In Italy's New Year's Eve food tradition, lentils symbolize coins and prosperity.
Lentils are commonly served in Italy around New Year's Eve and New Year's Day because their small, round shape resembles coins. As they cook, they swell, making them a symbol of growing wealth and abundance. The tradition is especially associated with serving lentils alongside cotechino, a seasoned pork sausage, or zampone, a stuffed pig's trotter.
Cotechino and zampone are strongly connected with northern Italian regional cuisine, particularly the area around Modena. Pork is also associated with abundance because a pig's forward rooting suggests progress and because pork was historically a valuable festive food.
Recipes and serving times vary across Italy, and not every household follows the custom. The symbolism is nevertheless a recognizable part of Italian New Year's celebrations, where the meal expresses hopes for financial security in the coming year.