At New Year's Eve in Italy, lentils are traditionally associated with prosperity because of their coin-like shape.
Italian families commonly serve lentils around New Year's, often with cotechino or zampone, regional pork products. The small, round legumes resemble coins, so eating them symbolizes the hope that wealth will increase during the coming year.
The custom belongs to a wider group of New Year's food traditions in which shape, color, or abundance carries symbolic meaning. Lentils are practical as well as symbolic: they are inexpensive, nutritious, and suited to a substantial winter meal. Recipes and serving times differ between regions and families.
The association does not mean lentils guarantee financial success, and the meal is not identical across Italy. Some households emphasize cotechino, some zampone, and others serve different festive foods. The stable feature is the link between lentils and prosperity, especially at the transition into a new year.