Although it is true that every region has its own specialties, some gastronomic traditions are shared throughout the country. In many Italian homes, lentils are never missing as they are considered a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, served at midnight as a wish for a prosperous new year.
They are often accompanied by zampone, a sort of boiled leg sausage, and lentils in this dish also represent the link with the past and hope for the future.
But Italian cuisine is one of the most varied and appreciated in the world and New Year's Eve dinner is its maximum expression. Each region has its own specialties, but there are some dishes that are present in almost all menus.
zampone, a sort of boiled leg sausage, and lentils
As first courses: fresh pasta (such as ravioli), risottos, soups and minestrone (thick and chunky vegetable soup).
As second courses: meat, fish, poultry and vegetable pies.
As side dishes: roasted potatoes, legumes and salads.
As desserts: cakes, biscuits and dried fruit, mostly walnuts and dates.
As I previously mentioned, every Italian region has a story to tell through its dishes. New Year's Eve dinner is a true culinary journey through Italy, from the robust flavors of the north to the fresh and intense preparations of the south. A special occasion to rediscover local traditions and taste the delicacies that each place has to offer.
In Liguria we serve fresh pasta filled with meat. Small meat-filled ravioli are a must for New Year's Eve dinner and their flavor is intense and enveloping.
Braised beef, slowly cooked in full-bodied and aromatic red wine, is a prized and symbolic dish and the leftovers are used as filling for the ravioli, usually served with wild boar sauce or another kind of rich meat sauce, usually with a red wine base.
For fish lovers, Cappon Magro is an elaborate and beautiful dish based on fish, vegetables and shellfish. Cappon magro is a sort of layered fish timbale, very rich and complex, which involves the use of numerous ingredients, including boiled fish, prawns, green beans, beetroot, hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise. It represents the richness and creativity of seafood cuisine, ideal for those looking for unique and refined flavors.
Cappon magro is a sort of layered fish timbale,
If you are a true chef you are supposed to make the mayonnaise yourself too.
Due to the still ongoing financial crisis, but also as a tradition, many Italians choose to spend New Year's Eve at home, they normally invite relatives and friends, others decide to have a family dinner, like a normal evening.
Many families use small fireworks and firecrackers as a sign of celebration and fun.
Other ways to spend New Year's Eve or continue the night after the traditional dinner are going to the theater, to dancing clubs (especially young people), traveling to other European cities or attending parties held in the town’s main square.
Each municipal administration, whether big or small, organizes celebrations and fireworks displays in the most beautiful squares in Liguria and elsewhere in Italy.
Here in Genoa, they normally organize a big free concert in De Ferrari square (Genoa’s most central and main square) with the gorgeous background of De Ferrari big fountain and the old palaces.
Up and coming young singers and celebrities from the past are normally invited to take part in the show to bring in the new year and, at midnight, a firework display fills the sky with colors and music.
There is usually a draft organized to raise funds for some non-profit organization such as the children’s hospital or other regional initiatives.
The sponsors present usually distribute some free gadgets or other goodies among the brave participants who endure the cold weather of the winter night - without toilets available!
This year the municipality organized a festival over three nights starting on December 29th.
Tricapodanno, a three-day event for New Year’s Eve celebrations
