Mizuame

Mizuame, literally water candy and also called millet jelly, is a clear, thick, sticky Japanese sweetener made by converting starch to sugars. It is added to traditional Japanese confections called wagashi to give them a sheen, is eaten in ways similar to honey, and can serve as a main ingredient in sweets; some mizuame closely resembles corn syrup in both production and taste. The traditional method mixes glutinous rice with malt and lets natural enzymes convert the starch into a syrup mainly of maltose, while the more common modern method uses acid hydrolysis of potato or sweet potato starch.