Pork

The custom of eating pork on New Year's is based on the idea that pigs symbolize progress.Roast suckling pig is served for New Year's in Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Austria—Austrians are also known to decorate the table with miniature pigs made of marzipan. Different pork dishes such as pig's feet are enjoyed in Sweden while Germans feast on roast pork and sausages. Pork is also consumed in Italy and the United States, where thanks to its rich fat content, it signifies wealth and prosperity.

新年吃豬的傳統(tǒng)是基于人們認(rèn)為這種動物象征著進(jìn)步?？救樨i是古巴、西班牙、葡萄牙、匈牙利和奧地利的傳統(tǒng)新年食品。奧地利人還會把杏仁甜餅做成小豬的樣子來裝飾餐桌。其他的豬肉大餐也在全球各地流行，比如瑞典人吃豬腳；德國人吃豬腳和香腸。在意大利和美國，得益于豬肉豐富的脂肪，人們也把它作為財富的象征。

?

Fish

Fish is a very logical choice for the New Year's table. According to Mark Kurlansky, author of Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, cod has been a popular feast food since the Middle Ages. He compares it to turkey on Thanksgiving. The reason? Long before refrigeration and modern transportation, cod could be preserved and transported allowing it to reach the Mediterranean and even as far as North Africa and the Caribbean. Kurlansky also believes the Catholic Church's policy against red meat consumption on religious holidays helped make cod, as well as other fish, commonplace at feasts. The Danish eat boiled cod, while in Italy, baccalà, or dried salt cod, is enjoyed from Christmas through New Year's. Herring, another frequently preserved fish, is consumed at midnight in Poland and Germany—Germans also enjoy carp and have been known to place a few fish scales in their wallets for good luck.

魚，是新年餐桌上理性選擇。根據(jù)《鱈魚：一種改變世界的魚的自傳》作者馬克·克蘭斯基的說法，鱈魚自中世紀(jì)起就是一種廣受歡迎的節(jié)日食品。他認(rèn)為鱈魚相當(dāng)于感恩節(jié)吃的火雞。什么原因呢？在現(xiàn)代制冷技術(shù)和運輸手段發(fā)明以前，鱈魚能夠長時間不壞，并運送到地中海、甚至是南非、加勒比地區(qū)?？颂m斯基同時還相信天主教堂反對在宗教節(jié)日期間吃紅肉的條例幫助了鱈魚和其他魚類在節(jié)慶中的發(fā)展。丹麥人吃煮的鱈魚；在意大利，人們在圣誕節(jié)和新年吃鹽漬的干鱈魚；波蘭人和德國人在新年晚上吃另一種常見的魚類，鯡魚；德國人同時還喜歡螃蟹，并且相信在口袋里裝一些魚鱗會帶來好運。

Cakes, Etc.

Cakes and other baked goods are commonly served from Christmas to New Year's around the world, with a special emphasis placed on round or ring-shaped items. Italy has chiacchiere, which are honey-drenched balls of pasta dough fried and dusted with powdered sugar. Poland, Hungary, and the Netherlands also eat donuts, and Holland has ollie bollen, puffy, donut-like pastries filled with apples, raisins, and currants.In certain cultures, it's customary to hide a special trinket or coin inside the cake—the recipient will be lucky in the new year.

蛋糕和其他烘焙點心在全球各地都是圣誕到新年間的食物，尤其是圓形、或環(huán)形的點心。（滬江小編按：求團圓、圓滿，看來全球都一樣嘛?。┮獯罄俗鯿hiacchiere。那是一種用蜂蜜浸透的面團、炸過再撒上糖霜吃；波蘭、匈牙利和荷蘭人吃甜甜圈。荷蘭人的“甜甜圈”ollie bollen質(zhì)地松軟，里面的餡兒有蘋果、葡萄干和加侖子。在某些文化里，還有把硬幣塞進(jìn)蛋糕里的傳統(tǒng)，吃到的人來年會有好運氣。

What Not to Eat

In addition to the aforementioned lucky foods, there are also a few to avoid. Lobster, for instance, is a bad idea because they move backwards and could therefore lead to setbacks. Another theory warns against eating any winged fowl because good luck could fly away.

除了這些幸運食物之外，相對的，也有一些最好在新年避開的食物。比如龍蝦，因為它總是倒著爬，在新年吃它象征倒退，這樣可不好。還有傳統(tǒng)警告我們要避開所有帶翅膀的家禽，因為它們暗示著幸運會飛走。

好啦，現(xiàn)在你知道西方人新年都吃什么、不吃什么了。細(xì)細(xì)看來，原來他們的習(xí)俗跟我們也有很多相近之處啊！你的家鄉(xiāng)有什么特別的新年食品、或者新年禁忌嗎？歡迎你在文章下方跟貼討論！