"Osechi" is the traditional cuisine
of the Japanese New Year festival. It consists of red and white
colored steamed fish pastes, herring roes, black soybeans etc. In
the traditional Japanese beliefes they bring good luck to the family.
Nomally "Osechi" are placed in a multitiered lacquer box,
it's called "Jubako".
People continue to eat these foods during the 3 days of new year,
which allow us not to prepare other dishes.
"Otoso"is special sake for offer to Gods. It's said to
remove the negative vibes from them and be health through the year.
People have good excuse to drink sake all day long from morning
till night, and enjoy drinking the sacred sake with Osechi.
At the approach of the New Year, many shops sell lots of foods and
goods for the new year. "Osechi sets" are sold with "Jubako",
they are delight to our eye and some of them are high price nowadays,
40- 200 pounds!
Japanese people make rice cakes on
28th December for preparing “Kagami mochi”to for Gods . Japanese
people mind about the date to make rice cakes, they avoid
making them on 29th and 31st, because the number “9”is unlucky
and making rice cakes on the day before the new year's day
is of bad omen.
Do you know how to make rice cake?
Traditionally Japanese people use a mortar and a pestle
for ponding sticky rice , nowadays we use an electric rice
cake maker. After making some "Kagami mochi",
others are flatten out and cut square shape to eat during
the new year celebration. There are great variety of recipes
for rice cakes. It is popular to be served with soy sauce,
or sweet bean jam, or grated Japanese radish "Daikon",
or fermented soybeans "Natto", and so on.