Italiano
The New Year’s Eve dinner is a tradition all over the world. And the customs concerning which foods to eat for auspiciousness are so many that it’d take a lot of ink and patience to list them all!
So I’m talking about the one I know best: the Italian custom of eating lentils because they bring good luck.
More specifically a “financial” fortune!
The custom dates back to the time of the ancient Romans: they exchanged gifts on the first day of the new year (which has been January 1st starting from 153 BC. Previously it was March 1).
One of these gifts was a small leather bag crammed full of lentils, which were jokingly meant to serve as coins. So the Romans, a playful but pragmatic people, put those fake coins in a pot and then ate them.
A millennia-old culinary tradition that survives to this day in the Italian Peninsula.
Anyway, whether you’re superstitious or not, I still recommend lentils: they’re healthy, tasty and super nutritious!
And, why not, cook them with Inox Bim equipment!
