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。