Amazake 甘酒?, is a traditional sweet, low- or non-alcohol (depending on recipes) 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 [[koji ]] and the koji mold Aspergillus oryzae (麹 kōji?) that includes [[miso]], soy sauce, and sake.<br>See also : *[[Fermented food]]<br>*[[Koji]]
==Special Precautions of Amazake==
The amazake you buy in the store varies considerably from the version made at home. Commercial versions often substitute laboratory-produced enzymes for koji. While these enzymes, like koji, cause fermentation, manufacturers often choose specific enzymes designed to produce a sweeter product. If you're trying to restrict your carbohydrate intake, commercially produced amazake might contain too much sugar. With homemade amazake, you can control the sweetness by adjusting the amount of koji added; the more koji, the sweeter the taste. Amazake contains about 50 percent simple sugars and 50 percent complex carbohydrates, so it provides quick but long-lasting energy, author John Belleme explains in "Japanese Foods That Heal."
== References ==
*''Japanese Foods That Heal; Tuttle Publishing''
*''Chemosphere: Impact of FEBRA (fermented brown rice with Aspergillusoryzae) intake and concentrations of PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs in Blood of Humans from Japan''
*''Mitoku.com: Amazake''
*''Cooking for Healthy Healing; Healthy Healing Publications; 2002''
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