In response to a question from one of our readers and users on what SAKE is exactly, we are going to talk a little about how it is made, different qualities, what it is used for, etc.

Together with soya sauce, sake, or nihonshu, is possibly the most highly consumed and varied product in Japan. This is because there are not only major brands of the product, but in most little towns there is a producer who makes sake for the local people’s consumption.

Sake is made following a tradition with a large number of well-defined rules, and it continues to be made in the winter, because the low temperatures help to control the fermentation of the yeast.

The first step when making Sake is to polish the rice. The outer shell of the grain is discarded in this process, leaving a percentage that varies between 30% and 70%. Evidently, the better the quality of the rice, the less waste results from this process.


After polishing, the rice is well washed, and left to soak thoroughly.

The next step consists of steaming the rice, after which a quarter is separated to make Koji (remember that this "product" is also used to make soya sauce). The other three-quarters is cooled to 5º C.

The koji is infected with a fungus and it is kept in a warm, damp place for the yeast to develop. This process lasts for nearly two days.

When the koji is ready, it is mixed with water and the rest of the cooked rice that was stored at 5º C. The yeast starts to act and a fermentation process begins that is much like the fermentation of wine.

This process lasts for around three months. During this period koji, water and cooked rice is added 3 times to the mixture. The alcohol is formed by the yeast and the sugars that the rice starch produces during fermentation. After this time, the mixture is filtered and left to rest to remove all the impurities. After clarifying, it is pasteurised and bottled.

Types and qualities


The best sake is called ginjoshu. It is difficult to obtain, even in Japan, because the small amount produced is limited to local consumption.

Honjosukuri is a better known variety. It consists of a base of pure rice wine with the alcohol content rectified to temper its flavour. This is the most common version, and the one that is exported out of the country.

Finally, there is nigorizake: this is the worst quality sake, but not because other ingredients have been added but because it has been filtered using a broader mesh, which makes it cloudy, and because it is usually not pasteurised, which means that the sake continues to ferment, so the product does not last for long.

All classes of sake come in two types, sweet and dry. The sweet type is called amakuchi, and the dry  one, karakuchi. On the bottles, there has to be a number from -10 to +10, where 0 is the middle value. The former is the sweetest sake and the latter the driest one.


USE IN CUISINE AND CONSUMPTION


Sake is used in a countless number of dishes in Japanese cuisine. Together with mirim and soya sauce, it is almost the only flavoured liquid used.

Although it is used somewhat like wine, it is worth remembering that it has a very light aroma and can be destroyed when overcooked, so it is recommended in marinating processes and “raw” sauces where no cooking is involved. At most, it will be slightly warmed.

With regards to the controversy (here, not in Japan) on whether to take it hot or cold, as usual, the best option is to take it as you like it. In Japan, the temperature difference is related to the season. In other words, in the winter, when it is cold, they take it hot and if it is summer and the weather is hot, then they take it cold. The labels on Sake will tell us if the product is best when taken one way or the other.