Kuchikamizake

or ''Kuchikami no sake'' is a kind of rice-based alcohol produced by a process involving human saliva as a fermentation starter. Kuchikamizake was one of the earliest types of Japanese alcoholic drinks. ''Kuchi'' means "mouth", ''kami'' means "to chew" and ''zake'' is the rendaku form of "sake".

Description

Kuchikamizake is white in colour and has a sour taste. After two weeks of fermentation, it can achieve up to 7% ABV.

It is made from chewed rice; the mixture of the enzymes from saliva and rice result in the fermentation process.

Some islands in Okinawa Prefecture still held shinto ceremonies involving chewed sake until the 1930s.http://depts.nanzan-u.ac.jp/ugrad/JINBUN/Jinruibunka/depinfo/item/FWReport_2011_Yoshida.pdf 　2011年度南山大学人文学部人類文化学科フィールドワーク（文化人類学）I1・II2調査報告書 Nanzan University, 2011, p47

In media

Kuchikamizake is featured as a plot point in Makoto Shinkai's ''Your Name''.

See also

*''Chicha''
*Mead

References

Sake
Japanese alcoholic drinks
Japanese words and phrases
Rice wine

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