red vinegar made from sake lees
A type of vinegar used in sushi rice and other Japanese dishes, made from fermented sake lees, giving it a reddish-brown color and mild flavor.
Some sushi restaurants serve rice seasoned with red vinegar.
plum vinegar with perilla leaves
A vinegar made from plum juice and perilla leaves, sometimes called 'red vinegar' but distinct from the sake-lees type. Often used in pickling to add color and flavor.
See also: 白酢
When pickling umeboshi, adding plum vinegar with perilla leaves makes the color vivid.
Compound of 赤 (red) and 酢 (vinegar). The term refers to vinegars with a reddish hue, derived either from sake lees or from plum and perilla.