Every year on December 31, Italians rush to get the last missing ingredients to prepare the “Cenone di San Silvestro,” the dinner of St. Sylvester. Sylvester was pope from 314 to 335, marking the beginning of the Christian Roman Empire, and he passed away on December 31, 335. Among the many delicacies served for the occasion, one dish can’t be missed for a proper St. Sylvester dinner: lentil stew.