Ringing in 2014 with Osechi and Ozoni

Osechi, courtesy of Tokubei 86

As with all Japanese celebrations, the right food is essential to starting off the new year. There are two main components of the New Year's Day feast; the first being osechi, which looks like a bento box but is designed to be eaten over the course of a day or two. The idea behind osechi is to give the woman of the house a break from cooking; in Japanese culture, much like in traditional Italian culture, the woman is responsible for all meal preparation.
To a non-Japanese consumer, osechi may seem like a random assortment of deliciousness. Each component, however, has a specific meaning.
-Konbumaki (seaweed wrap), often contains fish. Konbu is a much thicker type of seaweed that the nori used for sushi. This is another food whose meaning has to do mainly with word association; the word yorokobu means joy, so konbumaki is said to bring happiness.
-The holes in lenkon (lotus) are meant to help one obtain a clear vision of the future.
-One sato imo plant, a type of root very similar to a potato, breeds many others; hence it is eaten in hopes that one's family will be blessed with children.
-Ebi, aka shrimp, are a wish for longevity because they have a curvy shape like an old man's spine. Plus, their whiskers look kind of like a beard.
-The yellow color of nishiki tamago, or egg, represents gold. Eating it invites wealth.
-Kamaboko (broiled fish cake), which are red and white in color, are usually arranged in such a way as to resemble a rising sun, which conjures feelings of hope for the dawn of the new year.
-The word "mame" in Japanese means "health"; hence the sweet black bean known as kuromame is eaten to ensure good health. The golden color of the mashed kuri (chestnut) signifies gold, or wealth.
-The reason behind kazunoko (herring roe), lies in the name itself as well as the fact that they're eggs. "Kazu" means number, and "ko" means children; hence kazunoko is a wish for fertility.
-The word tazukuri translates to "rice paddy maker", since these tiny sardines which are marinated in soy sauce have long been used to fertilize rice fields. They are meant to ensure a good harvest, aka a year of eating well.
 -Kouhaku namasu consists of cut daikon (radish) and ninjin (carrot); as with kamoboko, the white and red color combination is said to symbolize hope a good future.

-Finally, Yakizakana, or grilled fish, is eaten with the intention of achieving professional success.
In addition to osechi, a soup called ozoni is also eaten. There are several variations depending on region- the one we had was in clear broth- but ozoni must always contain mochi. Made from rice, mochi's sticky texture is meant to signify a long, strong life!

Ozoni