New Year's Day food traditions

[Cousin Dupree]

In out family, we always eat pork and sauerkraut. Eating pork on the first day of the new year supposedly brings you good luck.

[Capt. America]

1. Thats what we do.

[Ohiogal]

31. I can't remember a New Year's Day

When we did not eat pork and sauerkraut. NE Ohio here.

[TruckFump]

38. Yep, I grew up in NE Ohio in a Romanian family.

Always had pork and sauerkraut on New Years.

Edit for typo

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. Where do you live?

I had a conversation earlier today with a friend who lives in the Pittsburgh area and that's his tradition.

I know that in the south black-eyed peas are a New Year's tradition.

I don't think there are any other real firm New Year's food tradition in most of the country. Of course, I could be hideously wrong.

I grew up in Upstate New York (north of Utica) until I was 14, then in Tucson, AZ. No New Year's Day food traditions that I knew of in either place. Certainly no family ones.

[Cousin Dupree]

5. I live in the Cleveland area. Not very far from Pittsburgh

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

7. Bingo.

My friend was rather surprised that I had not grown up with some sort of New Year's Day food tradition. And this is a man I've known for nearly 50 years. Somehow we'd never discussed this until today.

[Cousin Dupree]

8. I'm just wondering if all the eastern Europeam immigrants

that settled in NE Ohio and western Pennsylvania brought this tradition along with them.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

11. I believe that is correct.

Local ethnic influences are always important.

Oh, my sister who lives in the Kansas City area, strong Hispanic influence, always gets tamales for New Year's. It's become her personal tradition, and it may well be a larger Hispanic tradition I'm simply not tuned into.

(Poindexter climbs back into his hole, and pulls the rock over it)

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

22. I thought tamales were a Christmas tradition.

New Year's Day is a time for aspirin and coffee.

Actually, tamales sound good right now, wish I had some.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

35. Actually, I think you're right about which holiday.

I don't live near her and so I don't pay close enough attention.

[TruckFump]

39. My Romanian grandparents did. From Romania to Ohio. EOM

[applegrove]

3. Eating sauerkraut gives you good gut bacteria and they think helps

you live longer. I have both waiting to be eaten in the fridge but never thought of eating them together. Do you put the pork on a bun?

[Wheaty]

14. Central Pennsylvania here

We put a pork roast in a slow cooker covered in homemade barrel cured sauerkraut along with Kielbasa (polish sausage) and cook it, at least, all night or longer. All the local butcher shops here barrel cure their own kraut from the fall cabbage harvest as well as make the Kielbasa and cut the perfect pork roasts for the New Year Feast.

[applegrove]

15. Cool. I have german ancestors from both sides of my family who immigrated

to Nova Scotia. I will think of them when i have the sausages and kraut tomorrow.

[Drahthaardogs]

24. Unless you actually make it - doubtful

Most of the store bought stuff is boiled in vinegar, not actually fermented cabbage. Look for Choucroute from France for the good stuff. If you never eaten real fermented cabbage, you will be shocked at the taste.

[applegrove]

40. Darn. I bought some hoping to help my gut. Will look for the real stuff.

[Drahthaardogs]

41. Making your own is REALLY simple

I ferment eggplant and olives as well as cabbage. It's much more complex, not shockingly sour, and you can add Caraway seeds.

The store bought stuff is pressure cooking in vinegar to add shelf life and avoid botulism. It's gross.

[applegrove]

42. I think that is beyond me. I'll see if there is a specialty store around here

that sells aithentic sauerkraut

[Phoenix61]

4. The south is black-eyed peas, greens and corn bread. nt

[YOHABLO]

6. Yep, that's what I'm having.

Black eyed peas are for LUCK

Greens are for MONEY, lots of it

[Tipperary]

12. And ham.

You have to have ham, black eyed peas, and greens!

[Jane Austin]

20. Yep, I'm making Hoppin' John

today.

Black-eyed peas and rice with lotsa seasonings

[Phentex]

33. same here. with pork tenderloin...

I cheated this year and bought bagged collard greens. They'll cook the same without all of the cleaning and rinsing.

[Wiseman32218]

9. My GF is from Pittsburgh, pork and sauerkraut has been served!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[bamagal62]

10. Collards, black eyed peas, and

Corn bread. Can’t wait!

[Cousin Dupree]

21. Yum

[rusty quoin]

13. I never had one. I just wing it.

Thanksgiving and Xmas here are more planned. My wife’s family was/is big on sauerkraut, but I like it as somewhat a condiment, but not straight. It’s strong.

[smirkymonkey]

16. It sounds delicious. I love sauerkraut.

We never had any New Year's Day traditions, but I have made my own and it is Chinese take out. I have found a great Chinese place recently and am looking forward to the NYD feast.

[demtenjeep]

17. ham, cauliflower and cheese and BLACK eyed peas

yummy

[Historic NY]

18. Have to go get some big thick pork chop...

got the kraut, now some apple sauce.

[lapfog_1]

19. big tray of cheese crackers, carrots, pickles, black olives, celery, etc

followed by dinner of ham and potatos and some veggie dish (no sauerkraut).

[Silver Gaia]

23. Black eyed peas (with tomatoes, onions & green chilies), jambalaya with veggie sausage, and

collard greens. Every pea you eat is a day of good fortune. Yum!

[Cousin Dupree]

25. My spouse would looove that meal!

[lark]

26. Yep, that is always part of the meal.

In the South, we think you need, pork, blackeyed peas, and greens for good luck so we always have that as the basis of our New Years' day family dinner.

[rampartc]

27. does this depend on location within the usa, or ethnic origin of the hamily?

we always have a big pot of black eyed peas with pickled pork (us south) but also corned beef and cabbage. mom said the peas were for luck and thwe cabbage for money.

at any rate it is simple nourishing "comfort food" everywhere I've heard of.

[Cousin Dupree]

28. I think it's a little bit of both. It's ethnic, but ethnic groups

tend to congregate in a certain area. And over time their traditions become traditions of the area, generally speaking.

[Glorfindel]

29. Here in the southern Appalachians (north Georgia)

the tradition is cornbread, black-eyed peas, some kind of greens (usually turnip greens), and fried hog jowl. I've got some hog jowl in the oven right now, getting ready for a late lunch, probably around 1:30 PM. My cousin is making the other stuff. I'm also going to supply a pitcher of mimosas, which is the only way I can stand to drink orange juice. That's not a tradition, just my own personal preference.

When I was a boy, my job on New Year's Day was to visit the neighbors early in the day. The superstition was that if your first visitor of the year was a fair-haired manchild, you would have good luck. As we only had three neighbors within walking distance, it wasn't much of a chore. Besides, they all gave me candy, usually a peppermint stick.

[Cousin Dupree]

32. Enjoy your tasty meal. The story about the fair haired

male child visiting is something I've never heard about. Thanks for sharing that story.

[Dave in VA]

30. Black eye peas

ham, cabbage, cornbread are the must haves.

And LOTS of desserts!!!

Hosting 20 family and friends at our house today.

Happy New Year everyone!

[Bayard]

34. Pork steaks here for dinner

With black-eyed peas, seasoned greens, and sweet potatoes. Rolls.....too much cornbread to finish off at xmas.

Xmas cookies and Diet Coke (hey--you gotta save calories where you can!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, DU!!

[cwydro]

36. That sounds good! But it'll be ham, black eyed peas, and some sort of greens here today.

I’m not a big meat eater, but I make exceptions for traditional meals.

[TruckFump]

37. That is a Romanian tradition for New Years

Making sauerkraut and sausages to day!

:HI: