Many people, especially the health-conscious, are using brown rice syrup these days as a healthier alternative to refined, white sugar because of its rich mineral content, which helps prevent the sugar high, and its "gentle sweetness".
There are only a few available brands of rice syrup, such as Lundberg or Mitoku etc
And they are good, don't get me wrong.
But then again, I thought, there must be many rice syrup makers who are making different variety of rice syrup in Japan.
After all, Japan is a country of rice, and it's said that there are at least 600 sake makers throughout the country.
So I did some research, then found this little family maker in Saga prefecture (located next to my hometown!).
It's Ogasawara Shoten, and this Ogasawara family has been making brown rice syrup with the same, traditional technique for more than 200 years!
Now, the owner and artisan, who is the 7th generation, Mr. Eiichi Fujita has been in charge of rice syrup making for 38 years.
So,
I ordered 5 small bottles of syrup on line, and they have just arrived today.
And I tried it.
First thing I noticed was, it's almost like golden liquid, unlike thick paste-like syrup from Lundberg and others that I am familiar with.
Very light, smooth, sweet yet not too much.
Subtle, just like ....... Japan.
Now I really have to visit this place and talked to Fujita-san.
May be one of my first projects to visit artisans of Japanese traditional food.