Foods to Welcome the New Year

By Tara C.

In the melee leading up to Christmas, I feel like New Year's festivities are sometimes overlooked. And it's too bad--New Year's Eve seems like a great opportunity to bring out our fanciest food and drinks. It's a time to reflect upon and celebrate the past year and welcome a new one, full of new beginnings and possibilities.

Lately our New Year's Eves have pretty been lame to tell you the truth. The last time I partied like it was 1999 on New Year's Eve probably was 1999. But back then I was a young, childless newlywed. Times have changed and today we're lucky if we can even stay awake until midnight.

Other than champagne toasts on New Year's Eve, which I assume are pretty ubiquitous, I'm curious about what other New Year's food traditions Food Lush readers follow. I assume there are a lot of regional differences in terms of the New Year's food traditions, even within the U.S.

When I was growing up, my mother always served black eyed peas on New Year's Day for good luck in the new year. In high school, I had a friend who insisted that we each eat twelve grapes at the stroke of midnight. At the time, I had never heard of this tradition, but I have since learned that it's a Spanish tradition.

I would also love to find something that would elevate our quiet New Year's celebration a notch or two. I'll be back here on Food Lush in the New Year with a review of the Unofficial Downtown Abbey Cookbook and a giveaway, so maybe I'll kick off my Downtown Abbey cooking spree with some "upstairs" delicacies for New Year's Eve. The Countess of Grantham's Moules en Sauce? Lady Mary's Crab Canapés? Who knows--maybe one of these dishes will become our new New Year's Eve tradition.

So, tell me--what are your New Year's Eve and Day food traditions?

(photos from: myrecipes.com, npr.org)

Comments

[Em]

Growing up we always had pork chops with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes on New Year's day. I think it is a German tradition? My husband doesn't like sauerkraut so I don't do this anymore.

[Lydia]

My husband and I have a little tradition of making cheeseburgers and drinking copious amounts of prosecco. I don't think that will help you "class it up" however. On Annie Eats today she had these brie/cranberry crackers that looked amazing...that could be a tradition I could get behind...

[Caitlin]

I love that you do the 12 grapes at midnight! I first learned about it when I was studying abroad in Spain in college, and I've been doing it ever since. Theories vary on what it stands for - one for each month of the new year, one for each stroke of the clock. Plus a bunch of other things I can't remember. But I love it!

We've had fairly quiet New Year's celebrations the past few years, too. I like doing a lot of appetizers and just sitting around drinking bubbly and watching movies until the ball drops. One year we had fancy apps with some friends (prosciutto wrapped asparagus, shrimp cocktail, fancy cheese plate), and then ordered Chinese.