What better way to ring in 2014 than with some traditional New Year’s foods? These foods are deemed as “lucky” by superstition and are thought to bring prosperity or health if eaten at the start of the year. Here are some foods commonly consumed around the world when midnight strikes.

CORNBREAD

Due to its golden hue, cornbread is associated with money and is often found in many New Year’s meals in the Southern U.S. To add “extra luck” in this comfort food dish, some people add extra corn kernels (which symbolizes golden nuggets, of course).

PORK 

In countries like Spain and Portugal, eating pork on New Year’s Day is significant because pigs symbolize progress, due to their feeding habits (pigs use their snouts to push along the ground when searching for food). 

LONG NOODLES

If you are superstitious and want a long, healthy life, eating long noodles on New Year’s Day is your solution. In many Asian countries, it is customary to eat long noodles, which symbolizes longevity, on Jan. 1.

POMEGRANATES

Pomegranates signify good luck in both Greece and Turkey. In Greece, individuals often smash a pomegranate outside their front doors right after midnight because they believe the fruit’s seeds will bring them good fortune and prosperity. In Turkey, pomegranates are eaten because of their red color (represents the human heart and symbolizes long life and fertility); their seeds, which symbolize prosperity; and their nutritional value, which symbolizes good health.

BLACK-EYED PEAS

In the South, many individuals consume black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. Eating black-eyed peas on Jan. 1 has been a tradition for at least 1,500 years, as it was a Jewish custom to eat these peas in celebration of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Historians believe this tradition was adopted by Americans when Jews came to Georgia in the 1730s, and the tradition spread after the conclusion of the Civil War. 

Black-eyed peas are said to symbolize humility and lack of vanity. The humble nature associated with these peas is signified in the saying, “Eat poor on New Year’s and eat fat the rest of the year." Another explanation for the consumption of these peas is that the dried beans resemble coins and because they expand in volume, they symbolize expanding wealth throughout the new year.

GREENS

Greens are often associated with money (green = color of the U.S. dollar). Popular greens consumed at the start of the new year include turnips, mustard greens or collard greens. According to superstition, the more greens you eat, the wealthier you’ll become. 

LENTILS

In Italy, the New Year is often celebrated by eating “Cotechino con Lenticchie” (green lentils with sausage) because of the lentils’ coin-like appearance and green hue. When these legumes are cooked, they expand (symbolizing wealth); they are also considered good luck foods in Hungary. 

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