What is the traditional New Year's Eve dish in Italy made from lentils and often served with cotechino sausage?

Cotechino con lenticchie is the traditional Italian New Year's Eve dish made from lentils and often served with cotechino sausage.

Cotechino is a cooked pork sausage, while lenticchie means lentils in Italian. The dish is associated with prosperity because lentils resemble small coins and are thought to symbolize growing wealth. It is commonly eaten around New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, especially in northern and central Italy.

Cotechino is made from pork meat and rind and is usually sold precooked or partly prepared, then heated before serving. The lentils are cooked separately and served alongside it, creating a hearty winter meal.

The dish is sometimes confused with zampone, another Italian New Year specialty. Zampone is a stuffed pig's trotter, whereas cotechino is a sausage. Both are commonly paired with lentils and share the same prosperity symbolism.