Traditional New Year's Recipes From Around the World!

When we think of traditions, a variety of holidays often come to mind. The most remembered of these stand-out specialties lean towards Christmas and the New Year. But what exactly is a tradition? It is an event that is handed down within a family or group that is carried on for generations. They give a sense of warmth, belonging, and togetherness that creates a bond throughout our lives and even when loved ones step over into eternity. At that time, traditions continue to hold our hearts close and keep memories alive forever. Some traditions vary by culture, country, and location. Let’s take a short trip to four spots across the world and get a taste of special ideas that you might want to bring home this year!

USA – Collards and Black-Eyed Peas

Starting at home in the states, black-eyed peas represent coins and collard greens stand for green bills. The more you eat on New Year’s Day, the more you are supposedly assured to have both in your pocket for the upcoming year. Cornbread also represents wealth due to its golden color, so save that Christmas ham bone and be ready to eat up! Mix them together for a tasty one-dish option!

Black-Eye Peas

Ingredients

1 pound dried black-eyed peas
4 cups water
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 ham hocks or ham bone
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
*Bush’s brand with bacon warmed in the microwave is a great option for a quick, delicious version!

Instructions

Soak peas in 6 cups of water overnight.
Drain peas, rinse well with cold water, and drain again. Set aside.
In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, sauté onion in butter until onion is tender.
Add 4 cups water, ham hocks, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and drained peas to pot.
Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for four hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove ham/bone and cut off any meat, discarding bones and skin.
Add ham pieces to peas and stir.
Add salt to taste then simmer peas on low for one additional hour.
Serve, enjoy and hope for a constant jungle in your pocket!

Collard Greens

Ingredients

2 large bundles of fresh collards
Approximately 8 thick slices of fat back or bacon
2 Tablespoons sugar
Salt to taste

Instructions

Tear collard leaves off of stems and tear again into dollar bill sizes. Discard stems.
Wash torn leaves in water three times, each time in clean water.
In a large pot, fry seasoning thoroughly, being careful not to scorch or burn.
Add washed collards to the seasoning and the grease it made.
Add water to cover.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer greens until tender but not mushy.
Add salt to taste.
Spoon greens into a serving bowl and enjoy.
Greens can be frozen in an airtight container when slightly cooled.

The Netherlands – Oliebollen

In the Netherlands, Oliebollen is traditionally consumed on New Year’s Eve as a sure way to ward off the whims of a cruel pagan goddess named Perchta. Oliebollen is a fried doughnut-like dumpling with currants or raisins added and then dusted with powdered sugar. Also called “oil balls” they are often sold on street carts in town.

Ingredients

1 (0.6 ounce) cake compressed fresh yeast
1 cup lukewarm milk
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 large egg
¾ cup dried currants
¾ cup raisins
1 medium Granny Smith apple – peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 quart vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Break up compressed yeast and stir into warm milk.
Let stand for a few minutes to dissolve.
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl.
Stir in yeast mixture and egg until smooth.
Stir in currants, raisins and apples.
Cover the bowl and set in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F.
Use two metal spoons to shape scoops of dough into 12 balls.
Drop them carefully into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Remove doughnuts with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Dust doughnuts with confectioners’ sugar.
Transfer to a serving platter and dust again with confectioners’ sugar.

Japan – Soba Noodles

In Japanese households, families eat soba noodles at midnight on New Year’s Eve to say goodbye to the year gone by and welcome the coming year. The long noodles symbolize longevity and prosperity. This tradition goes all the way back to the 17th century and continues today! This recipe is authentic, but substitutes below can easily be made.

Ingredients

Soup

2 cups dashi stock
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons mirin
6 oz package dry soba noodles
11 cups water to cook noodles

Topping

2 tempura shrimp prawn, can be purchased frozen at trader Joe’s and Asian markets
1 Tablespoon finely chopped scallions
1/4 tsp Shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spices) (optional)

Instructions

Combine all soup ingredients into a saucepan over medium – high heat and bring to boil.
Turn the heat off and set aside.
Boil Soba noodles in a large pot, stirring with chopsticks.
Cook for 4 minutes.
Drain the water and place noodles into two separate noodle bowls.
Top with tempura prawn, scallion, .
Pour the soup over the noodle and sprinkle Shichimi togarashi chili powder to taste.

Tips:

Spices and other Japanese ingredients can be found at Asian markets
Mirin can be substituted with 2 tbsp of dry sherry with 1 tsp of sugar.
You can substitute toppings with chicken, boiled eggs, tofu etc.

Mexico – Rosca de Reyes/Three Kings Bread & Atole

A few days after our new year celebration, on January 6, Mexico eats a ring shaped bread called Rosca de Reyes, or Three Kings Bread to celebrate the Epiphany. This is when the three wise men arrived to meet the baby Jesus. The bread is decorated with fruit, nuts and sugar with a tiny model of baby Jesus placed inside the cake after baking. The lucky person who finds the baby in their slice is considered blessed. They must take the figure to a church on Candlemas day February 2, at which time they provide a feast of tamales and atole, a drink made from ground corn, cinnamon, water and sugar. This is a lengthy recipe but worth the effort!

Rosca de Reyes

Ingredients

For the Dough

4 1/8 cups bread flour
3 teaspoons fast-action yeast
2 teaspoons fine salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup whole milk
4 teaspoons orange extract
2 teaspoons orange zest

For the Decoration

Colored icing

1 large egg for egg wash
1 tablespoon granulated sugar for sprinkling
4 red glace cherries
4 green glace cherries
6 narrow slices of guava paste

Instructions

Pour the BREAD flour into a mixing bowl and add salt and yeast on opposite sides of the bowl, then mix each one in with your finger.
Add the sugar, unsalted butter, eggs, orange zest, orange extract, and some of the warm milk. -Mix until a dough forms, then gradually add the rest of the milk to get a soft, slightly sticky texture.
Knead it on a lightly floured surface for 10-15 minutes, until it is smooth and no longer as sticky.
Let the dough rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Shape the Rosca by punching the dough down, then shape it into a circle.
Use floured fingers to poke a hole in the center and shape into a ring.
Place the ring on a large parchment-lined cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
Set aside in a warm place until springy to the touch, about 45 minutes.
Set the oven to 400°F about 10-15 minutes before the Rosca is done proving (resting and rising once more).
Once the dough is springy to the touch, brush it with beaten egg and arrange the cherries, and sprinkle with the sugar.
Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 375°F and bake for another 10 minutes, until golden brown. The bread should have an internal temperature of 190°F on a meat thermometer.
Let the Rosca cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer on a wire rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes.
Add frosting in stripes as pictured.
Insert the plastic baby from the bottom of the rosca once it has cooled.
Let each guest cut their own slice.

Atole

Ingredients

4 cups milk
4 ounces piloncillo,or brown sugar,plus more to taste
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup masa harina, or cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pinch salt

Instructions

Add milk, piloncillo, and cinnamon stick to a medium saucepan.
Heat over low-medium heat until the piloncillo has completely dissolved.
Stir frequently to make sure the milk and piloncillo don’t stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, using a strainer if it has broken into pieces.
In a small bowl, add warm water and masa harina.
Whisk together until smooth.
Add the masa harina mixture, vanilla extract, and salt to the saucepan. Whisk to combine.
Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 25-30 minutes until thick, creamy and smooth… thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Garnish with a touch of ground cinnamon or a cinnamon stick.