Amazake

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Japanese drink made from fermented rice

title: "Amazake" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["fermented-drinks", "japanese-drinks", "plant-milk", "probiotic-foods", "rice-wine", "sake", "sugar-substitutes"] description: "Japanese drink made from fermented rice" topic_path: "geography/japan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazake" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Japanese drink made from fermented rice ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox food"]

Field	Value
name	Amazake
image	Amazake by emily harbour in july.jpg
image_size	250px
caption	A cup of amazake
country	Japan
region	East Asia
associated_cuisine	Japanese cuisine
creator	Kofun period in Japan
course	Drink
type	Plant milk
served	Warm, room temperature, or cold
main_ingredient	Fermented rice
::

Amazake is a traditional sweet, low-alcohol or non-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. Amazake dates from the Kofun period, and it is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki. It is part of the family of traditional Japanese foods made using the koji mold Aspergillus oryzae, which also includes miso, soy sauce, and sake.

There are several recipes for amazake that have been used for hundreds of years. By a popular recipe, kōji is added to cooled whole grain rice causing enzymes to break down the carbohydrates into simpler unrefined sugars. As the mixture incubates, sweetness develops naturally. By another recipe, sake kasu is mixed with water and sugar is added.

Amazake can be used as a dessert, snack, natural sweetening agent, salad dressing or smoothie. One traditional amazake drink, prepared by combining amazake and water, heated to a simmer, and often topped with a pinch of finely grated ginger, was popular with street vendors, and it is still served at inns, teahouses, and at festivals. Many Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples provide or sell it in the New Year. In the 20th century, an instant version became available.

Amazake contains many nutrients, including vitamin B1, B2, B6, folic acid, dietary fiber, oligosaccharide, cysteine, arginine and glutamine. It is often considered a hangover cure in Japan. Outside Japan, it is often sold in Asian grocery stores during the winter months, and, all year round, in natural food stores in the U.S. and Europe, as a beverage and natural sweetener.

Similar beverages include the Chinese jiuniang which is more pudding like and Korean gamju or sikhye. In grape winemaking, must – sweet, thick, unfermented grape juice – is a similar product.

References

(October 1989). "Meet the Rice Family". [[Vegetarian Times]].
Studarus, Laura. (18 March 2020). "Uncovering amazake: Japan's ancient fermented 'superdrink'".
Shurtleff, W.; Aoyagi. A. 1988. ''Amazake and Amazake Frozen Desserts''. Lafayette, California: Soyfoods Center. 69 + [52] pp.
(2021). "History of Koji – Grains and/or Soybeans Enrobed in a Mold Culture (300 BCE to 2021): Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook". Soyinfo Center.
"Amazake-Sweet Ambrosia". Mitoku.
"Amazake". About.com.
"おうちで簡単酒粕で甘酒の作り方作り方・レシピ".
(2020-12-30). "正月に甘酒を飲むのはどうして？神社などで配られる理由".
Belleme, John. (2007). "Japanese Foods That Heal". Tuttle Publishing.
Studarus, Laura. (18 March 2020). "Uncovering amazake: Japan's ancient fermented 'superdrink'". BBC Travel.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::