March 3rd is hinamatsuri in Japan, a day for celebrating girls, coming just two days before children’s day, which is reserved for the boys. On girl’s day, households exhibit traditional dolls and prepare specific dishes. We went with chirashizushi (a large sushi rice platter with various toppings mixed in), hamaguri no osuimono (clam in broth) and threw in some tai (snapper) which is a general celebratory dish.
Behind the glass of wine is the chirashizushi served here in a large bento.
For the wine, I chose a white Beaujolais by one of my favorite producers, Lapalu. Made from Chardonnay, this wine was surprisingly aromatic, but remained versatile enough to pair with all the dishes, even if it didn’t necessarily spark any emotions. A more mineral off-dry Chenin from the Loire might have fared better, but the way to go here is really to get a different wine for each dish.
Hamaguri (clam)
Hamaguri after adding the broth
