Lentils are traditionally eaten in Italy on New Year's Eve as a symbol of prosperity.
Their small, round shape is often compared with coins, so eating lentils is associated with hopes for wealth in the coming year. The dish is commonly served around midnight or as part of the New Year's meal, frequently alongside cotechino or zampone, types of seasoned pork sausage.
The custom is especially linked with the idea that a larger serving of lentils means greater future abundance. It is a folk tradition rather than a guarantee of financial success, and families vary in how closely they follow it.
Lentils are sometimes confused with other New Year foods that symbolize money or luck. In the United States, black-eyed peas have a similar prosperity association in some regions. In Italy, however, lentils are the characteristic food connected with New Year's Eve fortune and abundance.