The symbolic meaning of the new year is recognized around the world, and different people in different places have different ways of commemorating and celebrating the transition. One of the most interesting food-based traditions takes place in Spain.

In this Southern European country, the final 12 seconds of the “old” year are accompanied with a very curious tradition that involves grapes.

As Spaniards watch the year come to a close live, on TV, or in person at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, people put a single green grape into their mouths at each of the final 12 strokes of the clock on New Year’s Eve.

This tradition isn’t based on any type of religious ceremony or folkloric tradition, but it was actually born as a way of stimulating the grape economy in Spain. In 1909, there was a great surplus of grapes in the southeastern region of Alicante, and the grape growers created and publicized this now-classic tradition.

The 12 grapes are now said to represent good luck in the New Year and are an important part of all Spanish households’ New Year’s Eve traditions.

The post You Won’t Believe This Spanish New Year’s Food Tradition appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

In the video below, you can see how the ladies behind the YouTube channel Rosella’s Cooking with Nonna make them. “Rossella and Mamm Angela are making some quick, easy and delicious Almond Thumbprint Cookies,” the video description reads. “Perfect for all holidays, just adjust the color of the preserve you add on them and you are done!”

Their version includes almonds, so we believe it is even more delicious. For the jam, they use “some special Italian jam.” After grinding the almonds and making the base, the two of them make the holes in the cookies for the jam to go. They put cherry jam on half of the cookies and apricot jam on the other half. In the end, we see them tasting the baked cookies and we can almost smell them through the screen!

The post Almond Thumbprint Cookies by Rossella’s Cooking with Nonna appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

The symbolic meaning of the new year is recognized around the world, and different people in different places have different ways of commemorating and celebrating the transition. One of the most interesting food-based traditions takes place in Spain.

In this Southern European country, the final 12 seconds of the “old” year are accompanied with a very curious tradition that involves grapes.

As Spaniards watch the year come to a close live, on TV, or in person at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, people put a single green grape into their mouths at each of the final 12 strokes of the clock on New Year’s Eve.

This tradition isn’t based on any type of religious ceremony or folkloric tradition, but it was actually born as a way of stimulating the grape economy in Spain. In 1909, there was a great surplus of grapes in the southeastern region of Alicante, and the grape growers created and publicized this now-classic tradition.

The 12 grapes are now said to represent good luck in the New Year and are an important part of all Spanish households’ New Year’s Eve traditions.

The post You Won’t Believe This Spanish New Year’s Food Tradition appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.

In the video below, you can see how the ladies behind the YouTube channel Rosella’s Cooking with Nonna make them. “Rossella and Mamm Angela are making some quick, easy and delicious Almond Thumbprint Cookies,” the video description reads. “Perfect for all holidays, just adjust the color of the preserve you add on them and you are done!”

Their version includes almonds, so we believe it is even more delicious. For the jam, they use “some special Italian jam.” After grinding the almonds and making the base, the two of them make the holes in the cookies for the jam to go. They put cherry jam on half of the cookies and apricot jam on the other half. In the end, we see them tasting the baked cookies and we can almost smell them through the screen!

The post Almond Thumbprint Cookies by Rossella’s Cooking with Nonna appeared first on falafelandcaviar.com.