Black-eyed peas are not indigenous to America. They were brought from Africa, their native land, along with the enslaved Blacks. They were a food that the slaves recognized and could eat, cheaply. Southern Whites never ate such a food, seeing it as fit only for their chattel — their slaves or their livestock. There was, however, one other group of people who ate (and loved) black-eyed peas: the Jews.

The earliest Jews to move to America, particularly in the South, were those of Sephardic descent. Having spent much time in North Africa and nearby Spain, they recognized black-eyed peas as the nutritious and tasty ingredient they are, and thus happily ate them in America as well.