Drinks in Japan: Sake
If you were asked to name a few Japanese drinks, things that would come to your mind maybe green tea, sake etc..
What is sake?
Sake is alcoholic drink in Japan, and made from rice,water, and malt. Alcohol percentage is lowered to about 15% by added water to sake before bottling. Sake is staple alcohol drinks in Japan like beer in the states, but difference is that sake can be served either warm or cold.Usually served in pottery bottle called "Tokkuri", along with small sake cup called "ochoko".
Tokkuri bottle opening is narrower than body to prevent heat from escaping from the bottle when it is served warm.
Ochoko has several kinds depending on purpose of serving sake. For ceremonial, such as wedding, sake cup opening is very wide,almost flat/ very shallow cup and this ochoco is called "Sakazuki". As for regular sake cup, you can find one with porcelain with some paintings on it.Regular ochoko sake cup is about the size of shot glass.
Sake is also essential seasoning for Japanese cooking.
How Tokkuri sake bottle is made?
You can watch the video of professional pottery master making Tokkuri sake bottle for Sake.
Tokkuri sake bottle making
If you were a blog subscriber or reading this entry from Facebook, please click here to watch the video.
How sake is made?
You can watch how sake is made.Video is in Japanese so, I will explain what you are seeing in English bellow.
How sake is made
If you were a blog subscriber or reading this entry from Facebook, please click here to watch the video.
The video above explains as followings.
1.Sake making starts from sake rice
2.Sake rice is milled to retrieve the center part of the rice grain
3. Milled sake rice is washed with water by hands
4. Rice will be soaked in water
5. After steaming rice, 1/3 of rice is taken and will be brought to kouji room (malt room)
6. Steamed rice is spread over cedar table, and malt powder is sprinkled over the rice
7. Malt changes rice starch to sugar
8. After 3 days later, malt rice is brought to bigger tank
9. Malt rice, steamed rice, water, and yeast plant are poured into the big tank and fermentation starts
10.Malt changes starch to sugar, yeast plant changes sugar to sake.These changes happen at the same time in the tank
11. After 1 month of fermentation,percentage of alcohol is about 20%.To this sake, water is added to lower the alcohol percentage to about 15%
12. Brewed sake goes through filtration,sterilization, and finally bottling process.
Different kinds of sake
You can find several kinds of sake in Japan.
** Honjozo shu - This is sake that alcohol is added to fermented sake before filtration process
** Junmai shu - This is sake that nothing is added other than water to lower the alcohol percentage before filtration (This is what you saw in the video above)
** Ama zake - This is literally translated to sweetened sake. Generally white cloudy color sake made from fermented rice and alcohol percentage is generally low
** Ryouri shu - sake for cooking
** Sho chu - Distilled drink, made from rice or potatoes with malt.Usually alcohol percentage is higer than sake and at about 25%.
In previous entry titled " Japanese Pickles (Tsu ke mo no) ", I wrote about Japanese unique ingredients " Ume boshi" -pickled plum.
In Japan, you can make green plum liquer called "Ume shu" with green plum,rock sugar, and sho chu. I used to pick plum from "Ume shu" bottle, and ate the plum, I sometime had "Ume shu" drink.
How do you make "Ume shu"; Green plum liquer?
What is sake?
Sake is alcoholic drink in Japan, and made from rice,water, and malt. Alcohol percentage is lowered to about 15% by added water to sake before bottling. Sake is staple alcohol drinks in Japan like beer in the states, but difference is that sake can be served either warm or cold.Usually served in pottery bottle called "Tokkuri", along with small sake cup called "ochoko".
Tokkuri bottle opening is narrower than body to prevent heat from escaping from the bottle when it is served warm.
Ochoko has several kinds depending on purpose of serving sake. For ceremonial, such as wedding, sake cup opening is very wide,almost flat/ very shallow cup and this ochoco is called "Sakazuki". As for regular sake cup, you can find one with porcelain with some paintings on it.Regular ochoko sake cup is about the size of shot glass.
Sake is also essential seasoning for Japanese cooking.
How Tokkuri sake bottle is made?
You can watch the video of professional pottery master making Tokkuri sake bottle for Sake.
Tokkuri sake bottle making
If you were a blog subscriber or reading this entry from Facebook, please click here to watch the video.
How sake is made?
You can watch how sake is made.Video is in Japanese so, I will explain what you are seeing in English bellow.
How sake is made
If you were a blog subscriber or reading this entry from Facebook, please click here to watch the video.
The video above explains as followings.
1.Sake making starts from sake rice
2.Sake rice is milled to retrieve the center part of the rice grain
3. Milled sake rice is washed with water by hands
4. Rice will be soaked in water
5. After steaming rice, 1/3 of rice is taken and will be brought to kouji room (malt room)
6. Steamed rice is spread over cedar table, and malt powder is sprinkled over the rice
7. Malt changes rice starch to sugar
8. After 3 days later, malt rice is brought to bigger tank
9. Malt rice, steamed rice, water, and yeast plant are poured into the big tank and fermentation starts
10.Malt changes starch to sugar, yeast plant changes sugar to sake.These changes happen at the same time in the tank
11. After 1 month of fermentation,percentage of alcohol is about 20%.To this sake, water is added to lower the alcohol percentage to about 15%
12. Brewed sake goes through filtration,sterilization, and finally bottling process.
Different kinds of sake
You can find several kinds of sake in Japan.
** Honjozo shu - This is sake that alcohol is added to fermented sake before filtration process
** Junmai shu - This is sake that nothing is added other than water to lower the alcohol percentage before filtration (This is what you saw in the video above)
** Ama zake - This is literally translated to sweetened sake. Generally white cloudy color sake made from fermented rice and alcohol percentage is generally low
** Ryouri shu - sake for cooking
** Sho chu - Distilled drink, made from rice or potatoes with malt.Usually alcohol percentage is higer than sake and at about 25%.
In previous entry titled " Japanese Pickles (Tsu ke mo no) ", I wrote about Japanese unique ingredients " Ume boshi" -pickled plum.
In Japan, you can make green plum liquer called "Ume shu" with green plum,rock sugar, and sho chu. I used to pick plum from "Ume shu" bottle, and ate the plum, I sometime had "Ume shu" drink.
How do you make "Ume shu"; Green plum liquer?
If you were a blog subscriber or reading this entry from Facebook, please click here to watch the video. "
All you need is green plum "Ao ume", rock sugar "Koori zatou", and sho chu and sterilized jar. I am not certain but, you might be able to find ingredients at Asian stores in the states. I have seen "Ume shu" bottle itself at Asian stores in the states. Popular brand of Ume shu in Japan is called "cho ya".
You can drink "Ume shu" straight, with ice, with added hot water.
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