Auston Chase Apartment Homes

It is the New Year, and for many in our apartments in Ridgeland, SC this is the perfect time to get a fresh start. New Year’s Resolutions and ideas to have a great year are the topics of conversation this time of year. Many have a holiday tradition that will certainly give you a leg up in the luck department.

There are a variety of foods that are believed to be lucky and to improve the odds that next year will be a great one. What is interesting is that all over the world the foods eaten on New Year’s Eve consist of the same major categories: grapes, greens, fish, pork, legumes, and cakes.

Grapes
New Year's revelers in Spain consume twelve grapes at midnight—one grape for each stroke of the clock.

Cooked Greens
Cooked greens, including cabbage, collards, kale, and chard, are consumed at New Year's in different countries for a simple reason — their green leaves look like folded money, and are thus symbolic of economic fortune.

Legumes
Legumes including beans, peas, and lentils are also symbolic of money. Their small, seedlike appearance resembles coins that swell when cooked so they are consumed with financial rewards in mind.
In Italy, it's customary to eat cotechino con lenticchie or sausages and green lentils, just after midnight

In the Southern United States, it's traditional to eat black-eyed peas or cowpeas in a dish called hoppin' john.
 
Pork
The custom of eating pork on New Year's is based on the idea that pigs symbolize progress.
 
Fish
Cod has been a popular feast food since the Middle Ages. The Danish eat boiled cod, in Italy, baccalà, or dried salt cod, is enjoyed from Christmas through New Year's; herring is consumed at midnight in Poland and Germany; the Swedish New Year feast is usually a smorgasbord with a variety of fish dishes such as seafood salad. In Japan, herring roe is consumed for fertility, shrimp for long life, and dried sardines for a good harvest

Cakes
Round or ring-shaped baked goods have special emphasis at New Year’s.

If you are looking for a recipe to bring to a New Year’s Eve party in Ridgeland, Beaufort or Hilton Head this weekend, bring some food with luck! Happy New Year from Auston Chase Apartment Homes.

Food information from Epicurious