Put on your best red outfit, grab a pomegranate, and get ready to feast! It’s time to celebrate the New Year like a Turk!
Parties, fireworks, and kisses at midnight now ring in the new year in much of the world, but big celebrations for the holiday weren’t always common in Turkey. In fact, it wasn’t until 1829 when the Ottomans first encountered the idea of celebrating the day when Sultan Mahmud II attended a New Year’s Eve ball at the British Embassy. Despite even the Ottoman sultans liking a good party, it wouldn’t be until 1936 and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk when New Year’s became an official holiday in Turkey.
Official holiday and glitzy parties or not, Turkey has many long-held traditions with which people across the country greet the new year.
Smashing Pomegranates
The pomegranate (nar in Turkish) has always been symbolic of prosperity and abundance in Turkey. On New Year’s Eve, many people will smash a pomegranate in front of their house (or more likely, on the landing to their apartment) to invite in good fortune for the coming year. Similarly, pomegranate-themed gifts are common. Visiting shops around the country will treat you to a spectacular array of pomegranate-themed items from ceramics, paintings, pomegranate-shaped evil eyes, and pomegranate-patterned textiles.
Of course pomegranates aren’t available everywhere! If you can’t get your hands on one, sprinkling some salt on your doorstep is a less dramatic but equally effective way to bring in luck.
Red is for Romance
Turkey may not be alone in this tradition, but here many wear red on New Year’s Eve to usher in romance. You can go head-to-toe road red, or accessorize with the color. Regardless which way you go, if you’re hoping for a little romance in 2025, don’t forget your red!
Open a Lock
When you’re watching that countdown clock get closer to midnight on New Year’s Eve, make sure to have a lock nearby! It is customary in Turkey to open a padlock (or a faucet should you not just happen to have a padlock laying around) when the clock strikes the new year. As with pomegranates, this is a popular way to encourage abundance and good luck for the coming year.
Feasting
Feasting, especially with family, doesn’t seem to be something Turks need an excuse to do! But New Year’s Eve holds a special place with many considering this to be an essential family holiday. Even those who go out to the glitzy parties usually stop in for the family meal first.
A feast is not a feast without traditional foods! Kestaneli iç pilav (chestnut spiced rice), an aromatic rice dish served with roasted chicken or turkey is common at these family feasts. More recently over the years, people stuff birds with the rice before roasting, but it is more commonly made separately and served on the side. Naturally, there must also be dessert. Fırın sütlaç (baked rice pudding) is one of Turkey’s most delicious (and frankly easiest to make!) desserts.
And of course no feast would be complete without wine! We’ve provided recipes below for the spiced rice and baked rice pudding and you will find the perfect wine pairings in this month’s Wine Trio special.
Kestaneli İç Pilav (Chestnut Spiced Rice)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1.5 cups short-grained rice
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tsp butter
2.5 cups water
1 diced onion (yellow or white)
10 ounces chestnuts
½ cup dried currants (let rest for 5 min in hot water)
2 Tbs pine nuts
2-3 sprigs of finely chopped dill
1 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tsp black pepper
½ Tsp allspice
Salt to taste
Method:
Wash and drain the rice well. If you wish, you can also soak it in hot water for 10 minutes. This will help the rice cook better.
Score the chestnuts lightly with a knife and soak them in hot water for 15 minutes. Dry the chestnuts and roast in a separate pan and roast over medium heat until their shells come off and they caramelize.
Heat the oil and butter in a deep pan or saucepan and cook the diced onions and pine nuts on medium heat until the onions are softened and the pine nuts toasted.
Add the rice, spices, and drained currants to the onions and mix well. Next, add the peeled chestnuts and the water. After mixing all the ingredients, cook on low heat for half an hour. During this time, the rice will absorb the water and soften.
Fırın Sütlaç (Baked Rice Pudding)
Serves 4-6*
Special equipment:
Ramekins
*Serving amount will depend on the size of your ramekins
Ingredients:
7.5 cups + 2 Tbs milk
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup rice
3 Tbs starch
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 pinch of salt
½ Tsp vanilla
1 Tsp cinnamon
Method:
Put rice and 7.5 cups milk in a deep saucepan and bring to a simmer over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring regularly so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan until the milk is reduced and the rice fully cooked.
Make a slurry with the reserved 2 Tbs milk and cornstarch. Add that to the reduced rice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for another 2-3 until thickened.
Add sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, and cream and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is slightly thickened (but still liquid-y), turn off the stove.
Divide into ramekins, stirring each time to make sure your rice pudding mixture is evenly distributed (i.e. that one isn’t mostly rice and one isn’t mostly milk).
Turn on the oven’s upper grill setting only. Put the ramekins in a deep baking dish and create a bain marie by pouring boiling water into the dish until it reaches halfway up the ramekins. Place on the oven’s middle rack and cook until the tops are golden brown.
You could absolutely eat this hot, but traditionally in Turkey, it is served cold or at room temperature. If you decide to go the traditional route, take out of the oven after the tops are browned, allow them to reach room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator until they’re ready to be served.
Afiyet olsun! Mutlu Yıllar! Bon appetit! Happy New Year!
Andrea Lemieux is an international wine expert with particular expertise in Turkish Wine. She is the author of The Essential Guide to Turkish Wine, the world's only comprehensive English language book on Turkish wine, and she is the founder of The Quirky Cork blog which is dedicated largely to Turkish wine.
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