WHY ARE
SEAFOOD
&
SAKE
SUCH A
GOOD MATCH?
The Culture
Sake is more than just a drink, it lies at the very heart of Japanese culture and inspires the people’s love of:
Craftsmanship, innovation and harmony.
Throughout its long history, sake has been developed by toji, master sake brewers, who have always integrated their scientific knowledge in harmony with the nature of their immediate vicinity.
In coastal towns, for example, they developed a sake that matched with fresh fish. While in mountainous towns, they developed a sake that matched with cooked fish and shellfish. A core element in making sake has therefore been the Japanese terroir surrounded by the ocean itself.
Master sake makers understood the weather, soil, water and topography of their area, and would spend their entire lives developing a sake in keeping with their local conditions.
They would keep improving their sake, and pass their knowledge on to the next generation.
This endless history is the essence that permeates every bottle of sake.
The Science
Amino Acids contained in Japanese sake are called “umami constituents”, and there are five times as many in sake as there are in regular grape wine.
Among these amino acids, glutamic acid, especially, is the umami constituent of seafood, and the harmony reaches its highest point when combined with inosinic acid.
Iron and sulfurous acid (an antioxidant) are the two factors responsible for the fishy smell in seafood.
The unique production process of sake also reduces the quantity of iron in the water it uses by about 90%, so the iron content is almost zero. And with no sulfurous acid, which reduces the fishy smell of seafood, the result is a more enjoyable seafood dining experience for the diners.
The aroma of sake produced by brewing rice at lower temperatures is also important.
It perfects the overall sensory experience of eating seafood, and thus it is not just culturally, but also scientifically the perfect match.
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