Sake and food pairing with Natsuki Kikuya

So welcome everybody to sake and food Pairing My name is lydia harrison i’m a teacher At the wcd school london And we are now back open which is great News but we’re still continuing Our webinar program for the time being As obviously We still can’t do lots of really big Events with lots of people in person so Um while we’re while we’re still not Able to do Our usual event programs we’re coming to You live from webinars and this evening It’s my pleasure to introduce natsuki Who’s going to Take you on another sake webinar and This evening looking at Sake and food pairing so thank you Natsuki and Over to you great thank you so much Olivia i think um Um it’s great to have lydia as a support Not only i’m emotionally feel supported But you know she’s a super Uh webinar master she’s being you how Many of my webinars have you Done this during this lockdown oh i’ve Definitely Posted about four or five myself but Also supported yeah because we I organized the events as well so we’ve Yeah we’ve done at least two a week for Quite a few months so probably about

Incredible i feel a little bit nervous In front of The master but um i’m very excited to Bring you the sake and preparing um Today because i think in the past four Webinars that we’ve been Past three revenues so i’ve been talking About histories and Rice and regionalities and which is very Interesting and you know interesting Enough for everybody who is into sake But I think what makes sake the most Interesting is Actually when we taste it together with Food so Um today i will bring you some of the Approaches that would make Sake drinking experience even better Than any other time So we can all learn together and discuss About it Yes so can you cite can you flip to the Next page Okay so um the Concept of what is pairing um In general i think if you are into wine It’s exactly the same That the process of pairing certain food Dishes with certain drink to enhance the Drinking experience more than Enjoying on its own so it has some magic Element to it And um you know it’s it’s some people

Say it’s almost like a marriage that one Person Meeting the other and you know creating A better Couple together um and you know going to The next level of the You know human being which is i think uh Ideal pairing I think what it’s supposed to be and you Going back to the History i think even in the very early Stage of the wine history In the medieval era that this Century-old relationship between the Regional cuisine um and their their Local wine Has been always been the kind of closest Relationship Like maybe i can use some of the example Of like Um some of the wine region like bordeaux Or greece or rioja Loan or province like these areas all Quite known for the lamb great quality Of the lamb so they had this lamb dish Together To to well with goes well with the um Local wines that was made in there so Historically the locality or terroir The wine made in the region and the Local cuisine has been the The starting point of tarawa but then um Eventually uh um afterwards the somalia Culture has been involved in 19th

Century Um i think there’s there are some Several stories behind how the summary Has been Um developed the culture has been Developed but Starting from uh the the the of uh Workers who is working for the nobles um Started to be in charge of the wine Qualities and then Started working with a restaurant Afterwards and then recommending Customers to enhance their Best experience of the wine drinking With a meal Can you flip to the next page lydia Thank you Um in terms of the sake and food pairing I think it’s a little bit um different From wine i can say Because how we drink sake in japan is Slightly different There are many different settings how we Dine and Drink sake in japan but many of the Cases we do Actually have a variety of Dishes in front of you um we do not Really eat As caused by course like how we eat in The western countries like we don’t Really have a starter main and dessert Type of Orders we normally have kind of

Small plates of all these different Veggies and meat and fish And then soup and the rice in front of You and we do kind of circulate All the dishes between to each other You’re not supposed to eat in just one Focusing on one dish and then Move on the other you kind of jump Jumping one to the other And kind of harmonizing all these Flavors in your mouth And then drink sake together with it um So suck it has been a very very um Versatile like versatile um role In order to balance all these different Flavors and if you go to typical Izakayas as well which is a japanese Gastropub in japan it’s one of the Famous destinations to drink sake in Japan um Main thing uh it’s it’s the sharing You know concept that you have all these Small type of size small dishes in front Of you And you will share that between all the Friends of families And then you know some of the dishes can Be quite spicy or Strong flavor something like this can be Very delicate and lightly seasoned Um and then we have the sake uh You know to pair with all these so we Don’t we’re not Super strict about which dish goes well

