What is the traditional New Year's Eve meal of lentils and cotechino in Italy called?

Cotechino con lenticchie is the traditional Italian New Year's Eve meal of cotechino sausage served with lentils.

Cotechino is a cooked pork sausage associated especially with northern Italy, while lenticchie means lentils. The dish is eaten around New Year's because lentils resemble coins and are linked symbolically with prosperity. Pork is also associated with abundance in several Italian holiday traditions.

Cotechino is made from seasoned pork, including rind and other parts that give it a distinctive rich texture. It is generally simmered before being sliced and served. The lentils are cooked separately or alongside the sausage, depending on the recipe and region.

A related dish is zampone con lenticchie, in which a seasoned pork mixture is stuffed into a pig's trotter-shaped casing rather than a conventional sausage casing. These foods are festive traditions, not a single legally fixed national menu: families and regions may serve other dishes at the same time.