Ask George: What foods do people traditionally eat (and not eat) on New Year's Day?

Our dining editor digs into the holiday's food-related traditions and lore.

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Ask George: What foods do people traditionally eat (and not eat) on New Year's Day? —Stephanie Z., St. Louis

Throughout the ages and in every culture, there are customs and superstitions linked to New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. In this country, bubbles are considered good luck, so imbibers toast the new year with Champagne. A piece of gold jewelry placed in a glass supposedly promises wealth, so many toss in a bauble. Those we kiss at midnight are destined to remain close to us throughout the year—so place those kisses wisely. And we make noise at midnight—lots of it—ostensibly to chase away evil spirits.

Food superstitions abound as well, and many are rooted in the South. 

  • Black-eyed peas: One theory says black-eyed peas were the only foodstuff left after Yankees decimated the farmers' fields; others believe that slaves ate the ample legume on January 1 to celebrate the day that emancipation went into effect. 
  • Greens: Today, many Southerners eat black-eyed peas on the first day of the new year, usually with some type of greens (collards, kale, spinach, cabbage), as the color signifies money, and a little more of that never hurts.
  • Yellow Dishes: Similarly, eating anything yellow is good luck as well, as yellow is the color of gold.
  • Lentils: According to newyearwiki.com, eating green lentils are lucky because their roundness symbolizes coins and yellow lentils signify gold.
  • Pigs: In the South, pigs are considered symbols of good luck, because they root forward when foraging for their food. So a Southern meal of black-eyed peas, pork, greens, and golden cornbread was believed to exponentially increase one's luck.
  • Hoppin' John: Made of black-eyed peas and pork, the dish is consumed all over the South on January 1 and is usually served over rice, another food that symbolizes abundance because it swells when it's cooked. A shiny coin is often thrown into the Hoppin' John cooking pot, and the person who gets it in their bowl is due an extra portion of good luck (which may be necessary to pay for the tooth they fractured while chomping down on that coin). We hear there's also a variant called Hoppin' Juan, made with Spanish black beans. In St. Louis, Straub's frequently offers a version of hoppin' john on its soup bar. 
  • Peas: Another tradition holds that counting the number of peas predicts the amount of luck that one will have in the coming year (one pea equals one day), so I suppose the optimum serving on New Year's Day is 365 black-eyed peas. (You know, all of a sudden, January 2 doesn't sound so lucky.) 
  • Avoid crustaceans and bottom-dwellers: Conversely, newyearwiki.com states that it's considered bad luck to eat crab or lobster on New Year's Day, as they move sideways, and no bottom-dwellers either, like catfish, or you may become a bottom-feeder as well. Other fish are OK, because they swim forward.
  • Avoid certain poultry and beef: Now it's bad luck to eat chicken or turkey, because they scratch backward for food, so anyone consuming this type of poultry is destined to "scratch in the dirt" for food in the upcoming year. Oh, and any kind of beef is out as well, as cows eat standing still, and no one wants to do that.
  • Grapes: A Spanish tradition calls for eating 12 grapes, one at a time to represent the months, accompanied by a wish for each month. And if you encounter a sour grape, well, that month may not be so good. 
  • Tamales: The tradition of eating tamales at Christmas dates back to Mesoamerican Aztecs. Today, people of Mexican descent eat tamales year round, but especially during the Christmas season, which stretches from mid-December until January 6, Three Kings' Day. In St. Louis, traditional tamales can be found at Pueblo Solis (5127 Hampton) and El Tio Pepe (315 W. Terra) in O'Fallon, Missouri, a Yucatecan iteration at Sureste (3730 Foundry Way) at City Foundry STL, and at newly opened Taco's Wey & Grill (9040 Gravois), among other places. 

And now for a few New Year's customs. (Not all of them are food-related, but they're interesting nonetheless.) 

  • A fully stocked cupboard: Home cupboards and pantries must be stocked full heading into a new year. Doing so guarantees they'll stay that way.
  • No tears or regrets: No tears should be shed on the dawn of a new year, as it sets a precedent for the rest of the year. In this country, we may write down our regrets and toss them into the fire. We might even open the windows and doors at midnight to let the old year escape and open them again the next day to let the fresh air in.
  • Eccentric underwear: In South America, though, some people wear red underwear (to catch a mate) or yellow underwear (for prosperity), and some believe better luck is achieved if one wears the underwear backward. And if it has circles or polka dots on it, all the better, as this symbolizes—you guessed it—coins.
  • A day of rest: On the first day of the year, citizens are encouraged not to work, as that is considered bad luck. It is also bad luck to start off the year doing laundry, as a family member may be washed away.

On Sunday, we plan to honor a few of those South American traditions—and hit the sale racks in search of polka-dotted yellow underwear. 

Editor's Note: A prior version of this article was published on stlmag.com at an earlier date.

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