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Learn how to plan your New Year’s Day menu around traditional lucky foods: the foods people have reached for, for thousands of years, for abundance, fertility, and prosperity.
Even if you’re not superstitious, sometimes it’s fun to celebrate traditions. Eating “lucky foods” for a New Year has been almost universally celebrated for thousands of years, and there is a mix of unique ideas (smashing a pomegranate) and common themes (eating foods that look like coins, money, and gold).
There are so many easy ways to participate and plenty of recipes with great overlap. Now is a great time to make a plan and get ready for your luckiest year yet.
Table of Contents
1. Pork for Progress
Pigs always root (nudge/push with their snout) forward, a sign of “moving forward” or progression in the New Year. Their plump size and shape also mean health and abundance.
You’ll want to avoid chickens because they scratch backwards and have wings (your luck might fly away!). And steer clear of lobster because they move backwards, too.
1
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
More delicious pork recipes
Pork, Ham, and Lamb Recipes
Baked Ham with Crumb Topping
Pork, Ham, and Lamb Recipes
Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Main Dishes
Pork Roast
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Carnitas (Copycat)
2
Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Mexican Recipes
Tacos al Pastor
German Recipes
Pork Schnitzel
Sandwich Recipes
Pork Burgers with Feta Mustard
Sandwich Recipes
Ham and Cheese Sliders
3
Dr. Pepper Ham
2. Beans and Peas for Wealth
Beans, lentils, and peas symbolize pennies or coins, and people eat them for New Year’s to help bring wealth in the New Year.
Hoppin’ John, a classic Southern dish made with black-eyed peas, is a staple on New Year’s tables across the country. Made with pork (that progressive plump pig) and served with cooked rice (another lucky food), it’s hearty, delicious, and we hope, lucky.
4
Hoppin’ John
More delicious bean recipes
Soup and Stew Recipes
Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
Side Dish Recipes
Slow Cooker Calico Beans
Soup and Stew Recipes
Sausage and Bean Stew
Soup and Stew Recipes
Ham and Lentil Soup
5
Cowboy Caviar
Mardi Gras Recipes
Red Beans and Rice
Soup and Stew Recipes
White Bean and Kale Soup
Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
30 Minute Meals
Pasta with Peas and Prosciutto
6
Farro Salad with Peas and Feta
3. Greens for Money
Green leafy vegetables such as cabbage, kale, spinach, and collard greens symbolize green dollars and wealth. Eat them in conjunction with black-eyed peas and cornbread if possible for the trio of prosperity: coins, dollars, and gold.
7
Collard Greens
More leafy green recipes
Salad Recipes
Spinach Salad with Bacon Dressing
Vegetable Recipes
Crispy Kale Chips
Soup and Stew Recipes
The Best Cabbage Soup
Salad Recipes
Strawberry Spinach Salad
8
Kale Salad
Soup and Stew Recipes
Sausage Tortellini Soup
Appetizer Recipes
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Appetizer Recipes
Spanakopita Triangles
Italian Recipes
Italian Wedding Soup
9
Minestrone Soup
4. Cornbread for Gold
Not only is cornbread delicious with a piping hot bowl of Hoppin’ John, it’s lucky! Cornbread looks like gold, so bake a batch to ring in the new year.
In certain Asian cultures, oranges and honey are also considered good luck. So, maybe swipe that cornbread with a spoonful of orange marmalade.
10
Cornbread
11
Orange Marmalade
5. Fruit for Fertility
In Spain and Mexico, it is customary to eat 12 grapes at midnight and make 12 wishes for the 12 months of the upcoming year (in Spain, the grapes are frozen).
Champagne, made from grapes, is lucky for this same reason. Pop a bottle of bubbly or elevate it with a Champagne Cocktail such as a Mimosa, a Bellini, or a Kir Royale.
In Greece, families might smash a whole pomegranate (blessed in church that morning, if possible) against the door. The luck for the family is determined by the number of seeds scattered.
12
Citrus Salad
Salad Recipes
Easy Grape Salad
Salad Recipes
24 Hour Fruit Salad
Drink Recipes
8 Infused Water Recipes
Drink Recipes
Fruit Punch
13
Fruit Salad
6. Circle Desserts for a Year of Luck
Sweets in general are good luck, but round treats in particular symbolize the circle of life and a full year of good luck to the eater. Bundt cakes, donuts, and cookies all qualify.
For an extra boost of luck, choose desserts made with oranges and honey (they bring wealth and fortune according to certain Asian cultures). Or maybe spread some orange marmalade on your cornbread?
14
Lemon Bundt Cake
More lucky round desserts
Cake Recipes
Cinnamon Apple Cake
Cake Recipes
Spice Cake
Cake Recipes
Lemon Blueberry Cake
Cake Recipes
Hot Milk Cake
15
Lemon Cake with Limoncello Cream
Cake Recipes
7UP Cake
Breakfast Recipes
Apple Cider Donuts
Cake Recipes
Angel Food Cake
Breakfast Recipes
Monkey Bread
7. Fish for Abundance
Fish are considered abundant because their scales look like coins and they swim in schools (and they swim forward).
It’s especially popular in Asian cultures to eat a whole fish for New Year’s (and for the Lunar New Year). In European cultures, though, they focus on carp, cod, and herring.
16
Baked Salmon
More delicious fish recipes
Grilling and Smoker Recipes
Smoked Salmon
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Pan-Fried Tilapia
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Ahi Tuna with Ponzu Sauce
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Blackened Salmon
17
Tilapia Ceviche
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Grilled Swordfish
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Grilled Fish Tacos with Spicy Slaw
Casserole Recipes
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Baked Cod
18
The Best Tuna Salad
8. Long Noodles for Longevity
Long noodles lead to a long life, so boil some salted water and get cooking! Spaghetti Carbonara is great because it contains bacon (we love a rooting pig for the new year!).
19
Spaghetti Carbonara
More recipes with long pasta
Italian Recipes
Artichoke Pasta
Beef Recipes
Cincinnati Chili
Italian Recipes
Pasta Primavera
Italian Recipes
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
20
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Wishing you and yours the happiest, luckiest New Year of all!
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.