Traditional Japanese "Osechi Cuisine"!

There's a lot of Japanese food that attracts the attention of foreign tourists in Japan, but nothing compares to the beautiful Osechi cuisine.
Today, we have a video introducing Japanese osechi cuisine, titled "Japanese New Year's Dish, (Osechi Cuisine) An Introduction to Japan’s Osechi Cuisine" (Japanese New Year dish. (OSETI cuisine)日本のおせち料理紹介), produced by "Ordinary life channel."

In Japan, the first three days of the New Year, starting on January 1st, are special days referred to as "San ga nichi."
To celebrate the festive New Year, there is a custom in Japan to eat Osechi cuisine as shown in the video.

What Kind of Food Is Osechi Cuisine?

Photo：Osechi cuisine

In ancient Japan, Osechi cuisine was prepared for New Year's festivities and seasonal festivals.
Since New Year' was the most important day of the year, Osechi cuisine came to refer to New Year's dishes.

It is said that by the Yayoi period, osechi cuisine had already become rooted in the culture.
In the Edo period, Osechi cuisine came to be called "Horai Kazari" in Kansai, "Kuitsumi" in Kanto, and "Horaidai/Tekakemori" in Kyushu.
Each of them have the meaning of offering food to the gods and praying for happiness.

Varieties of Osechi and the Meanings of the Dishes

Photo：Osechi cuisine

You can see the osechi dishes at 0:33 in the video.

Dishes, such as herring roe, tazukuri, fried sardine, black beans, burdock root, kamaboko, datemaki (egg), kurikinton (chestnuts), konbumaki (kelp), tai (red snapper), renkon (lotus root), shrimp, and arrowhead introduced in the video are all festive and suitable for New Year.
Each ingredient is associated with meaning, including wishes for long life, good health, and more.

How to Arrange Osechi Cuisine

Photo：Osechi cuisine

The ingredients for Osechi dishes are packed in a "kumiju" (multi-layered food box).
Originally, it is said to have been a five-tiered box, but nowadays, four-tiered boxes are generally used.
There is also a method for preparing the dishes called "Juzume."
It's important to organize the food, including iwaizakana-sanshu (herring roe, tazukuri, and black beans), kuchitori (appetizer assort), vinegared dishes, grilled dishes, stewed vegetables, etc., in a beautiful arrangement.
You can see a beautifully arranged set of Osechi dishes at the beginning of the video.

Summary of Osechi Cuisine

The Japanese Osechi cuisine shown in the video is also made and sold at restaurants all over Japan.
Many people pre-order Osechi dishes from famous restaurants by ordering online.

You can also make osechi cuisine at home.
Use the recipe site as a guide to prepare the ingredients and arrange them beautifully over a bed of rice to enjoy the Japanese New Year.