Japanese culture is made up of nuances and trifles seemingly elusive to the eye of a European. Noticing the changing beauty of nature, subtly feeling the transitions of human relations, analyzing and describing their experiences in an artistic form, the Japanese mentality did not bypass the gastronomic theme - the use of sake.
Sake is a rice vodka, which is twice as strong as the Russian forty-degree one. Drink it warm, not cold and viscous from the freezer. And the color of the drink is sometimes light green, sometimes light yellow, and not transparent like a tear. Such nuances cannot in any way fit into the world outlook of a broad domestic soul. There is, perhaps, only one similarity in the use of Russian vodka and sake. Residents of the Celestial Empire believe that drinking the national alcoholic beverage disposes to confidential communication and strengthening of friendly and love ties. But, as with any alcohol, with rice vodka you need to know the sense of proportion and be able to stop in time.
About origin and technology
The technology for making sake is closer to brewing, since fermentation is used, rather than distillation or distillation. The output is a unique product that has no analogues.
They have been preparing it for two thousand years. The beginning was laid at the court of the Japanese emperors. The ancient method of sake production technology differed from the modern one and was, to put it mildly, not for squeamish gourmets: rice, not sparing their teeth, was chewed into a gruel in the mouth, which was then spat into a fermentation container. Later, the process was greatly simplified by the invention and use of a special type of mold, koji, to start fermentation.
Beverage quality
The quality of the sake depends on the degree of grinding of the rice, at which the skin is removed from the grain, containing essential oils that affect the taste. It is easier for an inexperienced consumer to trust the price when choosing sake. From a thousand rubles per bottle, the drink is drunk chilled to 5 C, and purchased at a more affordable price is heated in order to minimize the possible unpleasant aftertaste.
Culture of use
Drinking the national Japanese drink is a whole art. To begin with, the sake is heated in a ceramic jug of tokkuri in a water bath to a temperature of 15 to 30 C. It is poured into small choco cups that can hold no more than three sips. At the same time, it is not customary to pour yourself a drink. Warmed sake is best consumed during the cooler months of the year. The appetizer requirements are not as strict as with the cold consumption of the more refined types of rice vodka. You can serve sandwiches, vegetables, meat, seafood.
Expensive sake is served in wine glasses. Participants of the feast make a toast "kampai", which means "we drink to the bottom!" Bringing the drink to eye level and not clinking glasses, they drink slowly in small sips, snacking on traditional Japanese dishes: mild sushi and rolls.
