Zampone o Cotechino? Happy New Year!!

Zampone or Cotechino con lenticchie: Our Tasty Good-Luck Charms for a Prosperous 2026!

What a fantastic tradition, right? In Italy, we take New Year's seriously: we eat zampone or cotechino with lentils because those little coin-shaped beauties are said to bring prosperity and abundance all year long. (And if the fortune doesn't kick in, at least we've comforted ourselves with an amazing meal! )Both hail from Modena in Emilia-Romagna and are basically "brothers": the same juicy mix of ground pork, fat, rind, and secret spices (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper... every butcher has their own magic touch).The big difference? The "presentation"!

Zampone uses the pig's trotter skin: super dramatic 'skin', with a crunchy, chewy rind that contrasts beautifully with the soft filling.

Cotechino goes for the gut casing: tender, uniform, and... far less "intimidating" on the plate. Plenty of Italians admit: "Thanks, but a whole trotter staring back at me? I'll stick with cotechino!" (Totally get it—no judgment here! )Luckily these days, precooked versions are a game-changer: goodbye to hours of boiling, hello to full flavor in minutes!

To go to Italy to celebrate in Italian next year, just join our next Beginners course, starting next week https://www.italiancork.com/italian-beginners-italiancork/

You would like to make your own cotechino... here is a very straightforward recipe from Giallo Zafferano (I use their recipes quite often): https://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Cotechino-con-lenticchie.html