2. Twelve grapes, Spain
Spain watches a broadcast from Puerta del Sol in Madrid every year, where people assemble to celebrate the New Year in front of the square’s clock tower.
An odd yearly custom is observed by those in the square and those observing from home: they eat one grape for each chime of the clock at midnight. Some even prepare their grapes by seeding and peeling them in order to maximize their productivity come midnight.
The tradition is said to have started at the turn of the 20th century by southern Californian grape growers who were experiencing a bountiful crop. Since then, the tradition has spread to many Spanish-speaking nations.
In Mexico, tamales—baked corn dough filled with cheese, meat, and other delectable ingredients and wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf—appear at almost every special occasion. However, the holidays are a particularly popular time for the food.
Hundreds of these little packets are made by groups of women in many families, each taking charge of a different part of the cooking process, and then distributed to friends, neighbors, and family. It’s typically served with menudo, a tripe and hominy soup that’s known to be excellent for hangovers, on New Year’s.
It shouldn’t be too difficult for residents of cities with sizable Mexican populations to locate eateries to celebrate New Year’s Eve and Day with tamales. Street vendors in Mexico City sell steaming tamales all day and all night.
Fried oil balls, or oliebollen, are traditionally consumed on New Year’s Eve and at special celebration fairs in the Netherlands. They are sold by street carts. These dumplings resemble doughnuts and are prepared by placing a scoop of dough laced with raisins or currants into a deep fryer and then dusting it with powdered sugar.
Look out for Oliebollenkraams (small, makeshift shacks or trailers on the street selling packets of hot, fried oliebollen) when you’re in Amsterdam.
Eating noodles is a New Year’s tradition for good luck in many Asian countries. Noodles can symbolize a long life, but only if they make it into the mouth before breaking! In Japan, soba noodles are particularly significant because their foundation of buckwheat flour represents resilience.
Consider these pomegranate recipes. Even our favorite drink for the start of the year is one of them:
Traditionally, whole fish is served for New Year’s Day; if the head and tail are served, the year is considered lucky from beginning to end. Moreover, their gleaming scales resemble coins and signify prosperity in the upcoming year.
When deciding which foods to serve at your New Year’s party, bear in mind these few ring-shaped recipes:
There are several explanations for the connection between New Year’s Day and black-eyed peas. Though it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to pinpoint its exact origin, it’s possible that this ingredient was popular among slaves at the time the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863. Generations later, people still celebrate New Year’s Day with the same meal.
5. Marzipanschwein or Glücksschwein, Austria and Germany
New Year’s Eve is known as Sylvesterabend, or the eve of Saint Sylvester, in neighboring Germany and Austria. Austrian celebrants eat suckling pig for dinner and decorate the table with marzipanschwein, which are little pigs made of marzipan. They also drink a red wine punch flavored with cinnamon and spices.
Glücksschwein, or good luck pigs, are also popular gifts in Austria and Germany. They are made of various materials.
