“Lentils Bring Good Luck”: Why Do People Think This? The Origin Of the Popular Belief

New Year's Eve has just passed, and practically every family, for the end-of-year dinner, probably had a good portion of lentils. After all, they are one of the most appreciated legumes and can be used in various recipes , a versatile side dish that can accompany the inevitable pork roasts.

Especially at the stroke of midnight, to welcome the new year, it is traditional to eat a plate (but symbolically even just a spoonful) of still-warm lentils. The reason? "Because it brings good luck and money" is the motivation we have heard since we were children. And who knows how many of us, naive, gorge ourselves on lentils, convinced that by eating them we would automatically receive who knows how many joys and what riches. Poor deluded souls.

Fortune or not, it is now a consolidated custom in the U.S. and also other parts of the world to eat lentils during New Year's Eve dinner (as well as during the Christmas period, after all). But why is it said that this food brings good luck? Where does this popular belief come from? To trace its origins we have to go back a long way in time, at least to the time of the ancient Romans.

"Lentils Bring Good Luck", it's All the Roman's Fault

Well, after 2000 years, one thing that unites us with the ancient Romans is the fact of eating lentils on New Year's Eve and on the first day of the new year.

Our ancestors also used to celebrate the last evening of the year (the Julian calendar, adopted in 46 BC, established January 1st as the beginning of the new year, anticipating it from the previous March 1st). Not only that: in those times it seems it was customary to give each other a leather bag called a scarsella, containing these legumes. Why lentils? Because these were (and are) similar in shape to coins and the hope was that they could become money during the coming year. In short, the bag represented a wish for good luck, fortune and earnings.

Lentils were also considered a particularly precious food, because they were rich in nutritional properties, a source of fiber and protein. A valid alternative to meat, suitable for those who could not afford who knows what kind of pantry, especially during the hard and cold winter months. In short, lentils, despite their simplicity, represented an important resource in the kitchen, almost a symbol of subsistence. Having them aside, therefore, always meant something positive.