What do the Irish eat at New Year?
There is no single national New Year dish. Irish New Year food is a mix of old household customs, leftovers from Christmas and plain, generous hospitality. Customs also varied by county and family, and many sources repeat them with slightly different details. Treat what follows as common traditions rather than strict rules.
Several themes recur: food as a symbol of plenty for the coming year, bread used to ward off bad luck, and a house kept open and welcoming for visitors. Similar ideas appear elsewhere; Italian families, for example, eat lentils at New Year for good fortune, as described in Italian celebrations involving food.
Bacon and cabbage
Bacon (or boiled gammon) and cabbage is often described as the historic Irish celebratory meal, with pork coming from animals raised by the family. When many Irish emigrants reached the United States they commonly switched to corned beef, which was more affordable there, giving the Irish-American “corned beef and cabbage” tradition. If you want to cook the Irish version, our guide to Irish gammon recipes covers simmering, glazing and serving.
Banging the bread
One of the best-known customs is to bang a loaf or piece of Christmas bread against the walls and doors of the house on New Year’s Eve. The purpose is to drive out bad luck and hunger and to invite plenty in for the coming year. Details differ by region, and some accounts mention a barmbrack or a specially baked loaf, so the “right” bread varies.
An associated saying links the arrival of the new year to buttered bread and a wish to live well, and a “Night of the Big Portion” is sometimes cited in relation to plentiful food at this time of year. Sources differ on exact dates and origins, so it is best described loosely.
Barmbrack, cake and sweet things
Barmbrack is a yeasted fruit loaf, or in many modern recipes a tea-soaked fruit loaf, often served sliced and buttered. It is more strongly associated with Halloween, when tokens such as a ring or a coin are baked in, but some sources mention it at New Year as well to bring a full pantry. Fruit cake, mince pies and scones with butter and jam also appear on the table in the festive period.
Sweet baking for callers was traditionally part of hospitality. If you like to have something ready to slice, see our ideas in Irish traybake recipes.
Spiced beef, stew and festive meats
Spiced beef, a cured and slowly cooked joint flavoured with pepper, allspice and other warming spices, is closely associated with Christmas in parts of Ireland (Cork especially) and is sometimes served into the New Year. Irish stew, a pot of lamb or mutton with potatoes and onions, is another warming dish for the cold season.
Roast turkey and ham are the usual Christmas centrepieces, so cold slices and sandwiches often carry through to the New Year. Our Irish turkey recipes include leftover ideas.
Drinks
Tea is the everyday drink of Irish hospitality, and at New Year the kettle tends to stay on for visitors. Other traditional and common drinks include:
- Irish whiskey, often poured for toasts
- Guinness and other stouts and ales
- Irish cream liqueur
- Hot whiskey (a “hot toddy” with cloves, lemon and sugar), popular in winter
- Mulled wine or cider (see Salzburg Christmas market food for the Austrian take on hot spiced drinks)
Drink responsibly and offer non-alcoholic options such as tea, hot chocolate or sparkling juice.
Customs that involve food
- First-footing. The first person to enter the house after midnight is thought to affect the year’s luck. In some versions he arrives with bread, salt, coal or whiskey as symbolic gifts. Traditions about who is lucky vary and are not meant to be taken too seriously.
- A place at the table. In some households an extra place is laid, or a door left on the latch, in memory of relatives who have died.
- Avoiding scratching birds. Some say it is unlucky to eat chicken or other scratching fowl at New Year, as scratching backwards might dig up misfortune.
- Spring cleaning. A tidy house is traditionally important before the new year begins.
- Nollaig na mBan. On 6 January, “Women’s Christmas”, women traditionally rested while men took over the household tasks, and the day often featured food and tea with friends.
A traditional Irish breakfast on New Year’s Day
A full Irish breakfast is a popular recovery meal on 1 January. It typically includes rashers (bacon), sausages, fried or scrambled eggs, black and white pudding, grilled tomato, mushrooms, baked beans in some homes, brown soda bread or toast, and plenty of tea. In Northern Ireland the Ulster fry also usually features soda and potato farls. There are regional variations, and not all households include every item.
A simple New Year menu
- Starter: a prawn cocktail or garlic butter prawns, see Irish prawn recipes
- Main: glazed gammon with cabbage and potatoes, or leftover turkey and ham
- Bread: brown soda bread with plenty of butter
- Sweet: barmbrack, fruit cake or a tray of squares
- Drinks: tea, a hot whiskey for the adults, and a toast at midnight
FAQ
What are the foods you’re supposed to eat on New Year’s Eve?
Irish customs mention bacon and cabbage, bread (including banging it on doors), barmbrack or fruit cake, and spiced beef. Plenty of tea and hospitality are as important as any particular dish.
How do Irish people say happy new year?
In Irish Gaelic, “Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit” (to one person) or “Athbhliain faoi mhaise daoibh” (to several) is the usual greeting, and “Bliain nua faoi mhaise” is also heard. In English, people say “Happy New Year.”
What are some traditional Irish drinks?
Tea, Irish whiskey, stout such as Guinness, Irish cream liqueur and hot whiskey are the ones most often mentioned.
What is a traditional Irish breakfast?
A fry of rashers, sausages, eggs, black and white pudding and tomato, served with soda bread or toast and tea.