ごまめ

ごまめ
noun
candied dried sardines (New Year dish)
foodculture
1. candied dried baby sardines; another name for {田作|たづく}り
Small dried sardines roasted and coated in a sweet soy glaze, eaten at New Year. The same dish as 田作(たづく)り; ごまめ is the name used in western Japan and in older cookbooks.
ごまめを炒(い)る。
Roast the dried sardines.
祖母(そぼ)は毎年(まいとし)ごまめを作(つく)っていた。
My grandmother used to make gomame every year.
関東(かんとう)では田作(たづく)りと呼(よ)ぶが、関西(かんさい)ではごまめと言(い)うことが多(おお)い。
In the Kanto region it is called tazukuri, but in Kansai it is usually called gomame.

Sometimes written 五万米(ごまめ) with characters chosen for their auspicious meaning rather than their sound value.

Cultural note

Dried sardines were once spread on rice paddies as fertilizer, which is why the dish is also called 田作(たづく)り ("field-making"). Either way the dish is a wish for a good harvest, and it is one of the three celebratory dishes of 関東(かんとう)-style おせち料理(りょうり).

Related words

  • ごまめの歯(は)ぎしり: "a small fry grinding its teeth" — a weak person fuming uselessly at something beyond their power

Related Words

Related: 田作(たづく)り
Related: おせち料理(りょうり)
general
Added 2026.8.11 12:21 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
30500/30560_gomame