Amazake
Amazake ( Japanese 甘 酒 or seldom 醴 , also called “sweet sake”) is a traditional Japanese drink made from fermented rice . It's sweet, low-alcohol or non-alcoholic, and part of the family of traditional Japanese dishes made with the help of the Kōji ( 麹 , Aspergillus flavus var. Oryzae ) mushroom . This also includes miso , soy sauce and sake .
There are different recipes for making amazake: For the alcohol-free version, Kōji is added to chilled, cooked rice. The fungus's enzymes break the rice starch down into sugar , making the mixture sweet. A slightly alcoholic Amazake on the other hand from Sake- kasu made (about the remaining sediment from Sakebrauen), cooked rice, water and possibly some sugar.
Amazake can be used as a dessert , snack , natural sweetener , baby food or salad dressing . The traditional drink is made by diluting it with water, heating it to the boiling point and often decorating it with some finely grated ginger . In the past it was often served by street vendors, now in restaurants and tea houses . Instant amazak was also invented in the 20th century .
Many Shinto shrines distribute or sell it on the New Year , it is also a traditional drink for the Hina-Matsuri (doll festival).
Amazake is very nutritious and does not contain any additives, preservatives , sweeteners or table salt . Therefore, outside of Japan, it is often sold in health food stores.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Makiko Itoh: 'Amazake': The wintertime sake that isn't what it seems. In: The Japan Times. February 19, 2016, accessed September 16, 2019 .