1.
New Year's soup with rice cakes
A traditional Japanese soup eaten on New Year's Day, made with mochi (rice cakes) and various vegetables and proteins in a broth. Recipes vary significantly by region and family.
お正月に雑煮を食べる。
We eat zōni on New Year's.
うちの雑煮は白みそ仕立てだ。
Our family's zōni is made with white miso.
雑煮の味は地域によって大きく異なり、関東ではすまし汁、関西では白みそが主流だ。
The taste of zōni varies greatly by region — clear broth is standard in Kantō, while white miso is the norm in Kansai.
CULTURE:
雑煮 is one of the most important dishes of the Japanese New Year (正月). It is traditionally eaten on the morning of January 1st. The recipe is deeply tied to regional and family identity — asking someone about their 雑煮 is a common conversation topic.
Regional variations include:
- 関東: clear broth (すまし汁) with rectangular 餅
- 関西: 白みそ broth with round 餅
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 雑煮を作る (to make zōni)
- 雑煮を食べる (to eat zōni)
- お雑煮 (zōni — with polite prefix お)