What is the traditional New Year's Eve feast in Italy called, often featuring lentils and cotechino sausage?

Italy's traditional New Year's Eve feast is called Cenone di Capodanno, often featuring lentils and cotechino sausage.

The Italian phrase means “New Year's Eve dinner” or “big New Year's meal.” It describes the substantial celebratory meal eaten on December 31, rather than one single nationally fixed menu. Regional ingredients and family customs can vary considerably.

Lentils are widely associated with prosperity because their small, round shape resembles coins. Cotechino, a seasoned pork sausage traditionally served with lentils, is a well-known pairing, especially in northern and central Italian cuisine. Some households also serve zampone, a stuffed pig's trotter.

The feast is not the same thing as Italy's New Year's Day customs or its Epiphany celebrations. Nor does every Italian family serve precisely the same dishes. The shared idea is a festive meal whose foods carry wishes for abundance and good fortune in the year ahead.