New Year's Eve menu between traditional dishes and special foods that, according to popular beliefs, would bring luck. new Year's Eve is approaching and not even the pandemic makes Italians desist from preparing what is the most important dinner of the year. The spread of infections will certainly upset the parties of many and perhaps someone will also decline the invitation of friends and relatives for the lucullian dinner on the evening of December 31st. But, despite the climate of apprehension generated by the pandemic crisis, the dinner will take place regardless of the number of diners around the table.
New Year's menu
Naturally, it starts with the appetizers, the inevitable 'appetite whet' based on canapés and vol au vent, platters of raw fish, cheeses and jams. From appetizers to first course, the step is short. From the Alps to the Strait, on the tables of the beautiful country is a rich showcase of dishes, emblem of the ancient Italian gastronomic tradition. In the North, tortelli, tortellini, cappelletti and lasagna are most popular: in short, stuffed pasta in all its succulent expressions. In the Center and in the South, pasta with fish wins every culinary competition: from seafood to clams, to sardines without forgetting lobsters and lobsters. The sea on the table makes a fine show of itself with all its Mediterranean scents.
Seconds and side dishes
Even for the main courses throughout the boot, the typical gastronomy is a kaleidoscope of flavors and gourmet dishes. From the classic roast beef to lamb ribs, passing through the cotechino which is one of the symbols of the New Year's Eve dinner. For those who love fish there is no shortage of salt or baked sea bream and snapper preparations. And then again the grilled and fried foods. Without forgetting the cod with its many digressions on the subject: in white, stewed, fried and even in salads as an appetizer. Among the dishes that accompany the main dishes we cannot forget the lentils which, according to tradition, would bring luck due to their shape reminiscent of that of coins.
Also according to popular sayings, chilli pepper would also be a lucky food which, especially in the South, inspired the creation of red croissants against the evil eye. Among other things, for some, the chili also has beneficial properties that contribute to the proper functioning of the heart muscle. And, a not insignificant detail, it would also be an aphrodisiac. Green vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cabbage also seem to be auspicious: green like dollars, therefore a harbinger of economic prosperity.
Fruit
Grapes also mean abundance: in fact, according to a peasant tradition, on New Year's Eve you have to eat 12 beans, one for each month of the year. A nice ritual to wish future wealth to yourself and your family. And then there is the pomegranate, the sacred fruit of the Greeks and Romans, loved by the goddesses Venus and Juno. The pomegranate, due to its ancient mythological meaning, is considered a symbol of fertility and wealth. On the dinner table, together with fresh fruit, the place of honor also has its place nuts. Walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts, pistachios. And, again, peanuts, dates and dried figs which in the South are filled with chocolate and other goodies.
Sweets and sparkling wine to conclude the New Year's Eve dinner
The dinner ends with the cabaret of sweets which, in the beautiful country, is truly a riot of delicacies among the most diverse and inviting. From Christmas bread from the mountain areas stuffed with raisins and dried fruit, to the classic panettone which, together with Pandoro, competes for the podium of festive desserts. And then the Tuscan panforte, the Cremonese nougat, the Lucanian cartellate, the Neapolitan struffoli, and the desserts made with almond paste, also a symbol of wealth. Almond paste is also called marzipan and its name derives from Arabic mauthaban which means coin.
Marzipan is typical of the southern regions and in particular of Sicily, where almond paste sweets are real creations. The dinner ends, as usual, with a midnight toast. And, then, raise your glasses to say goodbye to the old year and greet the new year with a good strictly Italian sparkling wine! And happy 2022 to all our readers from italiani.it.
