New Year’s Eve, a global celebration marking the end of one year and the beginning of another, is as much about culinary traditions as it is about festive gatherings and countdowns. Around the world, food plays a central role in this holiday, symbolising hopes for prosperity, luck, and happiness in the coming year. In many cultures, specific foods are consumed for their symbolic meanings: grapes are eaten in Spain for each strike of the midnight bell to bring good luck, while in Japan, toshikoshi soba (year-crossing noodles) symbolize a long and healthy life.
