Many countries have New Year culinary traditions that have become deeply embedded in local custom over the centuries.
Across the globe, denizens are gearing up to celebrate the arrival of 2025.
In some parts of the world, a new year also means drawing on old practices to symbolically usher in wealth and good luck.
Many of these practices are rooted in culinary traditions that have become deeply embedded in local custom over the centuries.
Here’s a quick look at some of them:
While we all want our new year to go smoothly, it’s hard to predict exactly what will happen in the future.
Which is why in Spain, there is a tradition of eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight to match the 12 tolls of the bell clock in the square of Puerta de Sol in Madrid (and to usher in good luck for the next 12 months).
The goal is to finish all 12 grapes before the 12 chimes of the clock, which means everyone has to eat very, very fast.
In Spain, there is a tradition of eating 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight which must be finished when the 12 chimes of the bell clock are over. — ANDRA ION/Unsplash
The tradition is said to date back to the 1880s when the upper echelon of Madrid society began eating grapes and drinking champagne, in a custom similar to the French bourgeouisie, who were known to feast on champagne, oysters and grapes. The lower strata of Spanish society soon started eating grapes too – seemingly to mock members of the upper class.
In the 1900s, the tradition intensified when winemakers in Alicante generated a marketing ploy built on superstition and designed to sell off surplus grapes.
The practice has since spread to other parts of the world like Latin America and these days, there are even TikTok challenges dedicated to eating 12 grapes within the allotted time.
Oliebollen literally translates to the rather unattractive-sounding “oily balls”.
But despite its rather foreboding name, oliebollen has become a must-have on New Year’s Eve in Holland.
The dish has a history that dates back to pagan times. Legend has it that the pagan goddess Perchta would cut open the stomachs of people for food. The superstition of eating oliebollen to ward off the evil Perchta (the oiliness meant Perchta wouldn’t be able to slice through their stomachs) seems to have originated from an old wives’ tale and has carried through the generations.
In the Netherlands, nothing spells New Year quite like oliebollen, which has a history that dates back to pagan times. — BERN FRESEN/Unsplash
The first published recipe for this dish dates back to the 17th century and was originally called oliekoecken (oily cakes).
These cakes were often made in monasteries and distributed to the poor. According to an article in SBS Food, in the 19th century, it entered the Dutch dictionary as ‘oliebollen’ and has been called that ever since.
So how is oliebollen made? It is essentially very simple – yeast, water, flour and sugar is moulded into balls, and then the dough is deep fried and topped with powdered sugar. Sometimes, raisins or currants are added to the batter.
Oliebollen is eaten for the New Year because it symbolises many things – the round shape represents coming full circle and continuity and the overall dish is representative of bidding farewell to the past and welcoming the new.
In Amsterdam during winter months, olliebollenkraams, or food stalls specialising in olliebollen make an appearance to appease those hankering after their favourite oily balls.
In Japan, come New Year’s Eve, families typically gather over bowls of toshikoshi soba (buckwheat noodles), which means “year-crossing soba”.
The practice of eating soba to usher in the new year dates back to the Edo period (1603 to 1867) in Osaka, Japan.
Most New Year practices are built around superstitions and beliefs and the eating of soba noodles is no different.
The Japanese believe that the length of the soba noodles signifies long life and happy homes, while the noodles’ thinness indicates the ability to cut off bad elements from a person’s life, to start the new year on a positive note.
The Japanese believe soba noodles symbolise longevity and the removal of obstacles. — Polina Tankilevitch/Instagram
According to the Tokyo Soba Association, there is also a belief that soba noodles bring prosperity to homes. This is because there was a time when Japanese goldsmiths used soba flour to collect errant gold dust from the floor.
That remnant of the past has clung on to the present and remains a symbol of wealth.
Today, an estimated 65% of the Japanese population continue to eat soba noodles to usher in the New Year.
In the south of the US, the arrival of the new year is typically heralded by the arrival of the iconic Hoppin’ John, a dish with only three basic components: rice, peas and bacon.
Hoppin’ John has a tumultuous history and traces its roots to slaves brought in from west Africa to north America. The story is that they were tasked with planting and growing rice and from these tenuous roots, Hoppin’ John emerged.
Hoppin’ John was a dish created by slaves brought to the US and consists of rice, peas and bacon. — A Spicy Perspective/Instagram
Earliest mention of the dish is from the 1847 cookbook The Carolina Housewife and cooking instructions were essentially to boil the peas first, then the bacon and then the rice – all in the same pot. The last step – according to the cookbook – was to steam the dish over coals.
The name Hoppin’ John itself is a mystery, but most historians and etymologists believe that it is deeply intertwined with the French word “pois a pigeon” which means “pigeon peas”.
Other theories include a physically disabled man named John hobbled around the streets of Charleston in south Carolina, selling peas and rice – and the dish was named after him.
Traditionally, Hoppin’ John is eaten with collard greens and cornbread and the peas are thought to resemble coins. Some families also hide pennies under the dish for added luck in the new year.
In Germany, marzipanschwein or gluckschweinchen means “marzipan pigs”. Marzipan is essentially fashioned out of ground almonds and sugar – sometimes with the addition of honey – and is used to make a variety of sweet treats.
But just how did a pig-shaped marzipan confection become a New Year’s culinary tradition in Germany and Austria?
