Mizuame

Mizuame (水飴) is a sweetener from Japan which is translated literally to 'water candy'. A clear, thick, sticky liquid, it is made by converting starch to sugars. Mizuame is added to wagashi to give them a sheen, eaten in ways similar to honey and can be a main ingredient in sweets.

There are two methods used to convert the starches to sugars. The traditional method is to take glutinous rice mixed with malt and let the natural enzymatic process take place converting the starch to syrup. The second and more common method uses potatoes or sweet potatoes as the starch source and then adding an acid such as hydrochloric, sulphuric or nitric acids. If done by the first method the final product is known as, barley mizuame and considered more flavorful than the potato version.

Reference

• Davidson, Alan. Oxford Companion to Food (1999). "Mizuame", p. 510 ISBN 0-19-211579-0