Julie Giuffrida is Test Kitchen coordinator for the Los Angeles Times.
Symbolic foods may lead to good fortune.
Superstition has it that the first day of a new year is symbolic of how the rest of the year will play out. If you sleep late, you’ll do that throughout the year. If you are productive, happy and polite, you will be so for the rest of the year. In the same vein, what you eat on the first day of the year may determine what and how you will eat all year — and may also have a hand in what life may bring your way.
Some foods are said to symbolize abundance and good fortune: black-eyed peas because they are so plentiful; greens because they are the color of money; lentils because they are coin-shaped; cornbread because it is the color of gold; and fish because they swim in schools and their scales look like coins. Pork is said to represent progress because pigs move forward when they eat. Round cakes represent coming full circle and often have a trinket baked in them; whoever gets the trinket will have good luck. Long noodles represent longevity. Round fruits, especially those with lots of seeds such as pomegranates, symbolize fertility and abundance.
In the South they eat Hoppin’ John, collard greens and cornbread in keeping with the saying, “peas for pennies, green for dollars and cornbread for gold.” In Germany and Eastern Europe they eat pork and sauerkraut. In the Philippines they eat 12 round fruits, one for each month of the year. In Spain they eat one grape for each stroke of midnight. In Scandinavia they eat herring. Throughout Asia they eat long noodles, being careful not to break the noodles because that would be bad luck; in Japan it’s udon and ramen, while in China it’s lo mein.
In deciding what to eat come New Year’s Day, you may want to keep these ingredients in mind. Here are 46 recipes that include one or more of these symbols of good fortune.
Jonathan Gold's Hoppin' John
Time2 hours 20 minutes
YieldsServes 4 to 6
Little Beast's black-eyed pea hummus
Time1 hour
YieldsMakes 3 ½ cups
Black-eyed peas with leeks and chard
Time2 hours 30 minutes
YieldsServes 6
Sukuma Wiki (Sautéed Collard Greens)
Time20 minutes
YieldsServes 4
Salad of beet greens with walnuts
Time20 minutes
YieldsServes 4
Red Beans and Greens
Time2 hours
YieldsServes 4 to 6
kuku sabzi (Persian greens frittata)
Time1 hour 20 minutes
YieldsServes 6 to 10
Salad of dandelion greens, blood oranges, goat cheese and pecans
Time20 minutes
YieldsServes 4 to 6
Pork belly and greens hot pot
Time30 minutes
YieldsServes 4 to 6
Rau Muong With Mam Tom (Charred Water Spinach With Shrimp Paste, Pork Belly and Garlic)
Time15 minutes
YieldsServes 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish
Garlic-Crusted Cornbread
Time45 minutes
YieldsServes 8
Zynodoa's bruleed cast iron cornbread
Time1 hour 30 minutes
YieldsServes 8 to 12
Foolproof Pulled Pork
Time14 hours, largely unattended
YieldsServes 8 to 10
Pork and Pineapple Adobo Roast with Pickled Pineapple Salad
Time40 minutes
YieldsServes 6 to 8
Badmaash Goan Pork Curry
TimeAbout 4 hours plus marinating time
YieldsServes 10 to 12
Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops With Radish Nuoc Cham
Time25 minutes
YieldsServes 4
Instant Pot Hatch Chile Pork Tacos With Kohlrabi Mango Slaw
Time45 minutes
YieldsServes 8
Pork tenderloin with Concord grape sauce
Time30 minutes
YieldsServes 4
Thai Pork and Basil With Rice Noodles
Time25 minutes
YieldsServes 4
Kurobuta pork chops with white bean puree, ham hock jus and salsa verde
Time1 hour 15 minutes
YieldsServes 6
Buckwheat pasta with kale, potatoes and cabbage (pizzoccheri)
Time50 minutes
YieldsServes 4 to 6
Mak Kimchi
Time2 hours 30 minutes
YieldsMakes about 3 quarts
Beijing-style pork and cabbage dumplings
Time1 hour 20 minutes
YieldsMakes enough for 3 dozen dumplings, about 6 servings
Lentils with kale and butternut squash
Time50 minutes
YieldsServes 6
Crisp-skinned salmon with lentils, bacon and dandelion greens
Time1 hour 35 minutes
YieldsServes 6 to 8
Massimo's Spaghetti With Spinach and Lentils
Time1 hour
YieldsServes 6
“Blackened” Snapper with Crunchy Pickle Salad
Time40 minutes
YieldsServes 4 to 8.
Roasted whole whitefish with charmoula and French green lentils
Time1 hour 15 minutes
YieldsServes 4
Spaghetti with bottarga and fried egg
Time30 minutes
YieldsServes 4
Cacio e pepe
Time25 minutes
YieldsServes 6
Cheung sau jai mien (Longevity noodles)
Time35 minutes
YieldsServes 4
Pho Gà Nhanh (Quick Chicken Pho)
Time50 minutes
YieldsServes 2
Spicy Chili Crisp Noodles
Time10 minutes
YieldsServes 4
Sesame Cold Noodles With Crab and Crunchy Vegetables
Time45 minutes
YieldsServes 4 to 6
Pistachio Pesto Ramen
Time20 minutes
YieldsServes 2 to 4
Pomegranate and Citrus Salad
Time15 minutes
YieldsServes 12
Cayenne Cafe chicken with pomegranate-walnut sauce
Time30 minutes
YieldsServes 4
Winter roast pork with basil pomegranate sauce
Time2 hours
YieldsServes 10 to 12
Southern Buttermilk Tea Cakes
Time30 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling
YieldsMakes 3 dozen
New Year's Cake (Nian Gao)
Time2 hours
YieldsMakes about 72 slices
Norwegian orange cake
Time1 hour 15 minutes
YieldsServes 10 to 16
Rosca de reyes (Kings cake)
Time1 hour 30 minutes
YieldsServes 24 (Makes 2 cakes)
Cranberry orange cornmeal cake
Time1 hour 40 minutes
YieldsServes 18
Doughnut Holes
Time30 minutes
YieldsMakes about 20
Momed’s Flourless Chocolate Cake
Time35 minutes
YieldsServes 8 to 10
