Bermudian Hoppin' John
“Bermudian Hoppin' John — black-eyed peas (cow-peas) cooked with rice, salt pork or bacon, onion, thyme, and a touch of black pepper into a New Year's Day tradition for prosperity. Closely related to but distinct from American Hoppin' John (Bermuda's version is plainer).”
Where it comes from
Hoppin' John is Bermuda's New Year's Day prosperity dish — cooked with intention on January 1 to bring luck for the year, a tradition shared with the American South where the dish has its strongest tradition. Bermuda's version uses less seasoning than Lowcountry American versions, reflecting the British colonial baseline.
On the plate
Spoon up Bermudian Hoppin' John — each grain of rice studded with creamy white-and-black-eyed peas, fragments of crispy bacon shining throughout. Bite: rice fluffy, peas earthy-creamy with their signature bouncy bite, bacon salty-savory laying down the foundation, the thyme humming gently. Plain, restorative, comforting. With a side of greens and cornbread on New Year's Day morning, this is Bermuda's prosperity ritual on the plate — the year ahead's lucky start.
How it works
Pre-cooking the peas separately ensures they're tender before being added to the rice; cooking from raw with rice makes them tough and the rice mushy. The reserved pea-cooking liquid adds depth that plain water doesn't. The 1:2 rice-to-liquid ratio (with absorbed pea-cooking liquid) gives proper rice absorption.
Variations
Hoppin' John with ham hock (smokier). With added bell pepper (more vegetable). With browning for darker color (Bermudian distinctness). Vegetarian (no bacon, with smoked paprika). With added curry powder (East Indian Bermudian influence). With brown rice.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
9 steps · Show ↓25 min active · 35 min waiting
How it's made
9 steps · Show ↓- 1480 min
Soak 250 g dried black-eyed peas in cold water overnight (or use 500 g canned, drained).
- 232 min
Drain peas; cover with 1 L water in a pot; simmer 30 min until tender. Drain (reserve 300 ml cooking liquid).
- 37 min
Dice 150 g bacon (or salt pork) into 1-cm cubes. In a heavy pot, render fat over medium heat 6 min.
- 45 min
Add 1 finely chopped onion + 4 sprigs thyme leaves + 2 minced garlic cloves; cook 4 min.
- 53 min
Add cooked black-eyed peas + 300 g rinsed long-grain rice + 300 ml reserved pea liquid + 300 ml water + 1 tsp salt + 1/2 tsp black pepper.
- 61 min
Stir well; bring to a boil; cover; reduce to lowest heat.
- 721 min
Simmer covered 20-22 min until rice is tender and liquid absorbed.
- 86 min
Rest covered 5 min off heat. Fluff with a fork.
- 91 min
Serve hot. Traditional pairing: collard greens cooked with bacon (the 'money' to the 'coins' of black-eyed peas) and cornbread.
