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).
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.
Spoon up Bermudian Hoppin' John — each grain of rice studded with creamy black-eyed peas, bits of crispy bacon throughout. The rice is fluffy, the peas earthy-creamy with their signature firm bite, the bacon salty-savory underneath, the thyme present but gentle. Plain and filling. With a side of greens and cornbread on New Year's Day morning, it's Bermuda's prosperity dish.
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
Where Bermudian Hoppin' John sits in the Bermudan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
9 steps · 25 min active + 35 min waiting
- 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).
Watch outSimmer the peas until fully tender before they ever meet the rice, and save that cooking liquid — raw-cooked peas stay tough and drag the rice into mush.
- 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.
Watch outUse the reserved pea liquid as part of the cooking water — that starchy broth is where the savory depth comes from, plain water tastes flat.
- 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.
Watch outOnce it's covered on the lowest heat, leave the lid on and don't stir — every peek lets steam escape and cooks the rice unevenly.
- 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.
