Good Luck Foods for the New Years新年好食

布琳·曼尼諾

Find out which traditional eats are symbols of a fortune-filled future.看看哪些傳統食物象征著好運連連吧！

Each New Year’s， revelers around the world chow down on specific foods to summon good luck for the next 365 days. While some traditions call for noodles and others call for fruit， all the edibles connote forward movement， prosperity and health. Whether or not you’re superstitious， take a look at our list of common celebratory eats. If no luck comes your way， at least you’ll go into the new year with a full belly.

Long noodles

In China， Japan and other Asian countries， it’s customary to eat long noodles， signify longevity， on New Year’s Day. The noodles are never to be broken or shortened during the cooking process.

Cornbread

A favorite throughout the year， cornbread is especially venerated as a New Year’s treat in the southern United States. Why？ Its color resembles that of gold. To ensure extra luck， some people add extra corn kernels， which are emblematic of golden nuggets.

Pomegranate

Pomegranates represent good luck in Turkey for many reasons： Their red color， which represents the human heart， denotes life and fertility; their medicinal properties represent health; and their abundant， round seeds represent prosperity—all things everyone hopes for in any fresh start.

Round fruits

Though the number of pieces varies by region， eating any round fruit is a common New Year’s tradition. In the Philippines， the custom calls for 13， considered a lucky number; in Europe and the U.S.， it calls for 12， which represents the months in a year. In both cases， their shape， which looks like a coin， and their sweetness are the common denominators.

Greens

From the coastal American South to Europe， people eat green leafy veggies—including kale， collards and cabbage—on New Year’s Day because of their color and appearance， which resembles paper cash. Belief has it， the more you eat， the more prosperous you’ll be （and the healthier， too?。?

Pickled herring

In Germany， Poland and Scandinavia， it’s believed that eating herring at the stroke of midnight will ensure a year of bounty—as herring are in abundance throughout Western Europe. Also， their silvery color resembles that of coins， a good omen for future fortune.

Whole fish

According to Doris Lum， a Chinese cuisine expert， the Chinese word for “fish” sounds like the word for “abundance，” one of the many reasons fish has become a go-to good luck food. Also， Rosemary Gong writes in Good Luck Life， her book on Chinese celebrations， that it’s important for the fish be served with the head and tail intact to ensure a good year， from start to finish.

Pork

In some countries， including Cuba， Spain， Portugal， Hungary and Austria， pigs symbolize progress. Some say it’s because these animals never move backward， while others believe it’s all in their feeding habits （they push their snouts forward along the ground when rooting for food）. And it’s not limited to pork—foods shaped like pigs （think cutout cookies） count， too.

Lentils

A popular New Year’s meal in Italy is Cotechino con Lenticchie （green lentils with sausage） because of the legume’s greenish color and coin-like appearance. Deeper into the myth： When cooked， lentils plump with water， symbolizing growing wealth. Lentils are also considered good luck in Hungary， where they’re preferred in a soup.

Black-eyed peas

Considered good luck due to their penny-like appearance and abundance， these peas， enjoyed in the southern United States， are traditionally served in a dish called Hoppin’ John1. On the day after New Year’s Day， leftover “Hoppin’ John” becomes “Skippin’ Jenny” meant to demonstrate frugality and promote prosperity in the new year.

每逢新年，世界各地的狂歡者都會享用特定美食，以祈求接下來的365天都有好運相伴。雖然各地傳統不盡相同，有的吃面條，有的吃水果，但所有食物都含有大展宏圖、興旺發達和身體健康的寓意。不管你是否迷信，都請看看下列的好運清單吧，就算不會帶來好運，至少也能讓你在新年之際大飽口福。

長面條

在中國、日本和其他一些亞洲國家，吃長面條是新年的習俗，寓意為“長壽”。在烹飪時不能將面條折斷縮短。

玉米面包

人們全年都愛吃玉米面包，但在美國南部，玉米面包在新年時卻格外受推崇，這是為什么呢？因為它顏色酷似黃金。為了祈求獲得更多的好運，一些人會另外加上玉米粒，象征一塊塊金塊。

石榴

在土耳其，石榴象征著好運，原因很多：石榴火紅的顏色代表心臟，象征著生命和繁衍;石榴可入藥，預示著健康;而飽滿豐碩的石榴果實則象征著繁榮——這一切都代表了人們在新年所渴求的一切。

圓水果

盡管食用數量各地不同，但吃圓水果是許多地方的新年傳統。在菲律賓，人們通常吃13個，因為13是幸運數字，而在歐洲和美國，人們則吃12個，因為12代表一年12個月。上述兩例中，水果的形狀都酷似硬幣，且都很香甜。

綠葉蔬菜

從美洲南部沿海到歐洲各國，人們都喜歡在新年吃綠葉蔬菜，如羽衣甘藍、甘藍葉和卷心菜，因為它們的顏色和外表都與當地紙幣相似。人們相信，吃得越多，就會越有錢（也越健康）。

腌制鯡魚

在德國、波蘭和斯堪的納維亞半島，人們相信在午夜新年鐘聲敲響時吃鯡魚會令來年收獲滿滿，因為鯡魚在西歐產量豐富。再者，其銀色的魚身和硬幣的顏色一樣，也預示著來年大富大貴。

整魚

據中國飲食專家多麗絲·盧姆說，漢字“魚”和“余”同音，所以這也是魚會成為好運菜品的眾多原因之一。此外，羅斯瑪麗·龔在她描寫中國慶典活動的《紅運生活》一書中也提到，魚必須要整條上，從頭到尾都要完整，因為這意味著一年到頭都好運連連。

豬肉

在一些國家，如古巴、西班牙、葡萄牙、匈牙利和奧地利，豬象征著進步。有人說，這是因為豬從來不會向后退，有的人則認為這和它們的習性有關（因為它們總是用鼻子向前拱食物）。不只是豬肉，形狀像豬的食物（如小豬形曲奇）也算好運食物。

扁豆

在意大利，香腸配綠扁豆是新年傳統食物，因為扁豆呈綠色，且外表和硬幣十分相似。更深一層的含義是：烹飪時，扁豆遇水變得飽滿多汁，象征著源源不斷的財富。在匈牙利，扁豆也同樣是一種好運食物，但是匈牙利人更偏愛喝扁豆湯。

黑眼豌豆

在美國南部，黑眼豌豆是制作名為Hoppin’ John的菜肴的主要原料，因為它們酷似硬幣且產量豐沛，人們把它們當作好運食物。在新年的第二天，吃剩的Hoppin’ John就變成Skippin’ Jenny，意味在新的一年中勤儉節約、興旺發達。

（譯者單位：天津外國語大學濱海外事學院）