Sake is an ancient Japanese sake, and if you are a Japanese, you should definitely enjoy it. However, if you are not familiar with sake, you may not be sure.
This time, I would like to introduce and solve some simple questions about sake for sake beginners.
Please check it out if you are planning to drink Japanese sake.
Simple questions about Japanese sake ①: What are special, upper, and good sake?
If you look into the sake store, you may find a sake that is written as Tokujo, Kamijo, or Kaji.
As above〇〇 撰 is basically used to indicate the rank of sake.
Tokujo is the highest rank, Jiayu is the lowest rankHas become.
The standards for special, upper, and gorgeous varieties vary by brewery.
for that reason,It is a big mistake to think that it is a delicious sake because it is special.
The name 撰 撰, such as Tokujo, Kamijo, Jiayu,Due to old remnants.
In the year of 1990, the system of specific name liquor began, and it became possible to use the name in accordance with the laws of pure rice sake, pure rice daiginjo sake, and ginjo sake.
Prior to that, it was called “special grade”, “first grade”, “second grade”, but it became impossible to call it in 1992.
Some sake breweries liked the name of Tokujo, Kamijo, and Kasumi, and such breweries are using the special shochu, Kamijo, and Kashiwa introduced this time instead..
The names of special, upper, and good are not in accordance with the law, but they are helpful for choosing sake, so be sure to know them.
Simple question about Japanese sake (2): What is the feed water?
The water used to make sake is called "prepared water".. When brewing sake, rice and rice cakes can be brought from other places.
But for large amounts of water,It is difficult to bring from other places and you can only use the water of the land where you brew.
Therefore, depending on the brewery,Some have decided where to make sake for waterIt is
Japan is a country rich in water resources. There are some sake breweries that make sake using the water selected as one of the “100 Best Waters”, but just because they use famous water does not always mean that you can make delicious sake.
The first important point for the feed water is“Low iron and manganese”.
Iron and manganese combine with the peptides made by koji, causing discoloration and deterioration of liquor,Water with less iron and manganese than famous water is suitable for sake brewingIt is
Sakai and Fushimi, famous for sake brewing in Japan, have developed to date as a place for brewing sake because they are rich in high-quality water with little iron and manganese.
The taste of sake changes greatly depending on the water used.. When the feed water is soft water, it is called “woman liquor” and it has a mild taste.
On the other hand, when the feed water is hard water, it is called “Men Sake” and it is finished in a dry dry liquor.
The brewing water is used in various scenes of sake brewing, such as moromi brewing, sake brewing, steamed rice, soaking and washing.
Sake is made with rice, rice bran, and water, and about 80% of it is made up of water..
Simple question about Japanese sake ③: What is sushi? What is its role?
If you look at the label of Junmaishu, the raw material says “rice, rice bran”. Coffee is one of the important ingredients when making sake.
Koji is made of steamed rice with koji mold.The enzyme produced by Aspergillus breaks down starch into glucose to become yeast food, and fermentation proceeds.
The enzyme produced by Aspergillus decomposes proteins and starches to produce umami and sweetness.
The ability to sweeten rice and soften fish and meat to enhance umami is due to the enzymes produced by Aspergillus oryzae.
Making sake is the most important process for brewing sake.It is also said thatMajor changes in the quality and taste of sakeThere is no doubt.
Simple question about sake ④: What is yeast? What is its role?
Yeast is called "yeast" in English. If you like bread, you probably know "yeast fungus".
Alcohol fermentation is where yeast eats sugar and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide.. The brewery sells the alcohol produced in this way, and the bakery contains the bread with carbon dioxide.
The sake brewery and the bakery are the same in that they use the same yeast to make ingredients.
The function of yeast is also used in winemaking. When the grape juice is put into a barrel and time passes, bubbles naturally come out and become alcohol. This is on the grape skinDue to the action of natural yeast.
Fermentation begins when the sugar and yeast contained in the grapes stick together. Such a simple fermentation"Single fermentation"called.
Japanese sake breaks down the starch of rice and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide from the sugars broken down by the action of yeast.
Sake brewing is a work that does not work well if the yeast and yeast do not progress simultaneously with respirationIt is. This kind of fermentation found in sake brewing"Parallel double fermentation"called.
Sake brewing has been done in Japan for a long time, but the power of yeast has been elucidatedMeiji EraYou read it right!
If you like liquor, you want to understand not only how koji molds work, but also how yeast works.
Simple question about liquor ⑤: What is sake lees? What is the difference between sake lees and amazake?
Sake lees are solids after squeezing sake.The “bamboo bowl” that squeezed sake until it became ticking, the “rose bowl” that was carefully squeezed in the tankIt is called and a little liquor remains and is moist.
In the brewery, the freshly squeezed sake lees are placed in a tank and inflated to evacuate the air. After that, after aging for about 1 years, it turns brown,"Fumi-an"Is completed.
Fumiso is a sweet and delicious sake bowl.
As you can see, there are various types of sake lees.
A hard plate-shaped liquor that uses a press to fully squeeze the liquid.
・ Rose candy
The sake lees made by squeezing the tank are in a state where a little alcohol remains. The feature is that it is softer and easier to melt than the plate.
・ Fumi 粕
A freshly squeezed sake lees placed in a tank and stepped on with foot, deflated and matured for about 1 years. It becomes soft and has increased flavor and umami, and is used for pickled vegetables.
TypicallyAmazake is a non-alcoholic drink that uses rice bran enzyme to change rice starch to sweetness..
There are two main types of amazake,"Ama Amazake" "Sake Amazake".
As I wrote earlier, Amazake made with strawberry is a non-alcoholic drink,Amazake made from sake lees contains alcohol.
for that reasonChildren cannot drink sake candy amazake.
The Edo period is said to have the highest mortality rate in the summer due to the fact that the physical strength declines due to heat, infections and food poisoning have occurred.
Amazake has been a popular drink in the summer since the Edo period because it contains abundant nutrients such as high concentrations of glucose, essential amino acids, and vitamin B..
Amazake, also called drip drip, is a must-have ingredient.
Summary
This time, we introduced and explained five simple questions about sake for sake beginners.
Sake has been loved by Japanese people since ancient times. By-products such as sake lees, which are produced when making sake, are also popular ingredients.
If you haven't been accustomed to sake before, let's take a look at this article!
