Sake

flyinglentris

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Sake is a luxury beverage food accompaniment for Japanese cuisine. It is regarded as a rice wine as it is made by fermenting rice and possibly, additional ingredients. Sake is known in Japanese as nihonshu,, - alcohol made from rice.

What most people who are not Japanese don't realize is that there are up to five types or grades of sake.

The types or grades of sake are defined by the 'polish' of the rice used, alcohol content and flavors.

The five types of sake are Jumai-shu, Ginjo-shu, Daiginjo-shu, Honjozo-shu and Namazake.

There is one basic sake formulation, jumai, and the others are special or non-jumai.

Sake quality is determined by polishing, the degree to which rice kernels are milled, to reveal the starchy cores before exposing them to the koji mold spores which will form the fermentable rice sugars. The degree to which the brew master exposes the rice cores to the mold also effects quality and flavor.

Jumai sake is brewed from only rice, water, yeast and koji with no minimal polishing level.. It is the basic sake, - Jumai-shu.

Daiginjo sake is the super premium grade sake with the smoothest flavor and about a 50% polish level, - diaginjo-shu.

Ginjo sake is similar to daiginjo, but with a 40% polish, - ginjo-shu.

Honjozo sake has a polish of about 70% with a small amount of distilled alcohol added, - honjozo-shu.

Sake is pasteurized. Namazake is unpasteurized sake, created late in the sake brewing season.

The specialty sake types, Daiginjo-shu, Ginjo-shu and Honjozo-shu are said to have floral and fruity flavor.

Kumpai!
 
I'm not big on Japanese food, but I love sake. Some sake is served warm, and some served slightly chilled. Which ones would you serve warm, and which ones would you serve slightly chilled?

CD
 
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Love Japanese Food, but would take a Kirin Ichiban or Saporo beer instead of Sake any day. Having tasted Sake both warm and cold, cloudy and clear, I think I liked the clearer version (and chilled) most.
 
Love Japanese Food, but would take a Kirin Ichiban or Saporo beer instead of Sake any day. Having tasted Sake both warm and cold, cloudy and clear, I think I liked the clearer version (and chilled) most.

I prefer dark beers. It has been so long since I have had sake, I can claim to have forgotten what it tastes like. And it was probably the basic jumai-shu warm sake at a Japanese restaurant.

Anyway, as of late, I have decided on exploring Japanese cuisine as a cook and it of course, comes to the fore as something to go with whatever I might eventually whip up. Sushi, nigiri and sashimi are definitely on the list of things I will try. I have always like seafood udon and am already collecting ingredients to go for that too. Terryaki and yakitori are likely candidate meals as well.
 
I'm getting my sh_t wired to do some sake ....

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I ordered and just received a jumai sake, a daiginjo sake and a plum wine.

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From left to right, Otokoyama Tokubetsu Jumai, Asahi Dassai 39 DaiGinjo and Choya Plum Wine.
 
I tried the Otokoyama Tokubetsu Jumai today, with the tempura I made and had as my meal today.

I picked a winner with this brand of jumai. Jumai is the typical sake you get in Japanese restaurants and this one was the best I have ever had, - very nice. It went well with the tempura.
 
Never tried sake, don't know why? We eat it regularly so next time I'm trying it. Wife went to a Japanese restaurant the other night, daughter shouted her as a late Mother's Day present. She said it was good, I've never heard of it, but I suspect we will be going soon.

Russ
 
Never tried sake, don't know why? We eat it regularly so next time I'm trying it. Wife went to a Japanese restaurant the other night, daughter shouted her as a late Mother's Day present. She said it was good, I've never heard of it, but I suspect we will be going soon.

Russ

I hope you find a good brand.
 
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