Seasons and holidays

New Year foods around the world

Many cultures mark the turn of the year with foods meant to bring luck, prosperity and a fresh start. They range from doughnuts and coin-hiding cakes to Japan's elaborate osechi boxes.

Osechi
Japan
Japanese New Year dishes packed in tiered boxes, each item carrying a wish for health or prosperity.
Osechi-ryōri (御節料理, お節料理 or おせち) are traditional Japanese New Year foods. Osechi are easily recognizable by their special boxes called jūbako (重箱), which resemble bentō boxes. Like bentō boxes, jūbako are often kept stacked before and after use.
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Oliebol
Kingdom of the Netherlands
A Dutch deep-fried doughnut traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve.
An oliebol is a Dutch beignet, a variety of doughnut that is traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve. People often eat it with raisins baked inside and with powdered sugar on top. Another variation is made with apple inside instead of raisins.
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Vasilopita
Greece
A New Year's Day cake in Greece with a hidden coin that brings the finder luck for the year.
Vasilopita (Greek: Βασιλόπιτα, Vasilópita, lit. '(St.) Basil-pie' or 'Vassilis pie', see below) is a New Year's Day bread, cake or pie in Greece and throughout Southeastern Europe which contains a hidden coin or trinket which gives good luck to the receiver,…
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Zōni
Japan
A Japanese soup with rice cake, strongly associated with the New Year.
Zōni (雑煮 or ぞうに), often with the honorific "o-" as o-zōni, is a Japanese soup containing mochi rice cakes. The dish is strongly associated with the Japanese New Year and its tradition of osechi ceremonial foods.
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Mochi
United States
Rice cakes that are a traditional food for the Japanese New Year.
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome (もち米), a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape.
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Kagami mochi
Japan
Stacked round rice cakes displayed as a traditional Japanese New Year offering.
Kagami mochi (鏡餅, "mirror rice cake") is a traditional Japanese New Year decoration. It usually consists of two round mochi (rice cakes), the smaller placed atop the larger, and a daidai (a Japanese bitter orange) with an attached leaf on top.
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Banitsa
Bulgaria
A flaky cheese pastry from Bulgaria, often made at New Year with lucky charms hidden inside.
Banitsa (Bulgarian: баница), also transliterated as banica and banitza, is a traditional pie made in Bulgaria. It is also made in Budjak, where it is known as milina by Ukrainian Bulgarians; North Macedonia; and southeastern Serbia.
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Kransekake
Denmark
A tower of almond ring cakes eaten at New Year celebrations in Denmark and on festive days in Norway.
Kransekage, kransekake (Norwegian) or kransakaka (Icelandic) is a traditional Danish and Norwegian confection, often eaten on special occasions in Scandinavia. In English, the name means 'wreath cake'.
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Gozinaki
Georgia
A Georgian walnut and honey sweet that is a must at New Year's Eve and Christmas celebrations.
Gozinaki is a traditional Georgian brittle confection made of caramelized nuts, usually walnuts, and fried in honey.
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Tteokguk
South Korea
Rice cake soup eaten on New Year's Day in Korea; it is said to add a year to your age.
Tteokguk (Korean: 떡국) or sliced rice cake soup is a traditional Korean dish eaten during the celebration of the Korean New Year. The dish consists of broth/soup (guk) with thinly sliced rice cakes (tteok).
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Tourtière
Canada
A meat pie served at the New Year's Eve and Christmas réveillon meal in Quebec.
Tourtière is a French Canadian meat pie dish originating from the province of Quebec, made with minced pork, veal or beef and potatoes. Wild game meat such as bear or venison is sometimes used.
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Kourabiedes
Greece
Buttery almond shortbread cookies covered in powdered sugar, a Greek holiday treat.
Ghorayeba(h) are shortbread-type biscuits, usually made with ground almonds. Versions are found in most Arab, Balkan and Ottoman cuisines, with various forms and recipes. They are similar to polvorones from Andalusia.
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Sabzi polo
Iran
Herb rice traditionally eaten with fish on Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
Sabzi polo (Persian: سبزی پلو) is a Persian dish of rice and chopped herbs, usually served with fish. In Persian, sabzi refers to herbs or vegetables (sabz means "green"); polo is pilaf, a traditional Persian style of cooked rice.
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Qottab
Iran
An almond-filled fried pastry from Yazd, commonly prepared for Nowruz.
Qottab (Persian: قطاب qottâb) is an almond-filled deep-fried Iranian cuisine turnover, prepared with flour, almonds, powdered sugar, vegetable oil, and cardamom. In some cases, ground walnuts are substituted for almonds.
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