On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1427

water,whenitisconvertedintovapor,
becomesdrinkable,nordoesitformseawater
whenitcondensesagain.”Concentrated
alcoholmayhavebeendiscoveredforthefirst
timeinancientChina.Archaeologicalfinds
andwrittendocumentssuggestthatChinese
alchemistsweredistillingsmallamountsof
concentratedalcoholfromgrainpreparations
around2,000yearsago.Aprivilegedfewwere
drinkingitbeforethe10thcentury,andbythe
13thitwasacommercialproduct.
JapaneseCookingAlcohols:Mirinand
SakeLees
MirinisasweetJapanesecookingalcohol.
It’s made by combining cooked polished
rice, koji, andshochu, a distilled spirit
made from a low-grade sake. The alcohol
inhibitsanyfurtheralcoholicfermentation.
Instead,duringtwomonthsatawarm77–
86ºF/25–30ºC, the koji mold and enzymes
slowlyconvertthericestarchintoglucose.


The full-bodied liquid is drawn off and
clarified, and ends up at around 14%
alcohol and from 10% to as much as 45%
sugar.Industrialimitationsaremadefrom
grainalcohol,sugar,andflavorings.
The solids left after pressing and
filtering the sake mash are calledsake
kasu, or sake lees. They include starch,

proteins,thecellwallsofrice,yeasts,and
molds, and some acids, alcohol, and
enzymes.Thesesakeleesaremuchusedin
Japanesecooking,especiallyinthemaking
of vegetable pickles, marinades for fish,
andsoups.
SpiritsandWatersofLifeInEurope,
significantquantitiesofdistilledalcoholwere
producedaround1100atthemedicalschool
inSalerno,Italy,whereitdevelopedits
reputationasauniquelyvaluablemedicine.
Twohundredyearslater,theCatalanscholar
ArnaudofVillanovadubbedtheactive
principleofwineaquavitae,the“waterof