New Year’s Food Traditions That’ll Bring You Luck In The New Year
Now, I think we can ALL agree that the world could use a bit of luck in 2021.
It was just one short year ago, we were all making grand New Year’s plans, full of lots of family and tons of friends, ready to ring in 2020 in style.
Things have sure changed a little bit in a single year! A year that has felt 5 years long, AMIRITE??
We may not be celebrating in large groups of friends. We may have to forgo all the giant New Year’s Eve parties. We may even celebrate THIS New Year’s Eve in pajamas and comfy slippers.
BUT, they can’t stop us from partaking in all the LUCKY foodie traditions that come with New Year.
Now, if you don’t live in the south, you may not even know what I’m talking about. It wasn’t until I moved from California to Texas that I even knew that New Year’s Food Traditions were a thing.
Don’t worry. It’s never too late to jump right in and celebrate with all us crazy southerners! For goodness sakes, 2021 can use all the luck it can get!
4 Lucky Foods To Eat At The New Year For Good Luck
BLACK EYED PEAS
This is a MUST in our house. You can eat them plain, right out of the can (it’s how my daughter LOVES them), or you can make a super yummy dish with these lucky peas — like this Zannie’s Black-Eye Pea Dip recipe from The Pioneer Woman.
Black eyed peas (or lentils sometimes, too) symbolize coins or wealth for the person that eats them. I need at least 2 helpings this year!!
Greens
Now, a good southern person knows that greens can refer to collard greens, kale, chard, mustard greens, spinach, or even turnip greens. You can even get away with making a yummy cooked cabbage or sauerkraut dish.
A good way to eat greens is boiled down with a side of apple cider vinegar, and maybe cooked with a bit of bacon — OMG, I think I just drooled.
Greens symbolize money, like green bills — and boy buddy, can I use a little more of THAT in 2021. Eat up, my friend.
Ham
Yum. Having a bit of ham with greens and black eyed peas — it’s SO good!!
There are so many ways that you can do ham. You can crock pot a presliced ham (that’s what I plan to do this year), cook a big ol’ bone-in ham in the oven, or even make a quick Ham Fried Rice.
However you choose to make it, ham is meant to symbolize prosperity, something we can DEFINITELY use in 2021.
Cornbread
You can’t have a full southern meal without the bread — cornbread, that is.
Cornbread is said to symbolize gold — which is pretty dang lucky in my book!
Not only is it lucky, it is DELICIOUS with the other elements of a good New Year’s meal.
Now, there are even more traditions in other countries, but this is what we do here in the good ol’ U.S.A.
Do you have another New Year’s tradition that is said to bring good luck? We would LOVE to hear what it is! Go ahead and drop it into the comments, and maybe we can add it into our traditions this year.