With what And maybe that leads to some of the Saying that it Is written here saying sake oreo Which actually shows sake never fight With food or sake neighbor conflicts With food Knowing you know some of the wine has Could could cause The worst pairing experience like you Know maybe very famous want to be The bay um metallic kind of Fish uh seafood pairing with Uh red wine that creating very very Fishy Unpleasant of others when you’re tasting Them Or you know when you’re tasting some Maybe they say Fish egg or cavias that has a little Sapphire element to it and pairing with Wine Again it gives you know It doesn’t really pair at all and we Talk about asparagus or egg or Artichokes all these things that Somebody wouldn’t prefer to pair with Wine um we don’t really have that In sake so you know the sakura’s Versatility Also how how harmonize itself Together with all the different flavors And also cleansing effect Um it’s something that we often be

Mentioned Maybe too many times saying that Oh the osaki can match with everything Sake it doesn’t conflict Anything but in terms of how we Introduce Drink to the western countries i think It shouldn’t be over said uh to be Honest that’s my personal opinion Because it could actually cause the Misunderstanding that oh Actually sake doesn’t pair with anything And it’s really not It’s technically not appearing i can say So um today we will focus on How um you know in a western perspective How sake can be paired with A specific dish and a specific element Of the dish um So we can kind of find a newer way of Enjoying sake and then another point is Uh you know maybe this is the main Reason why at the wct level three I was in sake we don’t mention so deep About pairing Testing experience testing preference or Pairing compatibility Is very personal and subjective So um you know there’s a famous saying Made by the wine specialist called mark Oldman he says the Food and wine pairing can be like sex And pizza so it’s Has it’s always you know depending on

The atmosphere Of the space uh how you feel Physically uh if you’re sick you know You can’t really taste much for example Or how you you know if you’re enjoying a Market moment of the company or you’re Not These kind of emotional states can Really affect To that your pairing experience as well Um so some of the things like you know You eat the uh like wedding cake with Champagne It’s actually if you think that as a Professional point of view it’s quite a Waste pairing because You know champagne does contain enough Sugar to balance out with the sugar in The cake But uh we often enjoy this the best Moment because Because of all the atmospheres around You so um This is always subjective and you know The personal Preference is always more more important Than the theory i can say Another third thing to be uh careful Is uh there’s no universal standard for Deliciousness So just knowing how what what kind of Food culture they are coming from Um that and also the genetic element of Um

Your your um tasting skills or testing Ability Um these things also changes as well For example um in japan in in cooking we Do Um actually uh add a lot quite a lot of Sugars in cooking like not only actually In japan Also in some other asian countries like Thai or vietnamese as well they Add lots of sugars during the cooking Whereas in western countries Um apart from the sweet dish like um Cakes you don’t really add sugar On for the savory dishes isn’t it so This kind of background As well as like some indian cuisines They actually combine the spices that It’s Contrasting or almost like opposite Characteristics to Bring out the kind of complex layer of The flavors which is also quite rare to See that In western culture to to combine Something that’s quite opposite Characteristic too so um How you grow up uh what you know you Grown up eating like one of my favorite Food is the natto which is a Sticky soybeans that’s quite funky and Stinky And i know that a lot of western people Really don’t like them because of the

Very unusual flavon taste But that’s how you know if you’re grown Up with it that’s that’s going to be Your Mother tongue kind of you know favorite Flavor so that affects to your personal Taste Please can you flip to the next page So the approaches that i’m going to Introduce you today Uh is this full written um there are Many books And many theories that’s been developed Over the Century i can say by a lot of summaries A lot of experts So please you know explore all this um So I’m not covering the entire series What’s what’s In the market today but the main things That quite basic i can say but Main thing that would highlight um the Sake of food pairing is this school So matching with intensity matching with Five different flavors and matching Similarity So that can be known as a congruent uh Congruent pairing or matching difference That can be known as a complementary Pairing So let’s start from the matching within Uh same intensity Can you please click to the next page

