Tue, 05 May 2026 00:29:13 +0000

The Secret Ingredient in Teriyaki That’ll Make Your Tongue Burn (But Why It Works) When it comes to teriyaki sauce—the golden, glossy, umami-packed glaze that stirs memories of sizzling stir-fries, teriyaki bowls, and sushi nights—one thing stands out: its signature burn. That subtle heat, not blazing but sharp enough to send a thrill up your throat, is simultaneously thrilling and confounding. What makes this beloved sauce so irresistibly spicy without becoming an emergency? The secret lies in a single, often-overlooked ingredient: alcohol. ### The Hidden Cause of Teriyaki’s Burning Kick Most store-bought teriyaki sauces owe their fiery taste not just to mirin or soy sauce, but to alcohol—typically sugar cane alcohol (often ethanol) or sometimes rice alcohol. While alcohol naturally evaporates during cooking, it remains present in the sauce during glazing, acting as a volatile carrier for the sauce’s flavor compounds and, critically, heat.