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New Year’s Eve Food Traditions to Bring You Good Luck

Dec 29, 2021

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Sakiba Hossain

New Year’s Eve is a festive time celebrated around the world with friends, family, and fireworks. Another New Year’s tradition people love: eating delicious food. But what counts as New Year’s Eve food? Read through the foods below to get a taste for New Year’s Eve food traditions (you could even serve some at your New Year’s Eve party). While you’re at it, make these resolutions that you’ll actually stick to. 

Welcome message from author
New Year's Eve is a pretty special holiday. Not only is it the final celebration of a long holiday season, but it's also a moment to celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of a new one. Everyone loves a chance to celebrate a fresh start — and the dressing up in sequins, glitter, and satin doesn't hurt, either. Even though fancy, exciting New Year's Eve's parties are usually the biggest part of the holiday, there are other New Year's Eve traditions, too.
Transcript
Slide 1Overview
New Year’s Eve is a festive time celebrated around the world with friends, family,
and fireworks. Another New Year’s tradition people love: eating delicious food. But
what counts as New Year’s Eve food? Read through the foods below to get a taste for
New Year’s Eve food traditions (you could even serve some at your New Year’s Eve
party). While you’re at it, make these resolutions that you’ll actually stick to.
Donuts for the
Year Coming
Full Circle
Ring-shaped food is said to be symbolic of the year coming full circle. For your
New Year's breakfast, consider a tasty bundt cake or one of our favorites—the
classic donut. Trying to eat a bit healthier already? Celebrate all you've
accomplished with less guilt by making a baked version instead of frying them in
oil.
Longevity
The longer the noodle, the longer the life. At least, that's what this ancient
superstition says. Traditionally slurped up for Chinese New Year, soba noodles are
extra-long and symbolize longevity. Just be careful to not break or chew the noodles
on their way from bowl to mouth!
Pork for
Prosperity
If it's wealth and prosperity you seek, pork should be your main course this new
year. New Year's Eve should be celebrated with great food, so why not have a taco
party? We're ready to dish out some tacos featuring pork carnitas seasoned with
spices like cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and oregano.
Breaking a
Wishbone for
Luck
Fighting over the wishbone is almost as much of a tradition as the breaking of the
wishbone itself. Legend says if the wishbone breaks evenly between the people
pulling it, they both get their wishes. If the bone doesn't break right down the
middle, the person with the longer end will have his or her wish granted. Ancient
Romans saw chickens as predictors of the future and good luck omens. We're ready
to roast up a whole bird and make our wish come true.
Lentils: Bites
to Success
As lentils are soaked in water, they expand, symbolizing prosperity. Wintertime is
great for a hearty bowl of pasta, so let's look forward to a prosperous year with a
big pot of our favorite lentil bolognese.
Golden
Cornbread
Year Ahead
Cornbread's delicious golden hue symbolizes, you guessed it, wealth. It's a tried-
and-true classic quickbread, but the many varieties will give you plenty of options
to strike dinner menu gold in the new year.
Whole Fish for
Months Ahead
Legend has it that eating a whole fish—literally the head, tail, and all—brings forth
a good year. We're thinking about firing up the grill to get our fix with some stuffed
trout. Once prepped, this recipe will have your dinner on the table within 10
minutes. Not feeling that ambitious? Nod to the tradition with some tasty baked
fish instead.
Cookies for
Well Wishes
Kick off the new year with messages of luck, hope, and prosperity for your friends
and family. Slide each one into a handmade cookie (yes, you really can make your
own fortune cookies at home!). If your loved ones have a good sense of humor,
consider slipping in a joke or two. Starting the New Year off with laughter can't be a
bad thing.
Money
For the Pennsylvania Dutch, long shreds of cabbage represent a long life making
sauerkraut a must-have on the New Year's dinner table. Be sure to make a hefty
