ENTERTAINING IDEAS |
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TYPE OF SAKE |
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SAKE TASTING |
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FOOD PAIRING |
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FAQ |
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BREWING PROCESS |
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COCKTAILS |
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COOKING RECIPES |
A GUIDE FOR PAIRING SAKE WITH FOOD
There are three scales used in sake tasting:
(A) DRY/SWEET, (B) TEXTURE and (C) AROMA
Each sake is unique in the way its characteristics are distributed on these scales. Although sake can be divides into many groups, in this example it is grouped into 5 basiccategories for easier understanding.
| (A) DRY/SWEET | (B) TEXTURE | (C) AROMA | |
| Clean & Dry | (1) | Hard & Crisp | Light & Pleasant |
| (2) | Soft & Smooth | Strong Ginjo Aroma* | |
| Medium / Medium Dry | (3) | Smooth - Hard, Crisp | Mild Complex |
| (4) | Soft & Smooth | Pleasant Ginjo Aroma | |
| Heavy & Sweet | (5) | Smooth | Light - Complex |
*Pleasant flowery and appley aroma
| Basic Sake Type | Category | |
| (1) | Junmai (Dry type) | Clean & Dry |
| (2) | Daiginjo / Ginjo | Ginjo aroma |
| (3) | Junmai (Semi-dry type) | Complex |
| (4) | Nama (Draft) | Fruity |
| (5) | Nigori (Unfiltered) / Flavored Sake | Sweet & Rich |
| Pairing with Food | Suggested Accompaniment | |
| (1) | Goes well with a wide variety of foods | sashimi, yakitori, lobster salad, grilled fish, marinated salmon (Lightly seasoned Chinese: spring roll, steamed dumping) |
| (2) | Perfect by itself or with lightly seasoned foods | sushi, sashimi, seafood salad, steamed or grilled white meat fish, oyster, steamd asparagus, wine cooked scallops |
| (3) | Enhances flavor of food | (mildly seasoned) tempura, sukiyaki, teriyaki, yakitori, tonkatsu, barbecued meats, many deep fried dishes |
| (4) | Fruity character particularly compliments dishes that are cold or vinegar-marinated | sushi, sashimi, seafood salad, shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, oyster, marinated vagetable or fish with ponzu |
| (5) | Pairs well with rich and well seasoned dishes. (Great as a desert wine) | yallowtail teriyaki, spare ribs, Korean barbecues, unagi, Szechuan-style food (spicy foods), Peking duck, beef stew |
