Jeepney Press November-December 2022 / Alma Fatagani-Sato

O -sechi a New Year special dish

By: Alma Fatagani-Sato

As early as October, you can see many advertisements selling O-sechi, a New Year special dish and a kind of preserved food enjoyed by family members during the New Year days. It also gives Japanese housewives rest from the burden of cooking for the whole family during the holidays.

Nowadays, they are usually prepared and sold by restaurants, hotels, and some other food shops. You can also buy them from famous department stores but normally ordered them in advance. Although, some housewives still prefer to prepare the O-sechi themselves.

Prices vary depending on the dishes that make up the O-sechi. The more luxurious ones may be sprinkled with some gold leaf on top of the dishes. There are many varieties and may include western dishes like shrimp fry, roast beef, or even boiled crabs and scallops. It may look like just some colorful and extravagant display of food to tickle your palate. But, each dish has a very significant symbolism. The usual main dishes that make up the O-sechi consist of:

• Datemaki, a sweet rolled omelet mixed with fish paste or mashed shrimp. They symbolize many prosperous days. On lucky days (hare-no-hi), Japanese people traditionally wear fine clothing as a part of enjoying themselves. The scroll shape symbolizes intelligence and success in education.

• Kohaku Kamaboko, broiled fish cake. Traditionally, slices of red and white kamaboko are alternated in rows or arranged in a pattern. The color and shape symbolize the rising sun and have a celebratory, festive meaning.

• Kazunoko, herring roe. Kazu means "number" and ko means "child." The fish eggs symbolize the continuity of lineage by having numerous children.

• Konbu, kelp, which is a kind of seaweed. It is associated with the word yorokobu, meaning "joy."

• Kuromame, black soybeans. Mame also means "health," symbolizing health and hard work.

• Kohaku-namasu, literally "red-white vegetable" is made of radish and carrot cut into thin strips and pickled in sweetened vinegar with yuzu (Japanese lemon) flavor.

• Tazukuri, dried sardines cooked in soy sauce, which symbolizes abundant harvest. The kanji of tazukuri literally means "rice paddy maker," as the fish were used to fertilize rice fields from the olden times.

• Ebi, prawns cooked with sake (Japanese rice wine), and soy sauce. The round back symbolizes long-life.

• Nishiki tamago, silk brocade egg. The egg is separated before cooking, the yellow symbolizing gold, and the white symbolizing silver, both symbolize wealth and good fortune.

• Kurikinton, mashed sweet potatoes, and chestnuts. The kanji literally means sweet chestnuts. The golden color symbolizes wealth.

I am personally not very fond of O-sechi, and I still prefer the taste of Western food. But, I think you should at least try them even once to find out the taste of each dish.

Alma Fatagani-Sato

Jeepney Press