Mirin (sweet sake) - Mirin

Japanese: みりん(味醂) - みりん

A sweet yellow liquor made by mixing steamed glutinous rice, rice malt, and shochu, converting the rice starch into sugar using the action of the malt, and then squeezing the liquid. It is made by straining white liquor made from shochu. In the Edo period, it was also written as mirinchu, mirinshu, and mirinchu. Shochu production began in the second half of the 16th century when it was introduced to Japan, and the Kefukisou (1638) records that it is a specialty of Yamashiro. The Honcho Shokan (1697) describes the production method, but it also states that "the sake has a sweet taste, like honey, which makes it a rare treat," and it was not until the Bunka and Bunsei periods (1804-30) that it became popular among the common people.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

蒸したもち米，米こうじ，焼酎をまぜ，米のデンプンをこうじの作用で糖にかえた後，しぼって得られる甘みをもった黄色の酒。焼酎を原料とした白酒をこしたものである。江戸時代には味淋酎，美淋酒，美淋酎などとも書かれた。焼酎が日本に伝えられた16世紀後半以後製造が始まり，《毛吹草》(1638)には山城の名産と記されている。《本朝食鑑》(1697)に製法の記述がみられるが，〈酒の味甘美，蜜の如きを以て珍となすのみ〉とあり，庶民の間に普及したのは文化･文政(1804‐30)以降である。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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