New Years Day Food Traditions

Posted in Our Blog on January 1, 2025

The day is here– Why are the shelves bare of pork, black eyed peas and other traditional New Years Day foods? Today we look at why we have certain New Years Day food traditions and where they came from in the first place.

Many foods are thought to bring luck and prosperity for New Years Day. I have always been fascinated by where these traditions come from and like to give myself a reminder of how they got started and the reasonings behind them. We like to cook a traditional “southern” New Years lunch, but there are other cultures and foods that are based on region as well.

According to popular folklore, if these foods are eaten on New Year’s Day, you’re guaranteed good luck throughout the year:

• Peas and beans symbolize coins or wealth. Choose traditional black-eyed peas, lentils, or red beans to make a dish seasoned with pork, ham, or sausage.
• Greens resemble money, specifically folding money. Make dishes using green, leafy vegetables to ensure good fortune for the coming year. Southern favorites include boiled cabbage or sauerkraut, collard greens, kale, chard, mustard greens, and turnip greens.
• Pork is considered a sign of prosperity in some cultures because pigs root forward. This is probably the reason many southern New Year’s Day dishes contain pork or ham.
• Cornbread might symbolize gold because corn kernels represent coins. Cornbread is also essential with black-eyed peas and greens, so you can triple your luck with these dishes that naturally complement one another.

In Spain and Mexico, eating 12 grapes at midnight is said to bring you luck for the 12 months ahead. (It’s not as easy as it sounds. Make this recipe for your New Year’s Eve party, and hold some grapes aside for your good-luck gobble.

Seeds have always been associated with fertility. In Greece, they hurl whole pomegranates to the floor to release a flood of seeds that symbolize life and abundance.

So many fish in the sea. Maybe that’s why they symbolized abundance in the new year around the world: Asian cultures feast on whole fish to celebrate Lunar New year, while on the other side of the globe, Europeans eat cod, herring, and carp. And while you don’t eat the silvery scales, they do stand for an abundance of coinage.

Noodles, especially extra-long noodles, are thought to bring long life if eaten without breaking them in the middle. Rice symbolizes fertility and wealth.

Ring-shaped cakes and other rounded sweet treats bring a full circle of luck to the eater. In some traditions, a coin is baked inside to bring an extra serving of fortune to the one who finds it.

The Greek tradition of hanging a bag of onions on your door is meant to symbolize growth and rebirth. It all started back in ancient times when people realized that onions would sprout even when they were left alone. It was the ultimate sign for luck and fertility.

A bottle of bubbly is often thought of as a symbol of luxury. In Europe, drinking champagne to celebrate a special occasion dates back to the 16th century.

In Mexico, the tradition of making tamales symbolizes family. That’s because families will often set aside a special time (usually between Christmas and New Year’s) to make this labor-of-love that consists of masa (a type of corn dough mixture) that’s wrapped and streamed in corn husks or banana leaves.

In the Netherlands, eating fried doughnut-like pastries called oliebollen is said to be lucky. They usually have a good dusting of powdered sugar on top.

Dumplings, which symbolize wealth, are often eaten as part of the Lunar New Year feast. While that celebration takes place in January or February depending on the lunar calendar, you can also make them for New Year’s Eve!

Many Germans ring in the New Year with a big soft pretzel to symbolize good luck, health, and prosperity in the year ahead. According to History.com, children in the 17th century also wore pretzel necklaces on New Year’s.

An old Irish custom considers New Year’s Day to be known as the Day of Buttered Bread. The tradition of leaving a slice of bread with butter on it outside your door was a way to banish hunger.

During Chinese New Year, citrus fruits like kumquats, tangerines, and oranges are all considered good luck. Their bright color is associated with happiness and fortune, which is why they’re often shared among family and used in decorations.

In parts of Eastern Europe, cabbage is considered lucky because of its green color (similar to kale and collards), but it’s also a traditional New Year’s food due to timing—cabbage is harvested in late fall and often fermented or made into sauerkraut just in time for New Year’s. Try your hand at making your own sauerkraut or incorporate cabbage in quicker recipes like colorful coleslaw.

No matter how you choose to eat on New Years Day we wish you and yours nothing short of the best 2025 you can have from Make Food Safe.