【The best sake to Pair with ‘Sushi’? .Kinds and Types of sake
【The best sake to Pair with 'Sushi’? Kinds and Types of sake
Sushi is a typical Japanese food. And to enjoy sake when picking up sushi is a Taste of Japan. However, there are various variations and ways to eat sushi, and each sushi has a different taste and expression, so you may not know what kind of sake goes well with sushi.
So this time, we will introduce on how to enjoy sake with sushi.
What kind of sake is good pairing with sushi?
Since sushi has different fat content depending on the ingredients, the sake that goes well with it also changes. Let’s take a look at the sake that suits each type.
・ Red fish such as tuna
Lean meat such as tuna and bonito is fatty and has a strong umami taste, so it goes well with pure rice wine. The umami of pure rice sake brings out the original umami of fish. We do not recommend sake that is too refreshing because the taste of lean meat will prevail and it will not be balanced.Hakkaisan(八海山) is one of the example for this.
・ Fatty parts such as fatty tuna and salmon
To take advantage of the sweetness of fats such as toro and salmon, we recommend this with brewed sake.
・ White fish such as Tai (red snapper) and flounder.
Light white fish goes well with the refreshing, dry ginjo sake that does not interfere with the original taste of the ingredients. This type of strong acidity is also perfect for compatibility.
・ Sauce-based ingredients and boiled fish
Sweet sake is recommended for such ingredients and boiled fish that have a strong sauce. In many cases, sushi with refreshing ingredients is not sweetened, but in the case of highly sweetened sushi, sweet sake is also suitable. Also, when combined with sour sake, the sweetness of the ingredients will be tightened and you can enjoy it in a different way.
Tips;If you want to combine cold sake and hot sake with Sushi?
There are various ways to drink sake depending on the temperature. Of course, you can fully enjoy sake with sushi even with cold (normal temperature) sake, but if you change the temperature of sake according to the ingredients, you will be able to enjoy it more widely.
For example, cold sake is refreshing than hot, so light fish such as Shiromi (white fish) will stand out more. However, please note that the savory type such as Ginjo sake will have a weak taste if it is chilled.
Basically, if you want to match it with sushi, cold sake is recommended, but depending on the type, it will be more delicious even if you put it in hot sake. You can still taste the umami of sushi, which has a strong umami of the fish itself, by adding Kanzake(Warm sake).