Lentils are traditionally eaten in Italy on New Year's Eve to symbolize wealth.
Their small, round shape is commonly compared with coins, so eating lentils is associated with hopes for financial prosperity in the coming year. They are often served with cotechino, a slow-cooked Italian pork sausage, or with zampone, a sausage mixture traditionally prepared in a pig's trotter.
The custom is especially associated with the New Year's Eve or New Year's Day meal, although recipes and serving times vary among Italian regions and families. The symbolism is a folk tradition rather than a promise of actual financial success.
Lentils are also nutritious and store well, which helped make them an important food in Italian cooking long before their New Year's association. The round legumes should not be confused with rice, another prosperity-associated food used in New Year traditions in other countries.