It¡¯s that time of the year when high-end restaurants in Japan start preparing osechi ry¨ri ¡ª often shortened to just osechi ¡ª a New Year¡¯s meal that consists of symbolic, colorful foods served in Âᨱ²ú²¹°ì´Ç lacquerware boxes. It also appears in department stores but presented in a cheaper, plastic package.
The roots of osechi stretch back to the Yayoi Period (200 B.C. to A.D. 250), though the preserved foods that make up the majority of its ingredients today stem from a practice popularized in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when the absence of refrigeration meant that food had to be heavily seasoned to prevent spoilage.
Today, any food fit for a feast can be accepted as a stand-in for traditional osechi. Every New Year¡¯s eve, my local butcher has long lines of people waiting to pick up top-grade beef for sukiyaki and other dishes.
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