- BY ISSIMO
- December 11, 2024
Italy, as you know, loves to weave tradition and celebration together. Nowhere is this more evident than during the Christmas season: From Christmas Day to Santo Stefano (Boxing Day) and New Year’s Eve, Italians greet the festivities with a mix of time-honoured customs, symbolic gestures and (unsurprisingly) fabulous feasts.
While it’s impossible to play favourites – don’t make us choose between Vigilia and Christmas lunch, please – Capodanno (New Year’s Eve) does take a special place in our hearts. It’s easy to see why: How you start the year can set the tone for how you’ll plan and live the months ahead, so laying out a spectacular meal is essentially the best way to kick things off with a bang.
Italians do so with cenone di Capodanno (the “big dinner of New Year’s Eve”) – a gregarious, often loud, always joyful meal deeply steeped in symbolism, flavour, and the notion of togetherness. Some of the dishes you’ll eat on the night are ubiquitous across the country – more on that below – but, mostly, the whole thing reflects the rich diversity of Italy’s culinary heritage.
Here’s a closer look at how different regions of Italy welcome the New Year, one delicious bite at a time.
Lentils, the queens of the cenone
Few things (coffee, soccer, gelato) unite Italians from the Alps to Sicily. Lentils on New Year’s Eve are one of them. The legumes are believed to bring wealth and good fortune to those who eat them on the last day of the year, which is why they’re ever-present at any cenone around the country. The idea is that they resemble coins – so the more you eat them, the belief goes, the more prosperous your year will be.
Often, lentils are paired with zampone (stuffed pig’s trotter) or cotechino (a hearty, spiced pork sausage) – rich, slow-cooked meats symbolising abundance. As with all-things food, though, regional variations do occur: In Emilia-Romagna, the birthplace of zampone, families pair the dish with a glass of bubbles to toast l’anno nuovo. In the south of Italy, the tiny legumes are drizzled with olive oil and served with crusty bread. Umbria, where the famous lenticchie di Castelluccio di Norcia are from, serves them with sausages instead.
The North: Hearty fares and banquets vibes
Rich flavours and comfort food are the watchwords of any northern Italian cenone, and rightfully so: Here are the boot country’s coldest regions, so generous portions and soothing dishes are exactly what you’d want to wrap up the past year and start the new one.
If Emilia Romagna is all about zampone and cotechino, Veneto spotlights baccalà mantecato (creamed cod) and risotto, which is made with the creamy variety typical of the region, the Vialone Nano, and cooked with prosecco – a festive nod to the sparkling wine that’s so beloved during Christmas time. Piedmont opts instead for bollito (boiled meats) and chicken alla marengo, served with shrimp and mushrooms, while in Liguria, the star of New Year’s Eve is cappon magro, an elaborate salad of seafood and vegetables.
Skiing in the Alps? Then expect canederli and tirtlan, large fried ravioli with a filling of savoy cabbage or spinach; polenta and fonduta (cheese fondue) for your cenone – perfect dishes to stay warm as you celebrate the new year. As for the desserts, well, panettone is a must, all the more so in Lombardy, where it originates.
Central Italy: Traditions and creative twists
Central Italy is as varied as it comes when it comes to the cenone – though one thing you’ll find from Tuscany to Lazio is that the last dinner of the year is a long, social affair, where the dishes on the table are almost as important as the guests around it.
Slices of homemade bread spread with creamy chicken liver pate (patè di fegatini) are a must in Tuscany on the last night of the year – best if paired with a glass of Chianti. In Rome and the surrounding region the evening starts with a tagliere (cold cuts platter) showcasing the best of Italian cured meats; and it’s not complete without a generous serving of spaghetti with clams and fried cod (baccalà fritto).
Marche favours olive all’ascolana – pitted olives stuffed with meat, breaded and fried – hearty vincisgrassi (a pasta dish similar to lasagna) and porchetta-style rabbit seasoned with wild fennel; and Molise soup alla santè, a light chicken broth featuring day-old bread, meatballs and stringy cheese, which is exactly as comforting as it sounds.
The South and the islands: Seafood, spices, and sweet surprises
It’s no surprise that fish and bold flavours dominate New Year’s Eve in the south. Platters of fried anchovies, clams, mussels, and octopus salad take centre stage in Naples and Campania, where cod and eel (capitone), in particular, reign supreme; while in Puglia the end-of-year festivities mean fried panzerotti, roasted eel and lamb with lampascioni (a type of wild onion), as well as sweet treats like cartellate (deep fried crispy fritters dipped in vincotto or honey) and honey purciduzzi (balls of sweet yeast dough similar to the Neapolitan struffoli).
Sicilian love breaded meat rolls or chops accompanied with caponata, sarde a beccafico (stuffed sardines) and desserts such as cassata (a ricotta-filled sponge cake) and cannoli, ensuring the year ends on a sweet note; but also fresh fruit like oranges, which symbolize health and prosperity.
Hop over to Sardinia, and you’ll be presented with a much more rustic, but equally delicious, spread: Porceddu (roast suckling pig), pane carasau (a thin, crisp flatbread), lamb stews and pardulas, which are sweets made with sheep’s ricotta, saffron and lemon zest.
Beyond Lentils: Lucky Foods to Add to Your Table
Italians aren’t just into lentils on New Year’s Eve. Here are three more foods you’ll likely find at the cenone, regardless of the region.
Mandarins
Perfectly round – like a coin! – juicy and bright orange, mandarins are considered lucky charms on New Year’s Eve. Eat them to your heart content and you might just bring their good fortune with you into the new year.
Nuts and dried fruits
Ancient Romans believed nuts and dried fruits to be propitious foods, and that belief still continues today. On New Year’s Eve, make sure to eat seven different kinds: hazelnuts, walnuts, peanuts, almonds, dates, dried figs and raisins.
Grapes
Grapes symbolise abundance, which is why they’re a must on the New Year Eve’s table. If that’s what you’re after for the new year (and who isn’t?), eat 12 at the stroke of midnight, meant to represent the 12 months of the year. You’ll ensure good luck all-year round.
