1.
rice cake soup eaten at New Year
A traditional Japanese soup containing mochi (rice cakes) eaten on New Year's Day and during the first days of January, with regional variations in broth and ingredients.
A quintessential New Year's dish in Japan, eaten during oshogatsu (the first three days of January). The soup symbolizes good fortune for the coming year, and every family has its own recipe passed down through generations.
Regional variations
- Kanto region: clear dashi broth with square mochi (grilled)
- Kansai region: white miso broth with round mochi (boiled)
- Other regions: red bean, soy sauce, or seafood-based broths
Common collocations
- お雑煮を作る: make ozoni
- お雑煮を食べる: eat ozoni
- お雑煮の餅: the mochi in ozoni
- 白みそ仕立て: white miso-based (style)
- 関東風のお雑煮: Kanto-style ozoni
Cultural note
Asking someone about their family's ozoni recipe is a common conversation topic in early January. The dish is so regionally diverse that it often reveals where someone's family is originally from.