noun
New Year food served in stacked lacquered boxes
Traditional food prepared for entertaining guests during the New Year period, typically arranged in multilayered lacquered boxes (jūbako).
お正月には、食積みを重箱に詰めてお客様にお出しします。
During New Year's, we serve kuitsumi arranged in stacked lacquered boxes to our guests.
noun
Kansai New Year food decoration
Archaic Edo-period term for a decorative arrangement made from food, used in the Kansai region during New Year celebrations. Also known as 蓬莱飾り (ほうらいかざり).
See also: 蓬莱飾り (ほうらいかざり)
江戸時代、関西では食積みを蓬莱飾りと呼んで正月に飾った。
In the Edo period, people in Kansai displayed kuitsumi, also called hōrai kazari, as a New Year decoration.
Synonymous with the archaic Kansai sense of 食積み; refers to the same New Year decoration made from food.
Compound of 食い (kui, 'eating', the stem of 食う) and 積み (tsumi, 'piling up', the stem of 積む). The spelling 摘み is a variant, possibly ateji, using 摘む (tsumu, 'to pick') instead of 積む.