What the World Eats at New Year's

Japan

The Japanese celebrate Oshogatsu on the first day of the New Year and  while there are a number of traditional dishes eaten on this day, the quintessential dish is ozoni, a "good luck" soup containing mochi (pounded rice cake). There are hundreds of types of ozoni ranging from chicken broth to seafood broth with miso. In Tokyo, where I spent three years of my life, ozoni is made with soy sauce flavored chicken broth and contains toasted mochi and various veggies. Click here for a recipe.