To provide fermentation raw material making a production period short, slightly generating by-products, excellent in flavor and taste quality, and enabling production of rice-base fermented food.

The fermentation raw material is obtained by a method comprising adding α-amylase to an aqueous dispersion containing rice flour, subjecting the mixture to heating at 70-130°C, drying the resultant liquid after removing insoluble protein in rice ingredients generated by heating. The fermentation raw material comprises 0.2-2.0 mass% of protein and 0.05-0.50 mass% of lipid.