5 New Year’s Foods From Around the World

Here in the American South, everybody knows that the traditional New Year's food is black-eyed peas and cabbage. Legend has it that eating those foods to ring in a new year are supposed to bring luck and good fortune, but lots of countries have their own lucky foods when it comes to ringing in the new year.

For example:

In Spain, It's been a tradition since around 1909 to eat exactly 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight.

According to the tradition, it all started with getting rid of the excess grapes from that bumper year.

In Italy, I guess you'd call it their version of black-eyed peas. It's customary to eat lentils. the lentils are usually served with a pork sausage known as Catechino. I guess that would be the Italian version of ham, right? Anyway, just as in our culture these foods are supposed to bring good luck and money in the new year.

Let's travel over to Japan where the traditional food to welcome in a new year is called Soba. These long, think buckwheat noodles are, like many things in japan, supposed to represent a long life. I've never tasted buckwheat, so you're on your own in finding out exactly how they taste.

It's not too hard to figure out that the "lucky" food in Scandinavia is pickled herring. It's a cash crop from the sea and a main staple there year-round. the pickled herring are eaten right after midnight on New year's Eve. It's not known exactly what these are supposed to be good for other than really bad breath.

Germany's lucky food is also pretty obvious as well. It's sauerkraut. Just like our own cabbage, it's for good luck and the number of shreds of sauerkraut is the amount of luck or money you'll experience in the coming year. I'll bet this is served with some kind of sausage as well.

Kind of funny that so many cultures have dietary beliefs about food and the new year and all are supposed to bring either good luck or money.

Even though it's all superstition, I'm not taking any chances. I plan to have plenty of black-eyed peas and cabbage New Year's day, Here's wishing you a very, very happy New Year in 2016!