main fermenting mash; moromi mash
The thick mixture of steamed rice, koji mold, water, and yeast used in the production of sake, soy sauce, miso, or shochu. A technical term in brewing.
At the sake brewery, the moromi mash is slowly fermenting.
noun-modifying (irregular)
Used prenominally to describe unrefined sake, soy sauce, or similar products, often implying a rustic or unfinished quality. Can also carry a figurative sense of 'rough' or 'unpolished'.
醤油のもろみを搾って生醤油を取り出す。
They press the soy sauce moromi to extract raw soy sauce.
Moromi vinegar is said to be good for health.
This sake is still in an unrefined state, with a rough taste before filtration.
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 諸味 and 醪 are rare and mainly seen in specialized brewing contexts.
Rare kanji spelling; a single character used in specialized sake/soy sauce production contexts.
Rare kanji spelling; may appear in historical or technical brewing texts.
The origin is uncertain. The word is native Japanese, and the kanji 諸味 (various flavors) and 醪 (specialized character for unrefined sake) are later assignments.