What is the nanakusa-gayu (in Japanese: 七草粥) that is eaten after the New Year? When is it eaten? What are the types of spring herbs such as parsley and shepherd’s purse? What is the meaning of eating them? In this article, we will answer such questions.
We will also introduce the regional differences in nanakusa-gayu, as well as the summer and autumn herbs.
Table of Contents
- When do we eat Nanakusa-gayu?
- What is the meaning of eating Nanakusa-gayu?
- The Seven Herbs of Spring and Their Meanings
- The seven herbs of summer, autumn and winter
- Regional differences
When do we eat Nanakusa-gayu?
Nanakusa-gayu is eaten on January 7th.
In some areas it is eaten on January 15th, which is Little New Year, or a month later on February 7th. There is no set time to eat it, but it is generally eaten for breakfast.
Originally, in Japan, there was a belief that eating seven different foods would bring good health.
It also seems that picking and eating young wild plants was a common practice, as it was believed to have the vitality of wild plants.
Separately, during the Nara and Heian periods, the idea of ”seasonal festivals” from Onmyodo was introduced from China.
The odd numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are considered “yang,” and the same yang numbers on January 1st (New Year’s Day), March 3rd (Jōshi), May 5th (Tango), July 7th (Tanabata), and September 9th (Choyō) are considered seasonal turning points.
In the special month of January, it was customary to treat chickens with care on New Year’s Day, dogs on the 2nd, sheep on the 3rd, boars on the 4th, cows on the 5th, and horses on the 6th, and to practice fortune-telling for six days.
The 7th was also designated as the “Jinjitsu Festival,” a day to cherish people.
It is believed that the idea of ”January 7th = Jinjitsu Festival” that was introduced from China, along with the ancient Japanese custom of picking and eating seven types of food ingredients, and the custom of eating young leaves, eventually became one and took root as the dish known as Nanakusa-gayu.
What is the meaning of eating Nanakusa-gayu?
・Grilled rice
Porridge is easy to digest and gentle on the stomach and intestines, and it is lightly seasoned with salt, so it is not too irritating.
・Eat fresh vegetables to supplement vitamins that tend to be lacking in winter.
Nowadays, vegetables are readily available, but in the past, fresh vegetables in winter were a valuable commodity. The seven herbs, which spread their leaves during the cold winter, were truly healthy foods.
Just as we eat hishimochi on Jōshi no Sekku and chimaki on Tango no Sekku, eating nanakusa-gayu on the January 7th festival prays for good health and freedom from illness .
The Seven Herbs of Spring and Their Meanings
There is an old tanka poem that describes the seven herbs of spring: “Seri, shepherd’s purse, gogyo, hakobera, hotoke no za, suzuna, suzushiro, korezo nanakusa.”
If you memorize them in this order, it’s easy to remember, as it’s “5-7-5-7-7.”
However, it seems that the types of vegetables varied depending on the era and region.
Japanese parsley
A perennial plant often found in sunny streams and waterside areas. It has a strong fragrance and a refreshing texture, and is said to be stomachic and antipyretic.
The Japanese parsley is said to mean “to win a contest.” In Sendai’s winter dish “Seri Nabe,” the whole plant is delicious, including the root.
Shepherd’s purse
A biennial plant of the Brassicaceae family. It is also called “penpen grass” because its small heart-shaped leaves resemble shamisen drumsticks. It blooms in spring, and its young leaves are rich in minerals. The
name “penpen grass” means “to brush away dirt.”
Gogyo (Gogata)
This biennial plant of the Asteraceae family is also known as Motherwort. It often grows wild on sunny roadsides and in rice fields. It is said to represent the “body of Buddha” and has been used as a cough suppressant and diuretic.
Chickweed (Chickweed)
It is a wild plant of the Caryophyllaceae family that grows on roadsides and in fields, germinates in autumn and overwinter. Currently, most of the chickweed sold commercially is the type known as chickweed. It is a soft and easy-to-eat wild plant.
It is said to bring about “prosperity” and is considered an auspicious wild plant.
Lamium amplexicaule (Buddha’s seat)
The original Lamium amplexicaule plant is a member of the Lamiaceae family, but the Lamium amplexicaule that is one of the seven herbs of spring is actually a different wild plant in the Asteraceae family called Koonitabirako. The young leaves are soft and prefer wetlands, so they are often seen in rice fields and on footpaths.
As the name suggests, it represents the place where Buddha sits, and is considered to be auspicious.
Suzuna (turnip)
Suzuna is actually a turnip. The round, white root part is a familiar vegetable that is in season in winter. In nanakusa-gayu, the smallest part is eaten together with the leaves and roots.
The name suzuna is said to mean “a bell that calls the gods.”
Suzushiro (radish)
Suzushiro is an old name for daikon radish. It is rich in vitamin A and diastase, which aids digestion. In nanakusa-gayu, small pieces of the radish are eaten together with the leaves and roots.
Suzushiro is also written as seihaku, meaning “pure white without any stains.”
The seven herbs of summer, autumn and winter
We will introduce the seven herbs that are present in each season other than spring.
The Seven Autumn Herbs
The seven herbs are derived from a tanka poem written by Yamanoue no Okura, a poet of the Nara period, in the Manyoshu. They are not eaten, but are enjoyed for their beauty.
The seven herbs of summer
Reed, rush, arrowhead, water lily, lotus, water lily, and egret flower. The name comes from a tanka poem written by a politician named Kajuji Tsuneo in the early Showa period.
In addition to these, there are several other patterns of the seven herbs of summer.
The seven herbs of winter
Green onions, Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, chrysanthemums, spinach, cabbage, and komatsuna
. The term “seven winter herbs” is not very common, and they are generally thought of as vegetables that are in season in winter.
Other than these, there is also nankin (pumpkin), lotus root, carrot, ginkgo, kumquat, agar, and undon (udon noodles). Udon is not even a vegetable.
These are called the “Nanakusa of the Winter Solstice” and since each of them has the letter “n” twice, they were eaten on the day of the winter solstice as a lucky charm that brings “multiple fortunes.”
Regional differences
As mentioned above, the main focus of nanakusa-gayu was originally to “eat seven types of food,” so the types of herbs used varied depending on the region and era. It seems that nanakusa-gayu was once written as nanakusa-gayu.
We will introduce some regional variations of Nanakusa-gayu.
Yamagata Prefecture [Natto soup]
This soup is made by carefully grating homemade natto in a mortar to thicken it, and then seasoning it with miso. It is characterized by the inclusion of tofu, deep-fried tofu, konjac, mushrooms, and wild vegetables. In particular, dried potato stalks, called “imogara,” are a must-have ingredient.
The thick consistency of natto keeps the body warm and helps keep it from getting cold. It is eaten on January 7th to pray for good health.
Aomori Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Akita Prefecture [Keno soup]
This soup is made by simmering root vegetables and soy products such as daikon radish, carrots, fried tofu, and konjac in kelp stock. The ingredients vary depending on the region, but they all have in common that they are all made up of seven different types.
It is said to derive from “porridge soup,” but it usually does not contain rice. It is a vegetarian dish that is often eaten during the Chinese New Year.
Fukuoka Prefecture [Seven Herbs Soup]
This miso soup uses the seven herbs as the main ingredient. It is characterized by the addition of seafood such as whale meat or yellowtail, and by the use of “katsuona.”
Katsuona is a type of vegetable similar to “takana” that has been popular in Fukuoka Prefecture for a long time. It is often used in zoni and clear soups, and is said to have been named so because it is “just as delicious without the bonito broth.”
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