What is the traditional New Year’s Eve feast in Italy that commonly includes lentils and cotechino sausage?

Cotechino con lenticchie is the traditional Italian New Year’s Eve feast commonly made with lentils and cotechino sausage.

Cotechino is a fresh pork sausage associated especially with northern and central Italy. It is commonly served with lentils on New Year’s Eve because the small, round lentils resemble coins and symbolize prosperity. The dish is therefore linked with hopes for wealth in the coming year.

The sausage is made from pork meat and rind, seasoned and cooked slowly. It is often served hot alongside the lentils shortly after midnight or as part of the New Year’s meal. Regional menus may add mashed potatoes, polenta, or other accompaniments.

The dish should not be confused with zampone, another Italian stuffed pork preparation. Zampone is traditionally filled into a pig’s trotter-shaped casing, while cotechino is prepared as a sausage. Both can appear in festive New Year meals.