Southern tradition says black-eyed peas eaten the first day of the New Year guarantees good luck for the next 364 days.

That’s a lot of pressure for a lowly legume, especially one that probably has as many detractors as it does fans.

Even the inventor of the popular Texas Caviar recipe, originally known as Pickled Black-Eyed Peas, only reluctantly embraced the peas.

Helen Corbitt (1906-78) left her native New York in 1931 to teach catering and restaurant management at the University of Texas at Austin. She later managed food service at high-end enterprises, including a Houston country club, Driskell Hotel in Austin and Neiman-Marcus.

For a catering event at which she was tasked to create a meal with Texas foods, Corbitt struggled with finding a palatable way to present the peas. She eventually crafted a cold dish of the pesky peas marinated in salad oil, wine vinegar, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.

In the decades since, the recipe became known as Texas Caviar. Community cookbooks are full of variations, most notably some that kick up the spice with a jalapeno or other pepper. Corbitt’s original version is below. 

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Also below is a friend's recipe for Black-Eyed Pea Dip. It's been a favorite of her family's for years and shows the evolution of Corbitt's creation. 

Texas Caviar can be served as a side dish or a dip, accompanied with crackers or sturdy chips. For a true Lone Star State experience, pair it with that other Texas original: Fritos corn chips. 

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(adapted from original recipe by Helen Corbitt)

4 to 5 cups cooked black-eyed peas

Cracked or freshly ground black pepper

1. Add ingredients and mix. Store in jar in refrigerator.

2. Remove garlic after one day. May be kept as long as two weeks in the refrigerator. Yields about 2 quarts. 

Note: Can start with less oil and/or a different oil, such as a mild extra-virgin olive oil. Also, try a sweet balsamic vinegar for extra flavor. Serve as a side dish and eat with a fork, or as a dip with big corn chips.

Variations: Try adding one or more of the following diced ingredients: jalapeno, red bell pepper, cilantro, tomatoes and/or corn.

2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, drained

1 (15-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained

1 (10-ounce) can RO*TEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies

2 cups red bell pepper, diced

1 (8-ounce) bottle Italian salad dressing

1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos, diced, drained

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.

2. Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving with chips or sturdy crackers. Yields about 3 quarts.

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Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News.  If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.