七草粥 / Nanakusa Gayu

七草粥是日本傳統食品之一，1月7日當天要食用。1月7日被稱做人日的節氣。要做加上切碎的春季七草(芹菜、薺、母子草、蘩蔞、小鬼田平子、菘又稱蔓菁、蘿蔔)的鹹粥來吃。有時候也會加進年糕一起吃。除了是祈求一整年都能健康之外，也有讓在正月時因吃了慶祝正月的大餐和賀酒後虛弱的胃休息的目的。

Nanakusa Gayu is a traditional Japanese dish eaten on January 7th, a day called Jinjitsu-no Sekku. (Incidentally, there are other traditional dishes for several special days through the year.) Nanakusa means seven vegetables, those being Seri, Nazuna, Gogyo, Hakobera, Hotokenoza, Suzuna and Suzushiro. They are finely chopped and added into rice porridge with only salt as seasoning. Some people add small pieces of mochi (sticky rice cake). The purpose is to pray for good health in the new year and to make one’s stomach condition better, after we have eaten special dishes around New Year’s Day, or partaken in sake or other alcohol beverages.