Sanbaizu (三杯酢)

Sanbaizu is a mixed seasoning made from equal amounts of vinegar, soy sauce, and sweet cooking rice wine.

Outline
It was named Sanbaizu (three cups of vinegar), because it was made by mixing one Sakazuki (rice wine cup) each of vinegar, soy sauce, and sweet cooking rice wine - total of three cups. Recently fewer people use sweet cooking rice wine and more people are using sugar to add sweetness. The name is derived from mixing equal amounts of those seasonings, but in fact it is never made like that. In general, the proportion is three parts vinegar, one part soy sauce, two parts sugar.

Sanbaizuzuke (vegetables pickled in Sanbaizu)
It is also called 'Sanbaizuke.'

It can be said to be a kind of Fukujinzuke (sliced vegetables pickled in soy sauce).

It is made from ingredients such as Japanese white radish, eggplant, melon cucumber, sword beans, ginger, lotus root, beefsteak plant as well as sliced raw lotus root and raw ginger and other vegetables pickled in salt and fresh and sliced, put them in a sack and squeeze out the water. For seasoning, boil up 12.5ℓ of soy sauce, 11kg of brown sugar, 5.4ℓ of vinegar in a pan.

Put the ingredients in a container and stir it three or four times a day, then after four or five days it will be ready.

Nihaizu
Nihaizu is made from vinegar and soy sauce like Sanbaizu. It is used to add richness without sweetness, while Sanbaizu includes sweetness. Generally, the proportion is three parts vinegar, two parts soy souse.

It is added to make Sunomono (vinegared dishes) using seaweed and cucumbers as well as salads.

[Original Japanese]