Good Morning and Happy New Year! As a registered dietitian, I love hearing about different cultures and their various traditions revolving around food so I thought I’d share with you. Here are five foods from different traditions that are believed to bring good luck for the New Year.
1. Grapes (Spain and Latin America) In Spain and various Latin American countries, it's customary to eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. Each grape represents good luck for one month of the coming year. The trick is to eat them all before the clock finishes chiming!
2. Black-eyed Peas (Southern United States)
In the Southern United States, eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is believed to bring prosperity and good luck for the year ahead. This tradition, often served as a dish called Hoppin' John, dates back to the Civil War era.
3. Soba Noodles (Japan) In Japan, eating year-crossing noodles, on New Year's Eve is a tradition. The long noodles symbolize a long and prosperous life.
4. Pomegranates (Greece and Turkey)
In Greece and Turkey, pomegranates are a symbol of abundance and fertility. On New Year's Eve, a pomegranate is smashed on the floor, and the seeds that scatter are said to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year.
5. Lentils (Italy) In Italy, lentils are eaten on New Year's Eve because their coin-like shape is believed to bring wealth and good fortune.
No matter what you eat, we at Fareway are wishing you a year filled with good fortune.