Well, the story goes that back in the Middle Ages, farmers often had little to eat during winter. If someone had a pig, the saying was that “Ich habe schwein gehabt” which means “I had pig” which in turn, became a euphemism for luck, because a pig could last throughout the cold season and whoever had a pig was considered lucky.
Since then, pigs have been considered symbols of good fortune and in Germany and Austria, people regularly gift their friends and family with marzipan pigs (typically painted with pink food dye) for the new year.
In Turkey, pomegranates have a starring role in announcing the arrival of a new year. This lead star status is a no-brainer in the region, as the Levant belt and the Middle East have an indefatigable love for pomegranates.
The fruit is said to have originated from the Indus Valley and travelled throughout the world. It is quoted in Greek mythology and in ancient religious texts.
Pomegranates are auspicious in Turkey. — ZVIKA SHYMAYA/Pexels
In Turkey, pomegranate is the fruit of abundance and it is incorporated into juices, desserts, even savoury meals.
On New Year’s Eve, a long-standing tradition is for people to smash pomegranates to the ground at the foot of their front doors. The idea is that the more seeds pop out, the more luck people will have the rest of the year.
The custom of making vasilopita cakes is deeply embedded in Greek culture and has been for centuries.
The history surrounding vasilopita dates back to Saint Basil, a revered figure in Greece, who was known to help the underprivileged.
Legend has it that people gave their heirlooms away to pay heavy taxes and Saint Basil found a way to give them back their belongings by baking it into bread.
In Greece, most homes will serve vasilopita on New Year’s Eve as well as New Year’s day. A coin is normally baked into the batter and whoever gets it is said to have luck for the next year. — Mums Greek Recipes/Instagram
The cake is made using flour, milk, sugar, egg, butter, mahleb spice and resin. A coin called ‘flouri’ is usually hidden in the batter. The baked cake is layered with powdered sugar and the number of the new year.
Greeks usually bake one vasilopita for New Year’s Eve to celebrate with friends and whoever finds the flouri is meant to have a lucky year. A slice of the cake is also usually served in honour of Jesus.
On New Year’s day, another vasilopita is typically served for family after lunch, which means one more chance to find the lucky coin!
The practice of eating lentil-based dishes in Italy dates back to ancient Roman times when people would gift each other ‘scarscella’, a leather purse full of lentils, with the idea that the lentils would turn into a purse full of gold coins.
From those beginnings, emerged the tradition of eating a lentil-based dish at the stroke of midnight. In fact, in Italy, the legend is so strong that supermarkets are often wiped clean of lentils in the days preceding the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
In Italy, lentils have been associated with prosperity since ancient Roman times and dishes like lentils with sausages are typically made to usher in a new year. — In_Cucina_Con_Marii/Instagram
As lentils typically increase in size once cooked, the idea is that wealth and prosperity will bloom in the coming year and the more lentils you eat, the richer you will become!
Some of the lentil-based dishes served in Italy include lenticchie con cotechino which is traditionally served when the clock strikes 12 in the new year and essentially features homemade sausages cooked over low heat with lentils and spices.
In Poland and many parts of Scandinavia including Norway and Sweden, there is no better dish to announce the arrival of a new year than pickled herring.
Why pickled herring? The custom is deeply rooted in Poland’s close connection with the sea and its rich maritime history.
Herring is also a fish whose availability is wildly unpredictable. An article in Serious Eats reveals that from one year to the next, the catch can go from bountiful to non-existent. As a consequence, there arose a belief that the herring was the bearer of divine messages.
Because of the unpredictable nature of herring hauls, the fish has become the bearer of divine messages in Poland. — St John Restaurant/Instagram
It then became common to eat pickled herring at the stroke of midnight in Poland and other countries as a prayer for a fruitful catch and also because the fish is said to usher in good luck and prosperity.
Recipes can vary and include pickled herring on rye bread, simple vinegar-pickled fillets or more lavish pickled herrings with cream, onions and even apples.
The traditional sweet treat of kransekage only has three ingredients: almonds, sugar and egg whites and yet, it started its life as the food for the elite in the 1700s when Danish bakers first created this marzipan offering.
At the time, marzipan was associated with wealth and the upper crust of society typically indulged in it. Over time, it filtered down to the masses and has since become a New Year’s staple in both Denmark and Norway.
The conical-shaped kransekage is a New Year’s staple in Scandinavia. — Julie Wettergren/Instagram
One of the unique things about kransekage is that it has a conical shape. The dough is normally shaped into 18 rings of various sizes and then assembled from largest to smallest to achieve the desired shape. The resulting concoction is then iced and eaten on New Year’s day as the clock strikes midnight, as it has become a symbol of good luck.
Tamale is central to the Latin American food culture and is one of the oldest foods in the world.
What is a tamale? It is is essentially softened corn husks filled with beans, cheese, meat (like pork) and often a chile sauce. The filling is surrounded by a thick corn dough called masa.
Tamales are softened corn husks filled with beans, cheese, meat (like pork) and chile sauce. — MIKE GLES/Pexels
They can be eaten plain or smothered in cheese or chile. In Mexico, tamales are a staple for both Christmas as well as the New Year to bring in wealth and good luck. The masa (corn) represents prosperity while a pork filling is said to symbolise tenacity.
