Tamagozake
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| Tamagozake | |
| Type: | Cocktail |
|---|---|
| Primary alcohol by volume: | |
| Served: | Hot |
| Commonly used ingredients: | |
| Preparation: | Combine sake, egg and sweetener, either traditionally in a pot of boiling water, over a low flame, or in a microwave; whisking frequently. Be careful to not heat this to the point where you get sweet, wet scrambled eggs (you want a thick and hot liquid). |
Tamagozake (卵酒 non-standard: 玉子酒?) is a drink consisting of heated sake, sugar and a raw egg. It translates as "egg saké," being made of the kanji 卵 (non-standard: 玉子) tamago (egg) and 酒 saké. Outside of Japan, tamagozake is sometimes referred to as sake-nog, due to its resemblance to egg nog. However, this term would not likely 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 variant 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.
