When I first moved to New Orleans more than 25 years ago, I remember thinking it was fascinating that so many of my clients had red beans on Mondays. And they said it as if it was a given — something that everyone did. I grew up only an hour away in Baton Rouge, but “Red Beans Monday” wasn’t ingrained into the culture there as much, at least not that I was aware of growing up.
In New Orleans, though, and other parts of South Louisiana, generations have passed down the tradition of making red beans on Mondays, starting with rinsing and soaking the dried beans Sunday night. Monday, the beans simmer all day long, often with pork bones or ham hocks left over from Sunday’s supper, and are served up hot over fluffy rice.
This heaping serving of community and comfort originated as a means to ea