Lentils are commonly eaten with cotechino in Italy's New Year's Eve tradition to symbolize coins.
Cotechino is a cooked pork sausage traditionally made with pork meat and rind, and it is often served with lentils around New Year's Eve. The dish is associated with wishes for prosperity because the small, round lentils resemble coins. In many Italian homes, the pairing is served after midnight or as part of the New Year's meal.
The custom connects two symbolic ideas: pork can represent abundance and forward movement, while lentils suggest wealth through their coin-like appearance. Regional recipes and menus vary, so the dish may be presented with different accompaniments or alongside other celebratory foods.
Cotechino should not be confused with zampone, another Italian New Year's specialty made from a seasoned pork mixture stuffed into a pig's trotter-shaped casing. Both are strongly associated with Modena and the surrounding Emilia-Romagna culinary tradition. The lentils, rather than the sausage's name or shape, are the specific food linked to the coin symbolism in this question.