Datemaki — Sweet Rolled Omelette for New Year

Japan

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Origin

Japan — osechi tradition, associated with New Year celebration

Description

Datemaki is a sweet, slightly crinkled rolled omelette made with beaten eggs combined with a significant proportion of hanpen (fish cake) or surimi, which gives it a distinctive bouncy-soft texture quite different from tamagoyaki. The fish content also adds umami depth to what would otherwise be a simple sweet egg roll. Datemaki is a mandatory osechi component associated with wishes for academic achievement (its resemblance to scrolled documents representing wish for written learning). It is flavoured with sugar, mirin, and sometimes sake; finished in a square mould (otoshibuta technique) or a sushimaki roll mat to create the distinctive crinkle ridges on the surface. The name 'date' refers to elegant, dandyish appearance — the golden ridged roll is visually striking in osechi arrangements.

III

The Thread

—Both datemaki and boudin blanc combine egg with ground fish or meat to create a bound, sliceable cooked product with distinctive texture French

—Both are egg-based sliceable preparations served as part of a larger cold spread — Spanish at room temperature tapas, Japanese in cold osechi arrangements Spanish

Flavour Context

Sweet, eggy, slightly umami from fish content; firm-soft bouncy texture; golden colour represents prosperity in osechi symbolism

Pillars V — VII

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