Eating lentils is an Italian New Year’s Eve tradition associated with prosperity in the coming year.
Lentils resemble small coins, so their round shape has made them a symbol of wealth and abundance. They are commonly served around New Year with cotechino, a highly seasoned pork sausage, or with zampone, a stuffed pig’s trotter. Pork can symbolize fullness, progress, or prosperity in different regional interpretations.
The custom is especially connected with the Italian cenone, the large New Year’s Eve dinner. Families and restaurants may serve lentils just before or after midnight, though exact timing and recipes vary throughout Italy.
Lentils are not themselves a guarantee of good fortune, of course; the prosperity meaning is folkloric and symbolic. Italian New Year celebrations also include fireworks, sparkling wine, and regional foods. The tradition is sometimes described simply as “eating lentils at midnight,” but the important cultural association is with abundance in the new year.