[Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture] Grilled goby is the highlight! Celebrate the New Year with traditional Sendai zoni!

  • megu
  • Last updated: 2023.01.5

The zoni eaten during New Year's Day has various characteristics across the country, depending on the region and culture. Broadly speaking, in the Kansai region, round mochi with white miso is the mainstream, while in the Kanto region, square mochi with a soup base or soy sauce base is the mainstream.

Among these zoni, Sendai zoni is known for its richness of ingredients and luxurious appearance.

This time, we would like to introduce Sendai zoni that you should try and enjoy when you visit Sendai during the New Year. I want to welcome the new year by eating luxurious Sendai zoni.

What exactly does ozoni mean?

According to the document, it is written as follows:

The name "ozoni" comes from the fact that various ingredients were mixed together and boiled together. The ingredients put into ozoni are said to bring fruitfulness and happiness for the year, such as rice cakes, agricultural products, and seafood, which were offerings to the god of the year, and ``wakamizu'', the first water drawn in the new year. It all started when we simmered it over the first fire of the new year and ate it.

round and round

The ingredients for ozoni vary depending on the region's agricultural products and seafood, so you can see that a variety of ozoni are eaten all over the country.

By receiving rice cakes offered to the god of the year, you can receive the god's power and spend the year safely. Zoni can be considered a power food.

Sendai's New Year's dish is Sendai Zoni.

Sendai zoni has been eaten since the end of the Edo period, and is characterized by making the soup stock from grilled gobies.

The goby is caught in Matsushima Bay, tied up in straw and baked. At the end of the year, it is a tradition to see bundles of gobies lined up outside stores.

Sendai zoni uses square mochi and has a soy sauce base with lots of ingredients such as seafood and mountain ingredients. The most distinctive feature is that after making the stock from grilled goby, it is served in a bowl to create a luxurious finish.

Sendai Zoni's luxurious zoni has become an indispensable New Year's dish for the common people.

It is said that in the family of Date Masamune, the soup stock was made from dried abalone and dried sea cucumber, and the ingredients have been passed down to this day, giving Sendai zoni a sense of history.

How to make basic Sendai zoni

Sendai zoni is simple to make, but the result is gorgeous.

  1. Cut radish, carrots, and burdock (called hikina) into thin strips and freeze individual servings in the freezer (or leave them outside in the cold overnight) to allow the flavors to absorb more easily.
  2. Boil the grilled goby over low heat for about 15 minutes to remove the dashi, then strain it through a sieve to remove the goby.
  3. Boil minced greens, frozen tofu, and zuiki (taro stems) in strained soup stock.
  4. Place the baked square mochi, toppings, and soup in a bowl, then top with the seri, kamaboko, salmon roe, and goby, and it's done.

*Handmade Harako is made by loosening raw Sujiko and marinating it in soy sauce, mirin, and sake.

Traditional vegetables such as Sendai parsley, salmon oysters brought up from the Mogami River, and grilled dried gobies caught in Matsushima Bay are all locally sourced, and local production for local consumption is a natural practice.

Introducing the Sendai zoni of each household

In every household, the Sendai zoni comes with a lot of goby sticking out of the bowl. Sendai residents are also happy to be able to eat Sendai zoni this year, making it a valuable food.

It's very luxurious with two grilled gobies!

When I went to the market to buy grilled gobies, they cost 1,000 yen each. It's a really luxurious zoni that also includes date rolls.

The big grilled goby is enough to satisfy your taste.

This is a grilled goby sold at the fish shop Fresh Fish Ohira in Sendai. The goby at the fish shop is huge! I am grateful.

Grilled goby tied in straw

It seems that fishing is becoming poorer year by year and it is becoming harder to get gobies. It's a blessing to be able to eat Sendai zoni with precious grilled goby.

Everyone agrees that there are few opportunities to see gobies. It makes me think about the environment in order to continue eating Sendai zoni forever.

I want to preserve Sendai's traditional cuisine.

Wishing for a bright year with luxurious Sendai zoni

sunrise in matsushima

Sendai zoni, which is made with grilled goby in a delicious soup stock, looks gorgeous and would be a great addition to a New Year's meal.

New Year's Day marks the beginning of the year and is celebrated with solemnity, but we also want to eat luxurious zoni and wish for a healthy new year.

It is said that the culture of making ozoni is decreasing in modern times, but we want to preserve the traditional New Year's dishes forever.

Why not celebrate this year's New Year with a luxurious Sendai zoni?

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