Are you familiar with Amazake (甘酒)? Amazake literally means sweet Sake. Pardon us for the complexity of its language and naming, however, Amazake is not an alcoholic beverage. As names show, Amazake and Sake surely have a strong connection, and its story is worth exploring. Let us focus on Amazake in this article.

Amazake is called a drinkable drip infusion

 Amazake has been long used as supplement by the Japanese. It is called drinkable drip infusion for its multiple effects. These days Amazake is also popular as beauty supplements and even called drinkable serum. Outside of Japan it is also called as Japanese yogurt. Starch in rice is transformed into glucose with the help of Koji. Without Kobo being added, there is no production of alcohol during the process. Koji-Amazake is a product at this stage. There are mainly two methods in producing Amazake.

2 types of Amazake and their differences

Koji Amazake (麹甘酒)

 It is produced by fermenting rice, Koji and water. Original shape of rice can be found in a porridge-like liquid and it softly embraces the sweetness of rice. No alcohol is detected. This drink has a rich content of glucose, so it is also called as drinkable drip infusion.

Sake-kasu Amazake (酒粕甘酒)

 Sake-kasu Amazake is produced using Sake-kasu, which is composed during the production of Sake. It is the mixture of Sake-kasu, water and sugar. Sake-kasu Amazake contains a certain level of alcohol (approximately 8%) as Sake-kasu taken out during the production of Sake contains some alcohol. The final product of Sake-kasu Amazake has less than 1% of alcohol as it is being adjusted during its production. There is no sediment, and its texture is smooth and watery.

 Other varieties of Amazake include : Beni-koji Amazake (紅麹甘酒), in a rose colour Genmai-Amazake (玄米甘酒) with a unique flavour, and kodai-mai Amazake (古代米甘酒) with high nutrition.

What are the benefits of Amazake to the beauty and health?

 As touched upon earlier, Amazake is also said drinkable serum with a number of positive impacts to one’s beauty. They are the remarkable positive effects Amazake is likely to deliver:

Clearer skin

 Vitamin B2, B6 and Niacin included in Amazake improves the metabolism of protein that composes skin cells. By enhancing the metabolism of the skins, the waste material is easily removed to bring a healthy-look skins with a high resilience.

Diet / stay-fit effect

 Glucose found especially high in Benikoji Amazake (米麹甘酒) supports digestion and increase the level of insulin. As a result satiety center in the brain is stimulated and easily senses full and satisfied. Thus the person is less likely to eat irregularly skipping snacks.

Maintain a healthy environment for intestine

 Amazake contains a large amount of fiber and oligosaccharide which are said to support the wellbeing of intestine. Fibers can be divided into water soluble fibers and water insoluble fibers. Amazake contains both types of fibers, but the amount of insoluble fibers exceeds the soluble fibers. In addition, good news is that Insoluble fibers are particularly useful to help the defecation. Oligosaccharide helps to increase the beneficial bacteria which are essential to improve the well-being of intestine. With a healthier environment of intestine, defecation is improved, and eventually solves the problematic skin troubles.

 Amazake is not simply a byproduct of Sake, and its benefits are notable! Their positive effects to the health and beauty should be widely-known.

How to enjoy Amazake?

 There are some recommended ways to enjoy Amazake. The first way is to cool it and drink straight. The second is to warm it up. Warm Amazake with a slight sweetness should give you a moment of relaxation and indulgence. The third is to mix with soda, or sparking water to add a little of freshness. When is the good timing to drink Amazake? Due to its high content of nutrition, it is recommended to drink it in the morning. Glucose should wake your sleepy mind up and bring a fresh start of the day. Since it does not include alcohol or the alcohol content is extremely low, it is worth trying to drink it in the morning and record the positive changes of the bodies. Let us try the habit to remain healthy. With my regards, Japanese made it a rule to live with healthy diet to maintain the health rather than taking medicine when becoming sick. The mentality should have created super food like Amazake.

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