Tamagozake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tamagozake (卵酒 or 玉子酒?) is a drink consisting of heated sake, sugar and a raw egg. It translates as "egg sake," being made of the kanji 卵 tamago (egg) and 酒 sake. Outside of Japan, tamagozake is sometimes referred to as sake-nog, due to its resemblence to egg nog. However, this term would not be recognized by a Japanese person.
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[edit] Cure for the common cold
Tamagozake is the most traditional home remedy for the common cold in Japan. Most Japanese swear by it as an effective cure, but whether this is a result of tradition or habit inducing the placebo effect, or if it has actual medicinal properties, is unknown.
The sake is supposed to give you a good night's sleep and the lysozyme in the egg white is said to strengthen the immune system and thus help cure the cold.
Even though it is an alcoholic drink, it is sometimes given as a cold cure to children as well as adults, and is similar to chicken soup or hot toddies in Western countries.
[edit] Recipe
Like most home remedies, there are several varient recipes for tamagozake, but the basic properties are the same.
The most traditional says that tamagozake should only be served using chopsticks, as it invokes memories of Buddhist services, and thus adds to the healing power.
INGREDIENTS
PREPARATION
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- Heat the sake, either the traditional way in a pot of boiling water, or in a microwave.
- Scramble the egg, mixing it with the sweetener
- Add the egg mixture in the heated sake.
Makes 1 serving.
