The new year will bring back some old traditions about foods we should eat for luck and prosperity. Traditional foods include black-eyed peas for wealth and money; pork to symbolize progress and prosperity. In Texas and the South, there’s cornbread, which represents gold. Social media has ma de grapes a popular choice. They’re for wish fulfillment and luck. Remember your leafy greens. They represent good fortune and money. The black-eyed pea is the New Year’s Day staple, but why? “From what I understood growing up, it happened during the Civil War when Sherman was bringing the Union troops down south. They would either steal or destroy all the crops, and they left the black-eyed peas, or they also call them cowpeas, because they were for the livestock, so they didn’t touch them. Well, the southerners use that black eyed peas to survive the winter, so it’s pretty lucky to me,” said Joel Hancock, the owner of West Side cafe in West Fort Worth. West Side Cafe will celebrate its 30th year in 2026. Since it opened in 1996, it’s been more than just a place to grab a meal. “I describe it as Cheers without alcohol. Everybody knows everybody,” Hancock said. Part of the comfort is the comfort food on the menu, like buttermilk pancakes, biscuits and gravy, chicken n’ dumplings or black-eyed pea soup served every Tuesday. Come Thursday, Jan. 1, they’ll also serve bowls of black-eyed peas with a little bacon for a smoky flavor. The story goes that for the best chance of luck every day in the year ahead, one must eat at least 365 black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. Po Melvin’s in Irving built a business on the lucky legume. Owner Mel Lemane’s dad won best of show for his black-eyed peas, then opened the restaurant in 1988, where they’ve been on the menu every day since. And, put jelly donuts on the New Year’s Day menu. The dough signifies a rise in your money for the following year. Wherever your tastebuds lead you, NBC 5 wishes you a Happy New Year. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less