portion, the Pennsylvania Dutch also wish for as much luck and money as the
number of cabbage strands on the table.
Bountiful
Year
Look to Europe for your newest New Year's tradition. In countries like Norway,
Germany, Poland, Finland, and Sweden, herring is bountiful thanks to its proximity
to the Baltic Sea. So on New Year's, right at midnight, herring is served up to
encourage bounty and prosperity in the coming year. The fish's silver is also said to
resemble coins, which is a good sign of future fortune.
Dumplings
On the day before the Chinese New Year, families will gather to make jiaozi. The
dumplings are shaped like gold ingots—the currency used in ancient China—so
eating them as a New Year’s Eve food will bring financial luck. Try making your own
healthy steamed dumplings.
Tamales
Tamales are a traditional Mexican dish many families eat throughout the holiday
season. They symbolize generations of familial bonds, as families typically gather to
help each other make this delicious holiday dish.
Soft pretzels
Don’t be surprised if you see German-Americans eating a glazed soft pretzel on
New Year’s. It’s believed that eating a soft pretzel brings good luck into the new year.
Who wouldn’t want to kick the new year off with a sweet snack like this?
Kransekage
According to CNN, Kransekage is a wreath cake tower that consists of multiple rings
of cake piled on top of one another. The desserts are a part of Norway and Denmark's
New Year's Eve traditions. The cake is made with marzipan, is often build around a
bottle of wine or Aquavit in the center, and can be decorated for any special occasion.
Tteokguk
The taste and ingredients of Tteokguk, a.k.a. Korea's New Year Soup, vary by region.
But, generally, its base is made with a protein broth in a soy-sauce seasoned stock,
then cylindrical rice cakes are added to the soup. According to the Culture Trip,
Tteokguk is one of the many foods prepared as an offering to the family's ancestors
on Seollal, the Korean New Year. It's said that someone cannot become a year older
until they've had their bowl of tteokguk.
Galette des
rois
The cake is often made with puff pastry and frangipane, an almond-flavored cream
or paste but they can be filled with plenty of other sweets instead. Regardless of its
filling, the galette des rois always hides the coveted, fève, or bean, a ceramic trinket
or charm, and the person who finds it is graced with good luck.
Oliebollen
These Dutch treats are made from frying small balls of dough stuffed with raisins or
currants in a pan of hot oil, hence the name Oliebollen, or oil balls, the Dutch Review,
a Netherlands magazine, reported. Known in the United States as Dutch Doughnuts,
oliebollen are topped with powdered sugar and can be made with other ingredients,
like cinnamon or apple pieces. The dessert is often eaten on New Year's Eve and
washed down with champagne.
Kuku sabzi
According to The Culture Trip, Kuku sabzi is type of frittata made with eggs and
fresh herbs. The dish is traditionally served at Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, which
takes place during the spring equinox. Kuku sabzi promises of fertility and
abundance in the upcoming year.
Raw egg
While this New Year's Eve food tradition doesn't involve eating, it is something that
people in El Salvador do each year. A minute before midnight, each family
member cracks an egg into a glass of water, The Culture Trip reported, and let them
sit overnight. The following morning, the shape of the egg gives you a clue about what
your future holds.
reyes
According to Latin media company we are mitú, the Roscas de Reyes, king's
wreath, is a brioche-style cake, filled and topped with candied fruits. The cake is
often paired with traditional Mexican hot chocolate, which highlights the
indigenous origins of chocolate. Inside the Roscas, you'll find at least one, if not
more, babies representing the newly born Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
New Year's Eve is a pretty special holiday. Not only is it the final celebration of a
long holiday season, but it's also a moment to celebrate the end of a year and the
beginning of a new one. Everyone loves a chance to celebrate a fresh start — and
the dressing up in sequins, glitter, and satin doesn't hurt, either. Even though fancy,
exciting New Year's Eve's parties are usually the biggest part of the holiday, there are
other New Year's Eve traditions, too.