12 words to understand the world of sake

Sake vocabulary for connoisseurs! use these twelve terms to familiarize yourself with this beverage from the Land of the Rising Sun, which is making its way to Europe thanks to new production methods.

Pairings

Traditional sakes are the perfect accompaniment to many dishes. Dashi, ramen and tempura broths, lobster bisques and grilled tuna are sublime partners. For the more umami-oriented aged sakes, dishes with a high glutamic acid content, snacked mushrooms, reduced juices, juicy grilled prime rib will go perfectly. An old tyrosinated comté cheese, old mimolette, umami guaranteed! The freshest sakes and sparkling sakes go well with seafood, oysters and quality raw fish sashimi. For the smoothest, fruitiest sakes, exotic fruit or pear desserts are a good match. "Itadakimasu!

Hot... or cold

At 30° to 55°, traditional sake is often heated in a bain-marie, especially if it's of high quality. Modern sakes, on the other hand, are finer and more aromatic, and are best enjoyed chilled, between 5 and 12°. They are very much in vogue today, and are similar to the way white wines are consumed.

Choko

Traditional cups for serving sake. Traditionally, one never serves oneself, but one's neighbor. With the advent of modern sake, some consumers now enjoy it chilled, in a wine glass.

Honjozo

Sake to which the brewer adds a small amount of distilled alcohol before filtration, to bring out certain aromas. The rice can be polished up to 70%, leaving at least 30% of the original grain. This is the most popular premium sake.

Junmai

Sake made without any additions, using only the basic ingredients. Water, yeast, koji-kin and rice, with no added distilled alcohol. This is the "purest" of premium sakes, and the one that best promotes umami.

• Junmai Daiginjo: Japanese sake in which no more than 50% of the rice grain remains after polishing. It is one of the most refined premium sakes. No added distilled alcohol.
• Junmai Ginjo: Japanese sake with up to 60% of the rice grain left after polishing. No distilled alcohol added.

Koji-kin

The Aspergillus oryzae fungus is a microscopic member of the Ascomycetes family. It is close to the molds found in certain cheeses and, like yeast, is a living organism. Koji-kin transforms rice starch into sugar, which in turn is transformed into alcohol by the action of yeast. It is used to make sake and miso.

Moromi

This is the combination of shubo, koji rice and rice, added to water in large vats for fermentation (up to 50 days). During the first four days, the brewer increases the quantities fermented. This is called sandanjikomi.

Nigori

Refers to unfiltered or lightly filtered sake with a white color, particularly appreciated for its silky, creamy mouthfeel. In Japanese, nigori means "cloudy".

Nihonshu

This is the real name of Japanese sake in Japan. Nihon meaning "Japan" and Shu, "alcohol". Indeed, China also produces alcohols of various ingredients that have nothing to do with sake, but it uses this denomination. It's only since 2015 that this term has defined sake brewed from Japanese rice. In Japan, the term "sake" means generic alcohol.

Sakamai

Sakamai means sake rice, which is differentiated from common rice known as "shokumai". Shinkapu" represents the heart of the rice grain.

Seishu

Legal term for filtered rice alcohol. All brewers must mention seishu or nihonshu on the label to distinguish it from Western liqueurs.

Shubo

This involves mixing koji rice, cooked rice (one of which has been seeded with koji-kin and not the other) and water to encourage the emergence of yeast. This is done in a small vat and mixed with the kaibo, a dedicated stick. We compare it to a "pied de cuve".