Osechi-ryori: festive Japanese New Year foods

おせち料理：日本の新年を祝う料理

Osechi-ryori (shortened to Osechi) are traditional festive Japanese foods eaten during the New Year period. They are served in lacquered “stacking boxes” known as jubako, which has the symbolic meaning of “stacking up the happiness.”

「おせち料理」（略して「おせち」）は、正月に食される日本の伝統的なお祝い料理です。「めでたさを重ねる」という意味で「重箱」と呼ばれる段になった漆塗りの箱に詰めて振る舞われます。

Today, while jubako boxes often consist of three or four tiers, they originally comprised five tiers, where the first four boxes contained food and the fifth was left empty to “pack good fortune.” The contents of the boxes vary greatly depending on the region and the family, but the following are some of the food items most commonly seen in osechi.

現在は三段または四段の重箱が主流ですが、本来は五段重であったとされ、一から四段目に料理を詰め、五段目は「福を詰める」ために空にしておきました。重箱の中身は地域や家庭によって大きな違いがありますが、最も一般的なおせちの具材は以下のようなものです。

The first box is filled with three celebration dishes such as black beans, herring roe, and tazukuri (dried and caramelized juvenile anchovies) in addition to sweet-flavored dishes such as datemaki (sweet rolled omelette) and kurikinton (sweetened chestnuts with mashed sweet potato). The second box mainly contains grilled seafood such as Japanese sea bream, yellowtail, and shrimps. Vinegared dishes are packed into the third box. The fourth box typically features simmered vegetables such as carrots, bamboo shoots, lotus roots, and shiitake mushrooms.

一の重には、黒豆、数の子、田作りなど、祝い肴三種の他、伊達巻や栗きんとんのような甘い味付けの料理を詰めます。二の重には鯛や鰤、海老など、海の幸を中心とした焼き物、三の重には酢の物、与の段には一般的に人参や筍、蓮根、椎茸など、野菜の煮しめを詰めます。

Each food item in the jubako boxes has its own symbolic meaning to celebrate the New Year.

重箱の中の各具材には、新年を祝うための象徴的な謂われがあります。

【重要なフレーズ】
おせち料理：festive Japanese New Year foods
重箱：stacking boxes
漆塗りの：lacquered
祝い肴三種：three celebration dishes
黒豆：black beans
数の子：herring roe
田作り：dried and caramelized juvenile anchovies
伊達巻：sweet rolled omelette
栗きんとん：sweetened chestnuts with mashed sweet potato
野菜の煮しめ：simmered vegetables