Why Do New Orleanians Eat Red Beans and Rice on Mondays?

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By: MWF Springfield, MO

Red beans with herbs like bay leaf, parsley, and thyme – the foundation of a Monday tradition.

In New Orleans, you can set your watch to the rhythm of the food. And if it’s Monday, it must be red beans.

But why?

The answer, like everything else in this city, is rooted in rhythm, routine, and a bit of resilience.

A Tradition Born of Laundry and Leftovers

Long before dishwashers and grocery delivery apps, Mondays in New Orleans were for laundry. Big cast-iron pots simmered over backyard fires- not with beans, but with bed sheets. Doing the wash took all day. It left little time for cooking.

Enter red beans. Soaked overnight, tossed with the leftover hambone from Sunday dinner, and left to simmer while the laundry churned. By dinnertime, you had something hearty, smoky, and ready to feed a crowd.

More Than a Meal

Red beans on Monday isn't just a tradition- it's a quiet ritual that bridges neighborhoods, generations, and class lines. Everyone from judges to janitors eats them. You’ll find them ladled over rice in Treme, Marigny, Gentilly, and the Garden District. Monday beans are as much a part of the week as Sunday Mass or Friday fish.

What’s in a Pot?

Ask a dozen New Orleanians how to make red beans and you’ll get a dozen answers- and a few strong opinions. Some add sausage, others insist on pickled pork. A few heretics (looking at you, Baton Rouge) might skip the meat altogether.

But the soul of the dish never changes: red beans, rice, and the patience to let it all come together.

Alt Text: A bowl of red beans with smoked sausage and a scoop of white rice in the center, topped with green onions.

Red beans and rice, finished with smoked sausage and green onion- a New Orleans classic.

Where to Try Them

If you’re in town on a Monday, make it your mission. Coop’s Place, Dooky Chase, or just follow the scent drifting from a neighborhood bar with a pot on the stove. And if you’re walking with us on a culinary tour, don’t be surprised if red beans show up as a guest of honor.

Because here, red beans and rice aren’t just food. They’re a clock, a comfort, and a little taste of how we live.

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