1.
sake lees; sake sediment
The solid residue left after pressing sake from fermented rice mash. Used as an ingredient in cooking, pickling, and making amazake (sweet sake drink).
酒粕で甘酒を作った。
I made amazake from sake lees.
酒粕を使った粕汁は体が温まる。
Sake lees soup warms the body.
冬になると酒蔵から新鮮な酒粕が出回り、スーパーの棚にも並ぶようになる。
When winter comes, fresh sake lees from breweries become available and line the supermarket shelves.
USAGE: 酒粕 is a common cooking ingredient in Japanese cuisine. It is most widely available in winter, when sake production peaks.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 粕汁 (sake lees soup — a warming winter dish)
- 粕漬け (pickling in sake lees)
- 甘酒 (sweet sake drink made from sake lees or rice koji)
- 酒粕パック (sake lees face mask — a beauty product)
Alternate written forms include 酒糟. The word 粕 alone means "dregs" or "sediment" and appears in other compounds like 糠粕 and the figurative expression 糟糠の妻 (a wife who shared one's hardships).