Seven-Herb Rice Porridge

 Happy New Year!

Dear gourmets, gourmands, and gastronauts,

As today is January 7th, my first blog entry of 2022 will be about the Festival of Seven Herbs (七草の節句). This is the custom (習慣) of eating seven-herb rice porridge (七草粥) on the seventh day of the first month for longevity (長生き), overall health (健康全般), and to ward off evil (悪を追い払う). 

The seven "herbs" (in alphabetical order) are as follows (下記の通り):

• chickweed (はこべら)
• cudweed (ごぎょう)
• nipplewort (ほとけのざ)
• parsley (セリ)
• radish (すずしろ [大根])
• shepherd's purse (なずな)
• turnip (すずな [カブ])

Like rice cake soup (お雑煮), there are various (さまざまな) recipes for seven-herb rice porridge around Japan with different ingredients (食材) used depending on the region (地域次第). In my house, though, we always enjoy the traditional (伝統的な) version of the dish. After the holiday indulgences (ぜいたく), it serves as a wonderful way to both rest and reset our stomachs for a healthy New Year!

Live long and prosper,

Alan