Video Thank you um so the first matching First approach is matching with Intensity so it’s just Um maybe easy approach to say uh Reach lighter fruit with lighter sake Heavier food with heavier sake so The intensity or richness or weight of The food Pairs with the weight of the sake so i Just wrote down Put some of the points the what decides The intensity of the food So first it comes from the ingredients So you have all the variety of the Ingredients Whether you’re using a you know Different type of vegetables Or you know seafood or meat some meat Can be quite heavy and rich some Meat can be quite lean some fish can be Quite Oily or some fish fish can be quite Light or delicate Or meaty so all this uh you know Choice of the ingredients would add Probably the biggest intensity Of the flavor plus that adds to is a Seasoning and condiments so if you are Seasoning this With salt soy or are you adding sugar to It Or are you adding spice to it any Chilies any wasabi any you know

Gingers or garlic or are you adding any Citrus fruits to it To add extra acidity or are you adding Any herbs to it any Um like coriander or any you know spring Onion Or lemongrass all these things to give a Little pungent flavor And probably oil is another one thing That Could give our weight a lot of the Weight from the flavor as well And then the cooking method so if you’re Either serving that roll Or like sashimi style or you’re curing It and you’re steaming it You’re boiling it you’re smoking it and Frying or deep frying grilling it Stewing it So depend on the method of cooking that Adds to the The weight or intensity of the flavor so For example you can see in the picture That um You know the tuna there’s a tuna sashimi If you just cut them in slice And serve it raw and either you just Serve that with salt With wasabi or maybe soy sauce with Wasabi And me maybe you can have little konju With wasabi That you know um is probably the leanest Or lightest approach

And then you can serve them slightly Seared um so by Uh sorry not see the the toast around it So you just grill the very surface area Of Uh tuna to make a tataki style And then you normally slap them a little Condiments of the herbs and the Kind of ponzu citrusy soy together with It so by Um kind of Grilling around it you add extra toasty Kind of low seed elements and also the Flavor of the Fish will be a little bit more Concentrated So that adds the heavy you know become a Little bit more richer Styles and if you go to the ultimate Sense there’s a tuna Um breaks or tuna um Like a Like a bonito flakes but i get these Tuna flakes that’s been dried And smoked fermented and smoked so it’s Very dry And you kind of slice them almost like a Tuna jackie I can say so that is very concentrated Um Salt and umami in there because all the Water is being Run away and you kind of have to chew Them quite nicely to get all these

Flavors very very concentrated So just that depends on how you season How you cook Same fish can be completely different Intensity in flavor And you pair that with different level Of intense Intensity of sake so what Makes a different intensity of the sake Is a different level of aloma intensity If the aroma flavor intensity is you Know Quite tangent or less more delicate Style Does it have a higher alcohol content or Medium Or quite low alcohol content styrofoam Sake that also Changes the intensity of the sake also The Maybe uh you’re not used to tasting so Much but it’s difficult but The sweetness and the umami content of The sake if the sake has quite Rich viscous characteristic with creamy Um heavier feels with lots of umami That is quite heavy styles of sake often You can see In a like a sake style or you know A matcha style especially the kimoto Yamaha motor has Style gemini that has a rich umami in There And a good acidity and sugar to balance

Out with it That tend to have a higher intensity Whereas some hon jozo or very Lighter style ginger which has almost no Umami in there and quite clean and You know crisp lighter style is very Refreshing characteristic And quite dry uh sugar level that also That is a completely opposite of the Lighter intensity so When you look at the drink and the food You can kind of Um estimate yourself what’s the Intensity Overall coming from all these aspects And then try to pair the intensity Together but one thing you have to be Careful is when you’re pairing with a Heavier food with heavier sake I think maybe the one example is like Uh like foie gras you know very rich Sweet foie gras with sweet Uh sultan wine so you can pair with like Very sweet kijoshu h Sake for example these type of Strong high intense food and drink Can be prepared nicely but it could be Quite Tiring to to taste in a big portion so That is one thing to be Careful can you please flip to the next Page Video so the second Approach is matching with five different

