The Japanese rice wine used primarily for cooking is mirin. It is a sweet cooking wine that adds gloss, balanced sweetness, and depth to sauces, marinades, simmered dishes, and grilled foods.
Traditional mirin is made by combining steamed glutinous rice, rice kōji containing Aspergillus oryzae, and a distilled spirit such as shōchū. Enzymes from the kōji convert rice starches into sugars and create savory flavor compounds. Compared with sake, mirin is generally sweeter and has a lower alcohol content.
Mirin is a key ingredient in teriyaki sauce and appears in many Japanese seasonings alongside soy sauce and dashi. It is often confused with sake because both are rice wines, but sake is commonly served as a beverage, while mirin is principally used to season food. The modern form of mirin emerged around the start of the 17th century.