In Italy, lentils are traditionally eaten at New Year's Eve to symbolize wealth and prosperity.
The custom is connected with the lentil's round, coin-like shape. Eating lentils at the turn of the year is believed to invite financial good fortune, especially when they are served with cotechino or zampone, traditional pork products associated with Italian New Year's meals.
Lentils are not confined to one city or one official countdown. The practice appears in family meals throughout Italy, with regional differences in recipes and timing. Some households serve the dish just after midnight, while others eat it as part of the New Year's Eve dinner.
The symbolism is culinary rather than a guaranteed prediction about money. Lentils are also valued as an inexpensive, nutritious legume and have been cultivated around the Mediterranean for thousands of years. The Italian tradition is sometimes blended in popular accounts with other New Year's food customs, such as grapes in Spain or black-eyed peas in the southern United States.