Flavors So five elements of flavors i’m just Going to introduce Um to you is the sweetness So sowanes saltiness bitterness And umami so um In terms of the sweetness the sake Itself contains quite High sugar content compared to wine so About 15 to 12 grams To 25 grams per liter sugar contains That so it’s got a Decent viscosity and sweetness already In the sake So when you’re pairing with a with a Food You have to be a little bit careful that The food itself contains You know tiny bit of sweetness in there Or something that balance out with this Sweetness of the sake And then we have the sourness Actually the acidity in one in sake is Much lower than the Uh the wine compared to wine sake only Has contains about 1 6 of quantity of the Acidity to wine so it’s much much lower Acidity and then type of acidity in There is Mainly lactic acid um it could have some Acetic acid or some citric acid Or malic acid sometimes but it’s mainly The acidity that’s a little bit more

Creamier and You know mouse coating than the little Bit more tart Citrusy type of acidity And then saltiness almost no sake has a Saltiness in there so this You have to cover with food but What this uh saltiness works together is The umami actually on the bottom of that So mummy is a type of pressure for Sensation Um it’s a type of amino acid so that’s Written here Uh it’s glutamate um acido is associate Or Granulate so that these are the type of Acidity Um so the mushroom mushroom contains a Lot of granule Acidity and then um uh Like kelp or cheese has a lot of Glutamic acid Um or tomatoes as well and then the meat And the bonito flakes and fish itself Has a lot of innocent Acid so several different type of umami It’s there but Overall it gives you a pressure for Sensation when it’s been combined with Assault And sake has a abundant amount of umami Compared to Wine so that can be a kind of key Element

Um when you’re pairing with uh sake So the idea of um Matching with five different flavors is Try to complete these five different Flavors Together with drink and fruit So when you combine food and the drink Element these five elements get All included lydia can you please flip To the next page So in paris there’s my favorite sakewa Called ainya And there is a excellent sake somalia The wine sommelier Um called mr yosuke ishida He’s working there and this is one of The approach that he Kind of invented and introduced me Earlier this year That could be one way to think of the Pairing So he His approach is um it’s to observe What’s in uh what’s in the sake first So just looking at the acidity in sake Sweetness of the sake Of the sake bitterness and then you um Kind of measure them from five the Strongest to the Zero to the weakest so you can kind of Almost make this kind of laser charts Or each sucker’s structure And then after observing it you can Actually feel um filling the gap

Or making a balance with using another Leather chart In this case this is a state in a in a Blue color To to complete the relationship so Um actually he has different approaches But I think for this matching five different Flavors really works out with his Approach of Uh kind of coming out with the data Charts that to complete the five Different flavors So my example for example is in the Picture that There is this sardine fish quite salty Um quite fishy a lot of umami Um you know kind of greasy oily fish Flavors And then that’s being cooked with a soy And then Um salted plum like umeboshi just salted And dried plums in japan so it’s a lot Of salt in there A little bit acidity in there and then Um Quite rich umami inside so Try to um pair that With the sake so the salty umami fall Food pairing with a sake that has Slightly higher acidity and the Sweetness To balance out so the food is Accommodating saltiness anomaly

And then the sake is accommodating The sweetness and acidity And then the bitterness as well so that All combines that the fish itself Contains a bitterness that will combine Makes it five So if you can kind of like you know Whenever you’re pairing Try to observe the dish but try to fill The gap What it’s been missing and try to choose The sake that it’s not Contained in asake so try to complete These five different Um by the pairing so that is one Approach And uh you know maybe one of i can Introduce another Example that uh one of my favorite Pairing is Oyster fresh oyster and sake And um you know you can see that a lot Of Other drinks can pairs really nicely With fresh oysters you know we can talk About Chevrolet you know champagne or shelly But i personally think sake works the Best because Sake brings out the money and also The bitterness that’s also um you know The Insides and also other sweetness as well So

