For many, January 1 offers an opportunity to forget the past and make a clean start. But instead of leaving everything up to fate, why not enjoy a meal to increase your good fortune? There are a variety of foods that are believed to be lucky.

对于很多人而言，新年是一个忘掉过去、重新开始的机会。不过，相比把一切都交给命运，干嘛不给自己煮一餐幸运食物，给自己来年添点运气呢？在美国和其他一些西方国家，有这么一些食物是大家新年常吃的，也就是人们常说的幸运食物了。


Grapes

New Year's revelers in Spain consume twelve grapes at midnight—one grape for each stroke of the clock. Lately， each grape then represents a different month, so if for instance the third grape is a bit sour, March might be a rocky month. For most, the goal is to swallow all the grapes before the last stroke of midnight.

西班牙人会在新年的夜晚吃掉12颗葡萄——每一粒葡萄就代表一个时辰。而后，这项传统演变为：一粒葡萄代表每年的一个月。所以，如果你吃到的第三粒葡萄有点酸，那么来年3月可能就不顺。不过最盛行的习俗，还是赶在午夜钟响以前把所有葡萄都吃掉！


Cooked Greens

Cooked greens, including cabbage, collards, and chard, are consumed at New Year's in different countries for a simple reason — their green leaves look like folded money, and are thus symbolic of economic fortune. The Danish eat stewed kale sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, the Germans consume sauerkraut (cabbage) while in the southern United States, collards are the green of choice. It's widely believed that the more greens one eats the larger one's fortune next year.

诸如卷心菜、甘蓝菜和厚皮菜这样的绿色蔬菜也是很多国家的新年食品。人们吃它原因很简单：它们绿油油的叶子就像是钞票上的绿色，所以吃掉它们就表示来年财运不断。在丹麦，人们会吃炖甘蓝菜、配糖霜和桂皮；在德国，酸白菜是菜单之一；美国南方，羽衣甘蓝也是选择之一。大部分人都相信，吃掉这些绿色蔬菜，来年就财源滚滚啦！

Legumes

Legumes including beans, peas, and lentils are also symbolic of money. Their small, seedlike appearance resembles coins that swell when cooked so they are consumed with financial rewards in mind. In Italy, it's customary to eat cotechino con lenticchie or sausages and green lentils. Germans also partner legumes and pork, usually lentil or split pea soup with sausage. In the Southern United States, it's traditional to eat black-eyed peas in a dish called hoppin' john. There are even those who believe in eating one pea for every day in the new year.

包括豆荚、豌豆和小扁豆在内的豆类也被视为是钱的象征。因为它们小小的豆粒看起来就像是硬币，煮过以后涨起来、吃下去就像得到钱一样。在意大利，人们用腊肠来配豆子吃；德国的传统搭配是酸白菜加猪肉，通常还有扁豆汤；美国南方的传统是一道叫“希望约翰”的菜，里面有黑豆。甚至有人相信，在新年里每天吃一粒豆子都会给来年带来好运。

翻页更精彩!