23 Celebratory New Year's Eve Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are the 7 lucky new year's food traditions? ›

It's traditional to eat hearty greens like cabbage or kale to bring prosperity in the New Year. Traditionally, they're paired with dishes like black-eyed peas and cornbread, or alongside pork in the form of sauerkraut. We say get creative!

Kick it off with snacks like Spinach Dip Hot Bread, Gougeres with Smoked Salmon, Caviar, and Proscuitto, or Green Peppercorn-Marinated Feta. Our Herb-Roasted King Salmon with Pinot Noir Sauce makes an impressive dinner centerpiece, while Orange-Anise Croquembouche with White Chocolate is the sweetest year-end finale.

There's a wide range of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day food that graces family tables across the African Diaspora, but Hoppin' John or black-eyed peas and rice are high up on the list, especially among Southern African-American families. Black-eyed peas are thought to represent coins or good luck.

Lobster, cows, and chicken are all considered unlucky animals to eat on New Year's because of how they move. Read on for more foods superstitious people try to avoid on the holiday.

This eastern European tradition of eating cabbage on New Year's—either as a dish or as cabbage rolls—is meant to signify luck, particularly on the financial side of things. People who eat cabbage on New Year's believe that it'll help them make more money in the year ahead.

Why You Should Eat 12 Grapes at Midnight on New Year's Eve. Originating in Spain, the tradition of eating grapes at the stroke of midnight is believed to welcome good fortune and prosperity in the new year.

It's said that you shouldn't eat winged fowl (read: birds like turkey or chicken), bottom feeders (like shrimp or catfish), or any seafood that swims backward or side to side (like lobster or crab).

No washing or cutting your hair

It is believed that if you wash your hair on New Year's day, you'd also be washing away all your luck. It's somewhat similar to if you cut your hair, you'd be cutting your life shorter!

Around the world, luck-minded folks prefer pork (which roots forward) over chicken (which scratches backward) On New Year's. In Germany they prefer pork and sauerkraut (whose long strands lead to a long life). We think this pulled pork recipe would go good with any of our cabbage dishes.

What is the best food for the new year? ›

Foods like pork, greens, citrus and pomegranate are seasonal during the new year in the northern hemisphere, influencing the bounty of the holiday table. These traditional New Year's Eve and New Year's Day foods are believed to bring health, wealth and happiness in the coming year.

Like many other cultures, the Pennsylvania Dutch believe eating pork on New Year's Day brings good luck because pigs root around with their snouts in a forward motion. After all, we want to move forward, not backward, in the new year.

Don't Clean the House on New Year's Day - You will wash away any good luck coming your way.

Like the first snowfall, white is often linked to purity and serenity. An all-white color scheme will give your New Year's party a clean slate, perfect for new beginnings.

Cake: From donuts to more traditional cakes, round or ring-shaped sweets are very popular on New Year's Day. Many people believe round foods symbolize a circle. They may bring good luck that the coming year will go well and come “full circle” around to this same point in time the following year.

Don't Clean the House on New Year's Day - You will wash away any good luck coming your way.

If there was any corn left they made cornbread. So, theses three items have come to represent hope and prosperity for the New Year. The peas represent coins, the greens - paper money and the cornbread, gold.