Eating 12 grapes with the last 12 chimes of the year as a way of saying goodbye to it, is the star tradition of Spain. As a symbol of good luck, this moment is used to give this fruit a special role.
Although many believe that the tradition of eat the 12 grapes at midnight in New Years Eve originated in 1909 due to a bumper harvest of grapes in the regions of Almería, Murcia and Alicante, it seems that this might not be entirely correct.
It is true that the winegrowers of these regions had a surplus of grapes that year and contributed to popularize the tradition of drinking them, but there are reports that trace the tradition back to the late 19th century.
At that time, wealthy families used to eat grapes and drink champagne to celebrate New Year’s Eve. In an effort to ridicule this rich-only tradition, a group of lower- and middle-class Madridians gathered at Puerta del Sol to eat their grapes and drink their champagne; this is what gave rise to the celebrations we now witness every year.
Now, many, whatever the circumstance, decide not to eat grapes, tempting bad luck a bit, although that goes with each one, but instead they use another 12 pieces of whatever food to try to simulate this moment. We leave you with some alternatives different ones to celebrate the arrival of the New Year 2022 if grapes are not your thing.
Original alternatives to the 12 end-of-year grapes
12 raisins
This, despite the fact that it is an alternative if you do not eat 12 grapesemphasize that it is apart from a tradition. The residents of the Málaga town of El Borge (Málaga) have exchanged the traditional grapes for the region’s most indigenous product: raisins.
Although you can choose between the two, at El Borge, the raisin offers an alternative way of entering the New Year with a fruit that it has become a symbol of local identity and is well known throughout Andalusia.
12 Conguitos or Lacasitos
This is perhaps the most popular option for those who do not want 12 grapes. And it is that, both one and the other are essential in many Spanish houses as substitutes and have the advantage that twelve fit in the mouth without many problems, but the difficulty is that you have to chew them well before swallowing, and it is not that simple. But hey, we can leave that for when the chimes end.
Of course, 12 Lacasitos or Conguitos they will be much easier to take with the chimes than 12 grapes, with or without seeds.
12 jelly beans
Jelly beans in all their variants, colors and shapes, from strawberries to bears, are also a good option that is easy to eat and choke-proof to replace grapes. They are easy to eat and the fact that the type of jelly that we teach you almost melts in the mouth, it can be a great option for the smallest of the house.
Also, as you already know, the preuvas that are carried out in many cities are made with this type of sweets to avoid the “bad luck” of eating grapes early.
12 olives
Here we present another very favorable option given the multitude of varieties of olives that we have in Spain. Again, prevents them from having bone and it will perhaps be one of the simplest options to eat instead of grapes.
Apart you can treat yourself and leave some for the celebration that comes later.
12 peanuts or pistachios (shelled)
Please, do not start peeling them 5 minutes before or the bull will catch you. As long as they are not peeled when the chimes begin, it is better to forget about it, because it is not usually as easy to remove the peel as it seems, and there is always something that gets complicated.
Apart from all of this, is a great solution if you hate grapes and love these types of nuts. Also, as doctors always recommend, they are very healthy due to their good fats and eating only 12 seems like a more than recommended amount. Of course, do not finish with the bag when they finish and you decide to pour yourself a drink.
12 mandarin segments
Perhaps this is not one of the best options since we are talking about tangerine segments, which despite being somewhat smaller than oranges, It can come to pass us a bill given the speed of the chimes.
However, we recommend that you take a segment and cut it in half, so you can eat them without problems. Of course, it’s a very healthy way (aside from grapes) to start the New Year without above you have proposed to eat something more than fruit. It is important to highlight that they must be peeled and ready to eat well in advance and identify if they have seeds so as not to choke.
