Kasujiru (soup made with sake lees) (粕汁)
Kasujiru is a soup made by dissolving sake lees or a mix of sake lees and miso in broth and adding some ingredients, which are often carrot, daikon (Japanese radish), or fish.
The details about the origin of kasujiru are not known, but it has been popular for a long time in Nara, where the god of sake is worshiped, and Kyoto including Fushimi, which is famous for its production of sake.
As mentioned above, the ingredients are often a combination of some fishes and root vegetables, but partly in the Kansai Region, pork is also a popular ingredient.
Meanwhile, partly in the Shinetsu Region, 'Kasujiru with nappa (greens),' which contains only fine cut nozawana as an ingredient, is preferable, and thus ingredients are different according to each region.
Sake lees are rich in vitamins, carbohydrates, amino acids, etc. and are effective in warming up bodies, so kasujiru is often served at events in winter. Also, since sake lees can heighten the taste of each food material and make it mild, kasujiru has the property of being able to heighten the taste of various combinations of food without spoiling it.
Incidentally, kasujiru contains alcohol, and in the case of a teacher in Kobe City, who ate two bowls of kasujiru and drove home on September 15, 2006, 0.15ml alcohol was detected per liter of his breath, and criminal papers were filed with prosecutors against him on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol in March 2007.