To make Creole seasoning, stir together 1 tablespoon sweet paprika; 1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, dried thyme, garlic powder, coarse salt; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and 1/4 teaspoon each: ground mace, allspice. Use as directed in recipes. Store remaining spice blend in a cool, dark place, in a sealed food storage bag or other container.
Sources:
A Date With A Dish by Freda DeKnight (Hermitage Press, 1948) p.229
African American Foodways edited by Anne L. Bower (University of Illinois Press, 2007) p. 47
The Food Lover’s Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst (Barron’s Educational Series,1995) p.59.
“Sesame: The delicious flavor of the tiny white or brown seeds has found a prominent place in sweet and savory cuisines of the Middle East, West Africa, China, Mexico, and South Carolina. Black sesame seeds are used in Asian dishes.”
The International Pantry Cookbook by Heidi Haughy Cusick (Chronicle Books, 1998) p.62
The Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson (John Wiley & Sons, 2006) p.173
Online:
“What’s up with Americans & Hummus…?” By Hagar Sides, https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/whats-up-with-americans-hummus/FEB 21, 2017,