Do you eat traditional "New Year's" food on New Year's Day?

[ajrsmom]

Every culture has traditional foods believed to bring good fortune in the New Year. From Hoppin’ John to soba noodles, these luck-bringing dishes can be served buffet-style to help celebrate the New Year with friends and family. {info. from delish.com}

Pass the pig
Pork is served at New Year’s celebrations all over the world. Some cultures believe pigs symbolize prosperity and abundance because of their plump bodies and high fat content, while others say pigs symbolize progress because they push themselves forward as they root around in the dirt for food. Traditional dishes include roast suckling pig (Ireland, Cuba, Austria), roast pork and sausages with cabbage (Germany), ham and collard greens (United States), and pig’s feet (Sweden).


Slurp on soba
Buckwheat soba noodles are served at New Year’s festivities in Japan to ensure a long life. The amazingly long noodles are meant to symbolize long life, but only if you slurp them up without breaking the noodles! The Japanese also eat shrimp for longevity, saying that the curve of the shrimp resembles the hunched back of an elderly person.

Bring on the beans
Like most round foods, beans symbolize money and prosperity in many cultures. But the type of legume traditionally consumed for the New Year depends on where you live. Italians eat pork sausages and green lentils, Brazilians serve lentils and rice, and the Japanese eat sweet black beans called kuro-mame. Black-eyed peas are a traditional part of New Year’s meals in the southern United States. The legumes are a key ingredient in many dishes, including Hoppin’ John, a New Year’s staple in the South. Another Southern favorite is Texas Caviar, a salsalike dip of black-eyed peas, minced tomatoes, green peppers, cilantro, and jalapeños.

Feast on fruit
In Mexico and many South American countries, instead of doing a champagne toast, New Year's Eve revelers eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight, one for each month in the coming year. If a grape is sweet, it will be a good month, and if it’s sour, well, you get the idea. Just remember to chew well, or make sure someone around you knows the Heimlich maneuver.
Citrus is a positive symbol for the Chinese New Year, observed on the first day of the first lunar month (in 2009, it falls on January 26). Tangerines represent good luck, and oranges represent wealth. In Turkey, pomegranates symbolize good luck because of their red color and round seeds, which represent money and prosperity. For an easy centerpiece that symbolizes bounty in the coming year, place bowls of citrus and pomegranates around your party area, or create a runner of them down the center of your dinner table.



And what not to eat
Steering clear of "unlucky" foods is just as important as serving the good stuff. You wouldn’t want to ruin someone’s entire year by serving them something as unlucky as chicken, would you? According to many cultures, eating anything with wings is a no-no for New Year’s because it could fly away, taking all your luck. Chicken is especially bad because the bird scratches backwards (unlike the forward-thinking pig), possibly leading to setbacks. Backwards-swimming lobsters are also a bad omen for the same reason. The color white is a symbol of death in the Chinese culture, so avoid eggs, tofu, or white cheese. And above all, don’t clean your plate too thoroughly — many cultures believe that leaving a little leftover food on your plate will usher in a year of plenty.

[ajrsmom]

This year we will be eating brown sugared pork roast, steamed cabbage, egg noodles (with gravy for my family ) and carrot coins. I'll also make sure we have tangerines to eat, too.

[Bilby]

Ok I've never heard of any of that new years food etiquette, I didn't know it existed. interesting though the stories behind the food.

Fair to say then that no we don't have any traditons that I know of .... if there was any we (us personally) have never lived by them

[happymomof4]

We eat pork and saurekraut on New Year's Day.

[ajrsmom]

Originally Posted by happymomof4

We eat pork and saurekraut on New Year's Day.

I think that every Pa-er does! I grew up eating that every year and until this year, I've always made it for me (since my family won't touch sauerkraut). I'm staying with pork & cabbage, just cooked another way. lol!!

[WendyMichelle]

We will b having r usual greens and ham.....delish!!

[Pag36]

Not sure what all we will have but for sure Black Eye Peas with ham hock (always have had it) and Sourkraut but not German way with Carraway (ugh!!) just sourkraut as we both like it. We always have Egg Nog too and Banana Bread

[ajrsmom]

I don't even have a menu planned yet for the day.

Happy New Year, Patti!!

[seleach]

We always have herring. In supper clubs, herring is always on the New Year's Eve salad bars or buffets. Also on New Year's Day.
Dh always has lobster and I have steak. We make our own meals however and don't go out to eat. Along with that, baked potato and salad.

[Coll]

Not sure what we will do with dad in the hospital. Maybe pork chops and sauerkraut. No sense in buying a pork roast.