Feeling lucky? If not, you may want to increase your chances by making sure that on New Year’s Eve or Day you eat at least one of the foods that legends say will bring luck in the coming year.
The list of “lucky” foods eaten Jan.1 is long and varied. Pork is chosen because pigs are associated with progress; they never walk backwards. Paired with sauerkraut, as it is in Pennsylvania Dutch country, it’s said to bring even more luck.
Green foods are popular because they are the color of money and four-leaf clovers. Those can include cabbage, kale, green beans, Brussels sprouts, peas, fennel and salads.
In Mexico and Spain 12 grapes are eaten on New Year’s Eve to symbolize the 12 months ahead. They are eaten one at a time, representing each month, and if you eat a sour one, watch out for that month. Meanwhile, lentils are believed to be lucky because they look like money.
Filipinos celebrate the New Year’s Eve with round fruits like mangoes and watermelons to bring luck in the new year while long noodles are reputed to lengthen your life in many Asian countries. But make sure you eat the noodles without breaking them in order to ensure they work their magic.
Fish always move forward, so they are devoured on New Year’s to bring prosperity, while pomegranates are associated with abundance and fertility.
You also could dine like the Greeks and eat cake on New Year’s Eve in hopes of good luck.
Black-eyed peas are a key ingredient of Hoppin’ John, a good-luck Southern dish. The first recorded recipe for Hoppin’ John was published in “The Carolina Housewife” and it called for a pound of bacon, a pint of peas and a pint of rice. This recipe from epicurious.com originally came from “Hoppin’ John’s Low-Country Cookbook.” If you don’t have a ham hock, crisp bacon can be substituted. The dish is supposed to especially lucky when served over collard greens.
Whatever you choose, Here’s hoping for better luck and happier days in 2021.
Hoppin’ John
1 cup small dried beans such as cowpeas or black-eyes
5 to 6 cups water
1 dried hot pepper (optional)
1 smoked ham hock
1 medium onion, chopped (about ¾ cup)
1 cup long-grain white rice
Wash and sort the peas. Place them in a saucepan, add the water, and discard any peas that float. Gently boil the peas with the pepper, ham hock, and onion, uncovered, until tender but not mushy — about 1½ hours — or until 2 cups of liquid remain. Add the rice to the pot, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, never lifting the lid.
Remove from the heat and allow to steam, still covered, for another 10 minutes. Remove the cover, fluff with a fork, and serve immediately.
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