That could really complete the probably Um salty And maybe with a little bit of citrus That has Acidity as well fresh oyster so really Complement together With the sake and whereas a lot of other I think that pairing drinks with a fresh Oyster It’s quite heavily rely on acidity Pairing as well So um i think sake can complete really Easily with this type of Method okay So if you wanted to know a little bit More about your sketchy does approach on How they how he Uses this theory you can always visit Anya In paris and he’ll offer you the amazing Sake pairing experience Please can you flip the next page So the next approach is the matching Similarity So uh in wine time normally using cold As a congruent Pairing approach and it creates a Balance by amplifying Shared flavor compounds so two of the Elements Um or two or three of the elements has So much in common That brings out the you know emphasizes The

Flavor together so you can easily think Uh umami for sake with mommy for dish Let’s say today i have a nice um Conti cheese lots of umami and salt in Here Pairing with Kimoto sorry kimoto honjo has a quite Good Sweetness in there and lots of umami so That works Perfectly with uh you know mummy food Dish so this is this matching similarity Pairing So uh kind of umami pairing i can say And i can say like some dried fruits Pairing with uh You know matured eight sake that can be Also kind of this cognitive Uh sorry congruent pairing that’s Harmonizing the flavor together um when You’re making a dashi for example dashi Stock in japan Normally we use variety of the Ingredients to make dashi stocks Soup stocks so you can use kelp you can Use Shiitake dried shiitake mushrooms you Can also use the bonito flakes Or different type of fish flakes as well So that actually Even though they are all about the umami Um adding a different type of acid Amino acid it brings out the better that Brings up the

Better dashi so they tend to actually Blend the different type of Ingredients to make one dashi together So that’s another one approach as well And so um under this batching simulator I divided into similar aromas and taste Or similar textures and finish So first the similar aromas and taste so This is what i’ve been talking about Just matching matching the The common aromas and taste between sake And the food So some examples are here here in the Picture so this Is a grilled scallop bubble is sauteed With a butter Uh with a truffle a slice of truffle on On top So it’s got this nice mushroomy butter Toasty rich flavor with a meaty Scallop and you can pair that with some Sake that has Kind of this mushroomy foresty earthy Characteristic Flavor such as kimoto yamaha style Jumbai Oh fragrant ginge The second picture from the left is the Genovese sauce or pesto so the pesto Contains Uh basil parmesan cheese And sometimes the pine nuts in there too So this nuttiness Lactic creamy cheese umami and then this

Fragrant Basil actually works excellent with sake And type of sake that works nicely in This approach of the similarity is The aroma the quite fragrant side of Ginger ginger category That you know sake commonly has this Very fruity fragrance that Can be described as melon or anise seed Or green apple some rosy or White white flower like floral alamos That really works nicely with You know creamy fragrant pesto so That can be if you can choose a very Creamy kind of Style of gingeo da guido sake it really Works nicely with that And then another example of this similar Aroma pairing Is um is this creme brulee So creme brulee has creamy uh sweet Textures with on the surface nobody Being toasted with a you know Burnt caramel or the sugar and uh If you pair that with something that has A quite similar aromas For example the namazake sake When it’s being slightly matured it Tends to create this um It’s a bio-aldehyde based aroma that’s That’s quite connected To um hazelnuts like roasted hazelnuts Or like uh caramelized nuts almonds and Like hazelnuts characters

So it works this nutty roasty Caramel aroma really works nicely with a Toffee type of sweet dessert like creme Brulee So that’s one of the examples of this Approach And then another thing is you can pair With a similar texture And the finish together with dish and Sake So texture can be made up with many Other Different elements but um in terms of This i can Mention about the softness or firmness Of the dish Pairs with nicely with the softness and Firmness of the sake And then the same thing as the kind of The textures If it’s made if her best if a of fresh It’s got a little gassy Kind of a freshness or does it have a You know quite long finish Or short finish because they have a Sweeter finish or kind of bitter Astringent finish That can be one element to decide What type of dish to pair so the exact One of the example Um the second one from the right is Full like before noodle soup rice noodle Soup from you know the vietnamese one It’s so gentle and mellow like it’s got

