Sake

Sake (Japanese酒/ sɑ.kɛ / ) is a rice wine from Japan. The clear or whitish cloudy alcoholic beverage contains about 15-20 percent alcohol by volume. The term Sake is often used in the West as a synonym for rice wine.

A related product is mirin with sake, a rice wine with higher sugar and lower alcohol content, which is used exclusively as a food seasoning.

Production technology, similar to sake rice wine less wine than beer rather, since the sugar must be developed before brewing only. The alcohol content of sake rice wine is higher than of wine from grapes.

History

It is not reliably delivered, since when sake is made ​​in Japan. It is assumed that the production began with the introduction of wet rice cultivation in the 3rd century BC. Narrated are rites of Shinto, in which rice of girls chewed and was then spit into vessels. The fermented rice in the vessels had only low alcohol content and was eaten as porridge. The Ankauen was from the 5th century with the use of fungal cultures that were probably imported from Korea from China, superfluous.

In historical work Nihon Shoki, which was 720 completed, is reported by a banquet in the year 485, in which Hofadelige sat at a landscaped garden and stream verses compacted. The creator of a successful poem was allowed to take a cup of sake, which swam in the creek. The combination of drinking games and sake was continued in the Nara and Heian period. At festivals it was served after the rank and could be drunk only after the presentation of a song. Even after promotions and as a gesture of the loser in a lost match the consumption of sake was common. Sake was early on a topic in verse and poems, he is mentioned in Manyoshu and is also part of some chain poems that were created by poets such as Matsuo Basho and Kobayashi Issa.

Gekkeikan as one of the oldest companies in the world in 1637, has been making sake.

Production

The production of sake was initially restricted to the imperial court and was gradually transferred to the monasteries. The sake breweries were in 1369 assumed by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu the shogunate. The distribution of sake in the population has provided the shogunate a source of steady income.

The quality of the basic ingredients of rice, water and yeast determines the final quality of the sake. Especially the hardness and the mineral content of the water is in addition to the rice quality crucial for the flavor of sake. Centers of the quality of sake production, therefore, often in places that have high-quality rice and spring water or lakes. These include since the Edo period, in addition to other Toyama, Suwa Suwa at the Lake and Ikeda.

To prepare the rice for the fermentation process, the rice grains are first polished. The outer bran layers are removed with high-quality sake is removed up to 50% of the original volume. The resulting rice flour is sold to manufacturers of confectionery and other products. After polishing the rice is washed to remove the residue from polishing the rice flour, and soaked in water. He is attenuated, thereby obtaining a solid surface and a soft core.

A portion of the rice used for the preparation of koji. He is inoculated with the mold Aspergillus oryzae, whose enzymes promote the conversion of starch into glucose. After a maturation period of 36 to 48 hours at high temperature and humidity of the ripening process is interrupted. The koji is added with steamed rice and water in a small tank, lactic acid and yeast concentrate is added to form a starter culture called Shubo. The yeast starter develops over two weeks, while the glucose is consumed in the propagation of the yeast cells and there is the sweet Amazake.

Now the actual fermentation process begins. In a larger tank again koji, rice and water are mixed. To this mixture is added in three batches at intervals of one days Amazake. The subsequent fermentation process takes 21 to to 25 days. During fermentation, a mixture is formed with about 18 to 20% alcohol, is compressed in order to obtain the clear sake. If the alcohol content at this point is too high, it shall be reduced by the addition of water. The sake is then filled into tanks where it is aged six to twelve months.

Species

With inexpensive Sake varieties of hard alcohol is added to increase the alcohol content before bottling. Not to be confused with the addition of a small amount of alcohol during the fermentation process. It is used to round off the flavor of sake and is also used for high-quality varieties.

• Futsu -shu refers to a standard quality, which makes up about 80 % of the sake produced.
• Junmai -shu -shu and Honjozo ( with addition of alcohol) is a good quality, when in polishing the rice grains lose 30 % of their volume.
• Junmai Ginjo -shu and Ginjo -shu ( with addition of alcohol ) is a very good quality, in the losing polishing the rice grains 40 % of their volume.
• Junmai -shu Daiginjo and Daiginjo -shu ( with addition of alcohol ) is a very good quality, in the losing polishing the rice grains 50 % of their volume.

Administration

Sake contains 15 or more by volume of alcohol and is served hot or cold, with hot sake is especially popular during the cold season. This is called pictorially " put a hot stone on the belly ." Sake for heating is used rather of average quality, it takes place in a water bath up to a temperature of at most 55 ° C. High quality Sake is served almost exclusively cold at about 7 ° C. The quality of sake is improved not by storage.

In the retail Sake comes in the form of glass bottles and tetra packs. To serve, it is usually poured into small ceramic bottles from which refill the present mutually exclusive. Sake is drunk from small wooden cubes ( Masu ), from shallow bowls or drinking from small cups.

A popular location are the Sake Give ( Izakaya ). For Sake snacks consumed, so-called Otsumami. Usually it involves Senbei (rice crackers), seeds (eg Ginkgo seeds), kamaboko ( fish paste bar similar to the surimi ) or Tsukudani ( boiled in soy sauce and thereby preserved seafood), and noodle dishes ( ramen ) and many kinds of pickled vegetables. The totality of the Sakegenuss promotional details such as beautiful views, good company, fireworks are called Sakana. In contrast to common prejudices sake is however not enough to sushi because the rice taste essiggesäuerte not tolerate it.

Use

Sake is served as an aperitif, during the meal and also as a digestive. In addition, he is part of sauces and marinades of Japanese cuisine.

The taste is similar to dry sherry and sake on the requirements - such as cooking - to be replaced by this.

Fresh Sake, which has just been pressed only and has begun to ferment, is (生 酒) sold and drunk like the spring whites in the white wine in Japan as Namazake.

The not yet fully fermented Amazake is served at the New Year and the Hina Matsuri ( Doll Festival ).

Ritual use

Sake is closely associated with many rituals of Japanese Shinto and a typical votive offering that is offered to the Japanese deities in the form of large wooden barrels.

Further meaning of the word

Also salmon called in Japanese " sake ". The two characters for the meanings " salmon " and " rice wine " are different, but there is only a slight difference in pronunciation. When word for salmon, the accent is on the first and the word for rice wine on the second syllable. So foreign language visitors to Japan should in order of salmon dishes " Sake " always call in the context of sushi, sashimi, or the like, as the Japanese foreign visitors can easily lead to misunderstandings. But confusion should be excluded if, following the Japanese language, which prepends Honorativpräfix " o" and " osake " says. Moreover, in order to designate salmon clearly " Shake" ( [ ɕake ] ) say that this term no confusion is possible, as with the especially in sushi bars often used term " Samon " ( [sa ː moɴ ], of Engl. " Salmon ").