Getting-Lucky-Five-Foods-to-Eat-for-Luck-This-Year
January 9, 2012
•Le Cordon Bleu
•Chicago
• 0 Comments
Getting Lucky: Five Foods to Eat for Luck This Year
Looking for a prosperous New Year? Want to ensure your health or your attractiveness to the opposite sex? Then you should consider eating for luck. In other words, you should eat special foods that are traditionally associated with good luck in the New Year. The culinary info on why some of these foods are considered lucky is sometimes hard to come by, but old habits die hard.
New Year’s is traditionally a time to wish for good tidings and prosperity in the New Year, and nearly every culture around the world has a traditional food that is consumed on New Year’s Day to bring luck to the diners. We’ve put together this list of five of them so that you can start planning your menu today.
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Cabbage
There are few foods that are more celebrated as lucky than cabbage. This “king” of good luck foods makes the menu on New Year’s Day from Ireland to Germany to Korea. Because of its green leaves it is often associated with money. Eating it on New Year’s Day is said to bring riches throughout the year. It’s no coincidence that an American slang term for money is cabbage.
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Pork
Throughout history the ability to own and raise a hog for food has been seen as a hallmark of success. Having a pork dinner on New Year’s Day has therefore become associated with prosperity and abundance. Many varieties of pork are served in various cultures: roast suckling pig, roasted pork or ham, and many varieties of sausage. In parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania many people continue the Amish tradition of sauer kraut served with roasted pork.
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Fish
In many parts of North America, Asia, and Europe people eat fish to celebrate the New Year. Because some fish swim in large schools, they are often associated with abundance. Some fish eaten for luck on New Year’s Day include salmon, herring, and snapper. Herring is a particular favorite in Germany and Poland where it is often served pickled or in a sour cream-based sauce.
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Beans
In many cultures beans are associated with coins. It is thought eating them on New Year’s Day will bring coins your way throughout the year. In the Southern United States black-eyed peas are a traditional dish often served with collard greens and/or ham hocks. In a tradition that dates back to ancient Rome, many Italians eat lentils on New Year’s Day.
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Cakes
Some cultures celebrate the New Year by baking tasty cakes and cookies. In New Orleans delicious lemon cakes are baked with shiny coins inside. The person who gets the piece with the coin is said to have good luck throughout the coming year.
As you can see, much of these good luck foods are not what you would normally call culinary cooking, but with a little imagination and effort you can transform this basic fare into delicious and lucky New Year’s Day meal.
You may or may not believe in a food’s ability to bring good fortune, but putting a few of these items on your plate for New Year’s Day will not only be a delicious way to start the New Year, it could be a lucky one, too.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs in Chicago, Illinois. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Chicago for more information.
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