How to Choose Lucky Foods on New Year’s Day

If you’re hosting a brunch or other get-together on New Year’s Day, why not make your prospects even brighter in the New Year by serving “lucky” foods. Yes, come foods are considered lucky. Here's how to find them.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Internet access

1. The best place to learn about lucky foods is online. Enter “good luck foods” into a search engine and start your education about foods that will bring you luck in the New Year. If you’re not getting good search results, try some different key words—“lucky” instead of “good luck.”
2. Narrow your search to lucky foods for different ethnicities. Search for “Chinese good luck foods” or “Jewish good luck foods” to add some interest and variety to your menu.
3. Many recipe websites are searchable for lucky foods, and present the recipes for making lucky dishes.

Tips & Warnings

• Honey is used abundantly in Jewish New Year recipes to ensure that the coming year will be sweet—include desert recipes that use honey, or use it as a sweetener for delicious hot drinks if you live in a cold climate.
• Chinese good luck foods include fish—add some luxury to your menu with smoked salmon or caviar.
• Lucky symbols include four-leaf clovers, money, horseshoes, and believe it or not, pigs! Enhance your “good luck” theme with dessert decorations depicting these symbols.
• Hide coins in cake desserts for good luck (but warn people in advance so they don’t accidentally swallow them!). Clean coins first by scrubbing with a paste of baking soda and vinegar.