New Year's recipes from around the world, from cinnamon-spiced Greek bread to Chinese sticky rice cake
New Year's is a time for celebration all over the world, and these global New Year's recipes are especially cheery and festive. Before those fireworks hit and we welcome the New Year, enjoy these global New Year's recipes along with some bubbly New Year's cocktails. We've rounded up our favorite ways the world celebrates New Year's Eve here.
Greek New Year's Bread (Vasilopita)
Matt Taylor-Gross
Cinnamon gives the rich yet fluffy bread spicy warmth, while mastiha, a resinous spice, adds piney notes for depth. Get the recipe for Greek New Year's Bread (Vasilopita) »
Japanese New Year's Soup
Ingalls Photography
In Japanese homes on the first day of the year, the dish to eat is ozoni, a good luck soup composed of pink-rimmed fish cake, daikon, carrot, and shiitake mushrooms floating in a rich dashi (kelp and bonito broth) along with mochi, chewy rice cakes, which are oven-toasted until they resemble fire-licked marshmallows. Get the recipe for Japanese New Year's Soup »
Persian Tamarind-Stuffed Fish
Matt Taylor-Gross
A luxurious whole fish preparation flavored with tangy tamarind and fragrant barberries, perfect for Nowruz, the Persian new year. Find barberries in well-stocked Middle Eastern groceries or online. Get the recipe for Persian Tamarind-Stuffed Fish »
Sticky Rice and Almond Cake (Nian Gao)
Matt Taylor-Gross
This chewy steamed cake, with flavors of almond and caramel, is traditionally eaten for the Lunar New Year. Eat it warm or let the cake cool completely, then cut into slabs, batter with beaten egg, and fry them until crisp. Get the recipe for Sticky Rice and Almond Cake (Nian Gao) »
Daikon Cake with Garlic Hoisin Sauce (Luo Go Bao)
Todd Coleman
A Chinese New Year treat, these daikon and rice flour cakes are flavored with savory dried sausage and served with a spicy hoisin sauce. Get the recipe for Daikon Cake with Garlic Hoisin Sauce (Luo Go Bao) »
Seafood Soup with Ginger and Yuzu Kosho
Christina Holmes
Flavored with wine and aromatics, this broth is similar to a nage or poaching liquid—you only need a shallow pool of it in each bowl. The broth features red yuzu kosho, a Japanese condiment made from citrus, yuzu, and chiles, which adds a round, tart flavor that is hard to replace. In a pinch, add a little more chile and lime zest. If head-on shrimp are hard to find—or you'd rather not fight with fish heads on New Year's Eve—nix them for more shelled shrimp. Get the recipe for Seafood Soup with Ginger and Yuzu Kosho »
Lao Poached Bass
Matt Taylor-Gross
A light yet hearty seafood dish, this recipe comes from Soulayphet Schwader, chef-owner of New York City's Lao-inspired Khe-Yo restaurant. Though Schwader makes this dish with what he calls "the funk," the strong Lao fermented fish paste padek, storebought fish sauce is used here. Just have a big bowl of sticky rice on the side, and do as the Lao do—eat with your hands. Get the recipe for Lao Poached Bass »
Persian Kuku Sabzi
Matt Taylor-Gross
A classic Persian herb-loaded egg dish with the fragrant lift of rose petals. Get the recipe for Persian Kuku Sabzi »
Swedish Visiting Cake Bars
Christina Holmes
This recipe, originally for a cake (not bars), was given to Dorie Greenspan by a Swedish friend who prized it for its flavor, and the fact that it could be made in minutes. I enjoyed it for years before discovering the pleasures of using the recipe to make bar cookies. The crisp, beautiful almond topping was a late and welcome addition as well. Get the recipe for Swedish Visiting Cake Bars »
Frozen Chocolate Mousse (Marquise au Chocolat)
Christina Holmes
This dessert—a fudgy, frozen or semifrozen chocolate mousse that's sometimes coated in ganache, then sliced—likely came from the 17th or 18th century, when royal pastry chefs lived large. I like to crumble in Speculoos cookies, like Biscoff brand, before freezing, to add crunch and pretty golden flecks, but anything that works with chocolate—from candied ginger to rum-soaked raisins—is fair game. It's at its best when semifrozen or thawed but still chilly. Get the recipe for Frozen Chocolate Mousse (Marquise au Chocolat) »
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