Though we might come from different cultural backgrounds, hoping the upcoming year is better than the last one is universal. There are all kinds of traditions for New Year’s foods, from fruits and savory dishes to snacks and desserts. Try something truly new this New Year’s!
Try These New Year’s Good Luck Foods from Around the World
Grapes (Spain and Latin America)
In Spain and Latin America, you eat 12 grapes for good luck in the 12 months ahead, known as las doce uvas de la suerta, or twelve grapes of good luck. Whether they’re white or red grapes, this is an easy snack for when the clock strikes midnight. Ideally, you time swallowing each grape with the clock chiming for midnight, so get rehearsing to sync your snacking up exactly with those bells.
Black-Eyed Peas (U.S.A.)
Black-eyed peas on New Years symbolize good luck the American South. For the best luck in the year ahead, supposedly you need to eat exactly 365 black-eyed peas. And you thought the 12 grapes sounded awkward and difficult! But you’ll want to eat more than 365 servings of our recipe for Black Eyed Peas and Rice from Jackie Page.
Pomegranates (Greece)
Pomegranates are a symbol of fertility in many different cultures. Greeks smash a pomegranate on New Year’s Day to celebrate abundance through seeing all of the beautiful, ruby red arils in the fruit. According to tradition, the man of the house will take a pomegranate to be blessed in church, then take it home to smash it. (Note: You do not get to eat the smashed pomegranate. However, try our Good Luck Sparkling Pomegranate Cosmo as another way to enjoy this celebratory fruit).
Donuts (The Netherlands)
Donuts are great any time of year. But on New Year’s Eve, the Dutch eat a special donut called an Oliebolllen, a deep-fried dough ball. Before you resolve to eat healthy, get your fried dough fix at midnight! You can find them at supermarkets in the Netherlands all throughout the winter, but you can also try our recipe for Isfeng, a Sephardic Jewish donut made very similarly. Fried dough is cross cultural!
Noodles (East Asia)
In Japan, 年越し蕎麦 (Toshikoshi soba) are a classic New Years food that are meant to help you let go of the year’s hardship. The soba buckwheat noodles break easily, hopefully as easily as you let go of your troubles. For Lunar New Year in China, noodles symbolize a long, healthy life, but the superstition is that you need to slurp them down before they break to get the good luck benefit. One thing all cultures have is superstition!
Story by Emma Riva
Cover photography by Scott Goldsmith and recipe by Jackie Page
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