What is the traditional New Year's Eve meal of lentils associated with in Italy?

In Italy, lentils eaten at New Year are traditionally associated with good luck and prosperity.

Lentils are valued for their round, coin-like appearance, so eating them is thought to invite financial abundance in the coming year. They are commonly served on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, often alongside cotechino, a cooked pork sausage, or zampone, a stuffed pig’s trotter.

The meal is part of a wider European pattern in which particular foods symbolize wealth, fertility, or renewal. The exact menu varies by region and household, but lentils remain one of Italy’s most recognizable New Year foods.

The tradition expresses a wish rather than a guaranteed outcome. Lentils are not eaten because they are a formal religious requirement, and the custom does not mean every Italian family serves the same dish. It is a widespread cultural association with prosperity.