New Year's food in Japan!

Happy 2017!

New Year's Day, and the days surrounding it, is one of the most important holidays in Japan. Many people make pilgramages to local shrines and temples to literally ring in the New Year using a huge bell. Another important aspect is the traditional New Year's cuisine, "Osechi".

Usually prepared beforehand on Dec 31st, these dishes are steeped in symbolism and tradition. They are also prepared in ways that will allow them to keep without spoiling for a few days; this allows a break from constantly preparing meals and you can relax knowing that dinner is already ready.
However, since no one in the household is Japanese-born we really just prepared the dishes that we wanted to. :P

My wife spent quite a long time preparing these dishes and I think they look absolutely wonderful!

Let's go on a tour shall we?

Candied Chestnuts:

Already quite sweet chestnuts are boiled with sugar. Written down that doesn't look very appetizing but they really are quite good; sugar also acts as a preservative!
The gold colour symbolizes wealth.

Kuromame (Sweet Black Beans)

Again, boiled with sugar to "candy" the soy beans. This takes a very long time, some recipes state a prep time of 5 minutes and a cooking time of 4.5 HOURS! and include 2 or 3 rusty nails! (Source)
Eaten for 'Good Health', the beans, not the nails, remove those before serving!

Namasu (Pickled vegetables):

Red bell pepper (paprika), carrots, and giant white radish with vinegar and some juice from the bitter orange that they are being served in. It was a bit too sour for me, but everyone else loved them! The red and white colours are regarded as celebratory colours in Japan.

Tazukuri (Candied Sardines):

Dried fish infused with a sweeted soy based sauce. Quite tasty, sweet with a bit of bitterness from the fish. Some who are unacustomed to eating a whole fish might not like the little eyes staring back off the plate.
The name translates from 'making rice fields' and this dish symbolizes hopes for a bountiful harvest.

Dragon's Eyes:

This is a modern dish and moves away from the very sweet or very sour traditional dishes. Somewhat labour intensive it is a rolled dish with quail eggs in the centre with chicken breast, rolled flat with nori (sea weed) sheets placed on top, wrapped around the quail eggs to create the effect of an eye. Last it is fried in a frying pan to create the golden outer shell.
I don't think there is a traditional symbol associated with this dish, perhaps it's to be good for your sight.

On the left another new New Year's dish:

I don't recall the name of this one, it was very good though. A kind of sausage with ground chicken, artifical crab (just a fish processed to look like crab, it doesn't come from a beaker) wrapped in a very thin omelette.

On the right side, a grilled roll similar to the Dragon's eyes. This time burdock root, and carrot are cooked, then wrapped in thinly sliced beef. My son almost ate all of it by himself! A bit like having the contents and flavours of a nice beef stew in a convenient sausage format!

Kazunoko (Herring roe):

Front, centre. Herring roe symbolizes progeny and prosperity. I've forgotten exactly how they taste but I have eaten it in the past, once.

I wish everyone reading a happy and healthy year!

Let's make 2017 wonderful!

This was a great source of information and includes recipes for those interested! source: Osechi Ryori