Japanese New Year's Day meal

Japanese families typically cook toshi-koshi soba noodles on New Year's Eve. They avoid leaving even a single noodle uneaten, as it's considered bad luck for the new year. More practically, because this dish is easy to cook, it gives the homemaker a chance to relax. On New Year's Day, the whole family opens the jūbako (traditional New Year's gift box) to enjoy the special meal of the three-day traditional New Year: osechi-ryōri.

Sợi mì soba dài ngụ ý sự trường thọ, sung mãn — The long strands of soba noodles symbolize longevity and abundance.

Osechi-ryōri is a celebratory meal for the Lunar New Year and a special delicacy in Japan, a tradition that originated during the Heian period (794-1185). Osechi is served in a lacquered box called a jūbako. Inside, each ingredient and color of the dishes carries a symbolic meaning, representing good fortune and auspicious omens. The jūbako box is functionally similar to a bento box, but typically consists of two, three, or four trays stacked on top of each other and is used only during the osechi meal. After use, the jūbako box is stored away until the following New Year.

Depending on the region and each family, the dishes, arrangement, and number of layers in the jūbako box will vary. The four layers of the jūbako box each carry very special meanings, arranged in order from top to bottom, including:

Trang thông tin du lịch và phong cách sống Travellive+

Ichi no Ju, as a New Year's blessing, consists of auspicious dishes served as accompaniments to sake, such as kuromame, kazunoko, and tazukuri.
Ni no Ju is known for its sweet dishes that both adults and children enjoy, such as kobumaki, kurikinton, and datemaki.
San no Ju is called "Happiness from the Sea" because the dishes served on this tray are mainly grilled seafood items such as shrimp and fish.
Yo no Ju, with its "Happiness from the Mountains" flavor, features stewed dishes made from vegetables such as lotus root, mushrooms, carrots, and burdock root.

Moreover, each dish in an osechi-ryōri meal has a special meaning to welcome the new year.

Datemaki: y đạt quyển, — Datemaki: "y" means "roll," and it's an omelet rolled with fish or shrimp paste. This is a play on the homophones "date/y" 伊 and "y" 衣, which means "clothing," expressing a wish for splendid attire.

Kamaboko: bồ mâu, tức chả cá luộc. Đây là cá quết nhuyễn, luộc lên rồi cắt ra từng khoanh một. Chả cá này thường nhuộm màu hồng bên ngoài, bên trong thì trắng nên khi cắt ra thì hiện cả hai màu. Trong tráp jūbako thì món kamaboko được sắp xếp mỹ thuật cho có hàng lớp. — Kamaboko: also known as boiled fish cake. This is finely minced fish, boiled, and then sliced into rounds. The fish cake is usually dyed pink on the outside and white on the inside, so when sliced, both colors are visible. In a jubako (traditional Japanese box), kamaboko is arranged artistically in layers.

Kazunoko: món trứng cá trích. Kazu có nghĩa là — Kazunoko: a dish of herring roe. Kazu means "number" and ko means "child." This dish symbolizes the wish for many children and grandchildren.

Konbu: côn bố, là một loại tảo biển. Âm này gợi lên yorokobu (hỷ), có nghĩa là — Konbu: meaning seaweed. The sound evokes yorokobu (joy), which means "happy".

Kuro-mame: hắc đậu, tức đậu nành đen. Mame còn nghĩa là — Kuro-mame: black bean, or black soybean. Mame also means "healthy," symbolizing a wish for good health in the new year.

Kohaku-namasu: có nghĩa là — Kohaku-namasu means "red and white pickled vegetables." This dish consists of shredded carrots and radishes pickled in yuzu citrus juice. The colors white and red are traditionally considered by the Japanese to symbolize the harmonious balance of yin and yang.

Tazukuri: khô cá mòi kho nước tương. Khi viết bằng kanji, món ăn có nghĩa là — Tazukuri: dried sardines braised in soy sauce. When written in kanji, the dish means "farming." For farmers, this symbolizes a wish for a bountiful harvest.

Zōni: món canh bánh dày, tương tự như món tteokguk của Triều Tiên hay bánh chay của người Việt nhưng vị mặn vì nấu với nước dùng hoặc nước miso. — Zōni: a soup with rice cakes, similar to Korean tteokguk or Vietnamese vegetarian rice cakes, but salty because it's cooked in broth or miso soup.

Ebi: tôm rim với rượu sake và nước tương. — Ebi: Shrimp simmered in sake and soy sauce.

Nishiki tamago: cẩm noãn, là món trứng tráng cuộn nhưng lòng trắng tráng riêng, lòng đỏ tráng riêng rồi cuộn lại. Màu vàng và trắng tượng trưng cho vàng và bạc, chúc tiền tài dư dả. — Nishiki tamago, also known as golden egg roll, is a rolled omelet where the egg whites and yolks are cooked separately and then rolled together. The yellow and white colors symbolize gold and silver, wishing for abundant wealth.

Originally, osechi was called o-sechi withois a honorific prefix andsechiIt is a season; the Vietnamese equivalent is "Tet" (Lunar New Year). In the past, osechi consisted only of nimono, which were boiled vegetables in soy sauce mixed with sugar or mirin rice wine. Over time, the number of dishes in an osechi meal gradually increased. Except for zoni, which requires boiling broth, the remaining dishes are eaten cold to reduce cooking time.

Hộp osechi-ryōri bán sẵn — Ready-made osechi-ryōri boxes are available.

Today, osechi includes many special dishes, further divided into seiyō-osechi (Western-style sage dishes) and chōsen no osechi (Korean-style sage dishes). Traditionally, osechi is a type of feast cooked at home and prepared for the New Year, but nowadays, many stores, including 7-Eleven, sell ready-made osechi sets in attractive boxes, which customers can simply buy and eat.

In particular, besides preparing osechi-ryōri dishes for their families, the Japanese also use osechi-ryōri as a New Year's gift, wishing the recipient good luck and fulfillment.