AN INTRODUCTION TO SAKE
1 WHAT IS SAKE?
If you trace the food culture and history of Japan, there is an
unmistakable relationship between land, an abundant source
of water and rice production. Ever since Japanese ancestors
brought wet rice cultivation culture from China over 5,000
years ago, rice has always been the center of the Japanese diet
and has played an essential role in the food culture.
WORDS: NATSUKI KIKUYA ILLUSTRATIONS: SOHO+CO
As a byproduct of rice a a purely fermented alcohol
drink from rice and water, ‘sake’ became has been
a national alcoholic beverage of Japan for over
2,500 years. As it was first produced within the
shrines of Shintoism, Japan’s oldest religion, sake
is still a key element of many Shinto rituals and
Japanese festivals.
Brown Rice
Sake is linked to Japanese culture in many ways and
expresses the beauty of Japanese nature, traditions,
culture and spirit. It is often pronounced ‘SAH-ki’
by English speakers, yet in Japanese it is more like
‘sah-keh’. The word ‘sake’ in Japan simply means
‘alcoholic beverage’. In Japanese, we commonly
specify the drink as ‘Nihonshu’ (日本酒) or with the
more official term ‘Seishu’(清酒).
Sake is purely made from 4 natural ingredients:
rice grains, koji-rice, water and yeast, although
sometimes distilled brewer’s alcohol is added too
to enhance the flavours.
Polish Grains
Wash / Soak / Steam / Cool
Steamed Rice
Koji
Cultivate
Steamed Rice
Koji Rice
Process of Making S
Yeast Starter
Steamed Rice
Pressed Sake
Koji Rice
Shubo / Moto
Starter fermentation
Filtration
Pasteurization
Moromi
Mash fermentation
Stored + Aged
Optional depending on type of Sake
MUSEUM OF SAKE JOURNAL 6
Diluted