Lenticchie are the Italian New Year's Eve lentils traditionally associated with coins and prosperity.
In Italy, lentils are commonly served around New Year, often with cotechino or zampone, two kinds of seasoned pork sausage. Their small, round shape is said to resemble coins, so eating them symbolizes hopes for wealth and financial good fortune in the coming year.
The dish is especially associated with the transition from December 31 to January 1. Lentils are practical as well as symbolic: they are nutritious legumes that have long been part of Italian regional cooking.
“Lenticchie” is the Italian word for lentils, while cotechino is the sausage often served alongside them. The lentils themselves are the food carrying the coin symbolism, not the sausage.