New Year soups from around the world
Plenty of cultures greet the new year with a spoon in hand. Long noodles for a long life on New Year's Eve, rice cakes for a fresh start on the first morning, a pumpkin soup that celebrates freedom, and bowls for the Lunar, Persian, Tibetan, Lao and Khmer new years. Pick one for the first meal of the year.
New Year's Eve4 soups
Bowls for the last night of the year, and for the small hours.
Kake Soba
Japan6.3Eating toshikoshi soba on New Year's Eve, to cross into the new year with long life, is still a widespread Japanese custom.
Read about Kake Soba →Cock-a-leekie
Scotland6.4Scotland's chicken and leek soup, a Hogmanay and Burns Night classic.
Read about Cock-a-leekie →Kapustnica
Slovakia7.2The Slovak Christmas Eve sauerkraut soup is also eaten at New Year.
Read about Kapustnica →Menudo
Mexico7.0Families often cook a big pot of this Mexican tripe soup for holidays such as New Year, and it is a well-known remedy after a late night.
Read about Menudo →
New Year's Day4 soups
The first soups of the year, eaten for luck, health and new beginnings.
Ozōni
Japan7.9Japan's mochi soup, eaten on the morning of New Year's Day to bring good fortune for the year ahead.
Read about Ozōni →Soup Joumou
Haiti8.6Haiti's pumpkin soup, eaten on 1 January, Independence Day, at home and by Haitians abroad.
Read about Soup Joumou →Suimono
Japan4.4A delicate Japanese clear soup; a simple clam suimono is often served at New Year.
Read about Suimono →Oshiruko
Japan6.0Sweet azuki soup with mochi, linked with the January kagami biraki ritual, when the New Year mochi is broken and eaten.
Read about Oshiruko →
Lunar New Year4 soups
For the new year that follows the moon, celebrated across East and Southeast Asia.
Tteokguk
South Korea8.3Korea's rice cake soup, eaten on the morning of Lunar New Year; the coin-shaped rice cakes stand for prosperity.
Read about Tteokguk →Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
China4.8A famous luxury soup from Fuzhou, served at banquets and for Chinese New Year as a symbol of wealth.
Read about Buddha Jumps Over the Wall →Lotus Root and Pork Rib Soup
China7.0Wuhan families traditionally cook this soup in a clay pot for the New Year and for guests.
Read about Lotus Root and Pork Rib Soup →Bún Thang
Vietnam4.4One story says this elegant Hanoi noodle soup was created to use up leftovers after Tết, the Lunar New Year.
Read about Bún Thang →
More new years4 soups
Not every new year starts on 1 January.
Ash Reshteh
Iran9.3Traditionally eaten around Nowruz, the Persian New Year; its noodles are said to symbolise the paths of life.
Read about Ash Reshteh →Guthuk
Nepal8.2A noodle and dumpling soup eaten by Tibetan and Sherpa families two days before Losar, the Tibetan New Year.
Read about Guthuk →Khao Poon
Laos4.4An important dish at Lao New Year, because the long noodles stand for long life and good luck.
Read about Khao Poon →Samlor Korko
Cambodia4.6Cambodia's stirring soup, still served at Khmer New Year.
Read about Samlor Korko →
Still hungry? Let fate pick your next bowl.
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