Lentils are the traditional New Year’s Eve dish in Italy associated with prosperity because their shape resembles coins.
They are commonly served with cotechino, a seasoned pork sausage, or with zampone, a stuffed pig’s trotter. The pairing is especially associated with the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day table. Lentils are valued symbolically because their small, round, coin-like appearance suggests increasing wealth as they swell during cooking.
Pork also carries a prosperity association in many European food traditions because a pig’s forward-facing snout suggests progress and abundance. Italian regional menus vary, so not every household serves exactly the same combination.
A common mix-up is to call lentils a dessert or a countdown snack. They are generally served as a savory meal course, often after midnight or on January 1. The custom is cultural symbolism rather than a claim that eating lentils guarantees financial success.