Lucky New Year's Foods

Whatever your plans for New Year's Eve, there's always that first meal on New Year's Day (even if it means 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1) that has almost as much, if not more, significance than the evening that precedes it.

For us, it was always sauerkraut and pork at midnight. In the South it's collard greens and black-eyed peas. From soup to nuts — or should I say noodles to lentils — there's something for everyone when it comes to what will bring a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Not thrilled with what you've been having in the name of tradition for the past decades? Try something new (or at least add to your usual fare) and see if 2010 doesn't end up being just that much tastier.

Delish.com's slideshow of traditional dishes includes recipes for things like:

Noodles,which signify long life in Asian cultures. The only catch is that you can't break the noodles before they get in your mouth.

Pork is considered lucky in Austria, Cuba and Spain due to the way that pigs root for food: feet planted, snouts moving forward, indicating progress and future prosperity.

Lentils in Italy are auspicious for their resemblance to coins. The fact that they are a low-cost food means you might save some coins as well.

Fish is popular in North America, Europe and Asia as a symbol of abundance (schools of fish) and progress (fish swim forward).

Greens of all varieties especially kale, collards and cabbage reflect all the money (hopefully) you'll encounter in the New Year! Hey, it can't hurt to try, right?

Black-eyed peas in a dish called Hoppin' John in the South, like lentils, symbolize coins.

The pomegranate in its many variations is associated with fertility and abundance in Turkey and the Mediterranean.

Citrus for the Chinese means good fortune and prosperity owing to the way that the words "tangerine" and "orange" sound like "luck" and "wealth" in the Chinese language.

Grapes, 12 of them, actually, are eaten at midnight for each strike of the clock and each month of the year in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries.

Cakes and breads in round or ring shapes from Greece to Amsterdam are associated with traditional New Year's Day celebrations.

Photo courtesy MikeLicht@Flickr.