12 Uvas de La Suerte – 12 New Year´s Grapes

Description

The Twelve Grapes (Las doce uvas de la suerte, “The twelve grapes of luck”) is a Spanish tradition that dates back from at least 1895 but became established in 1909. On that year there was
a surplus of grapes and the harvesters used their imagination to sell an enormous amount of fruit. The ritual was so successful that nobody in Spain considers welcoming the new year without swallowing their lucky twelve grapes.

The tradition consists of eating a grape with each bell strike at midnight of December 31. According to the tradition, that leads to a year of prosperity. Families gather in front of the TV to watch the bell strikes (mainly the ones at the Puerta del Sol, in Madrid), or they meet in the main squares, in front of the City Council or the main church in each Town or Village. Even most Spanish expats gather in front of the TV to watch Madrid´s bell strikes and have their grapes!  

Ingredients:

Grapes, water, sugar, acidulant (citric acid).