The traditional Italian New Year's Eve food symbolizing prosperity with coin-shaped pulses is lentils.
Lentils are eaten in Italy around Capodanno, the New Year period, because their small, round shape resembles coins. Their association with increasing wealth makes them a customary good-luck food. They are frequently served with cotechino or zampone, two kinds of seasoned pork traditionally associated with the holiday meal.
Cotechino is a large cooked sausage, while zampone is a stuffed pig's trotter. The combination of lentils and pork is especially linked with hopes for abundance in the coming year. Regional menus vary, so not every Italian household serves the same dish or follows the custom in exactly the same way.
Lentils are not uniquely Italian New Year's food; similar prosperity symbolism appears in other countries and cultures. Their importance in Italy comes from the coin comparison and the long-standing association of New Year's dishes with luck, abundance, and a successful year ahead.