A gentle umami in there Nothing too strong unless you put a lot Of like spices in there Um nice chicken broth and then it has Tiny bit of nice Basil and herbaceous characters of Aromas in there and has some lime or Lemon That works perfectly with some soft and Delicate jumai And some mellow gym mites and almost Kind of like You give your sensation that you’re kind Of taking a lukewarm bus Kind of that so that this is a texture Textureless pairing that pairing the Softness and gentle mellowness of of the Dish and the sake And then the opposite style of Texture element is this this is a Salmon jockey you can use that with a Beef jerky or any type of Like crate dried fish or meat Or cured meat that’s very concentrated Umami with kind of firm texture That can really be working with some Firm texture Sake such as like uh um taruzaki which Has Quite barrow tarzak is a barrow matured Sake it’s got a nice Japanese scenery aromas and pungent as Well so Kind of woodiness and smokiness works

Really nicely with this kind of Similar characteristic and same for the Textures kind of firmness With the bon joso that has a kind of a Little bit of kick from the Distilled alcohol added it and you if You warm it up um It’s it’s the night works nicely by Enhancing the mummy of the sake inside So These elements can be it’s the one Another approach to pair um when you Think of the Try to think of the similarity Okay let’s go to the next page media The fourth approach is uh matching Difference so That’s a complementary pairing opposite Of the previous pairing Approach so the two or three of the Elements are so opposite That has very very little parts that It’s being Um in common but that actually this Contrasting Approach would give um you know Highlights elements almost like um If you have a two or three multiple Flavor elements one the other element Would highlight one Element for example such as when you are Tasting this I don’t know how you eat watermelon but In japan it’s commonly you put a tiny

Bit of salt On top of the watermelon so by just Adding a tiny bit of salt that brings Out the sweetness Of the um watermelon it makes it sweeter And same for like when you have a little Omelette You you can add tiny bit of um salting Actually You can tiny bit of uh um you can make Them quite sweet styles like Japanese style dashimaki tamago domet And it’s been quite sweet styles You add the tiny bit of salt it brings Out the sweetness Of the egg and same for you add the Salt into the stock to bring out the Umami flavors So that highlights one of the elements That is contrast contrasting with Highlights that the other flavors So innasake contrasting pairing One of my favorite is indian spice And sake when you think of indian spice You You know think maybe sake is too Delicate for it but actually Uh you never suspect that once once you Taste it So if you uh some of the spice like Spicy like Butter chicken or i can say like a Tandoori lamb Um quite fragrant sweet uh you know

Flavorful And a lot of umami in there really works Nicely together with a flagrant ginger Um the spices really opens up spiciness And saltiness of the curry Really opens up the the flagrant of the Gingio and the ginjosaki makes a very Refreshing flagrant And really bright characteristics If you really have a chance to try Indian and sake It’s one of my best pairing i think but The chili is a bit difficult once the You know spicy chili’s in there it only Accumulates in the palette and you only Want to be at the end So you have to control a little bit to Reduce the amount of the chili inside Another pairing is the mexican tacos so On this picture i put some from tacos But Just all these different elements of Some spicy Meat or fish and then some fragrant Coriander or some herbs And then you have some tomato adding Some umami and then the sour creams Um the lactic nest that has works really Nicely with Some of the um not too heavy but the Lighter nigori style with nice acidity So it adds the sweetness to the dish and The creamy elements textures elements of The sediments in sake while

Really coats the spicy meat or fish Of the dish and then the flagrant Condiments of the hub works nicely with A You know um sake itself and bring it Bringing out the aromas and uh You know if the sake itself has acidity It works nicely with the acidity in the Tacos So it’s um again quite unusual pairing But i really want you to be get out of Japanese food Sake has to only drink with the japanese Food kind of You know stereotypes so that’s that’s my Suggestion Another thing is uh blue cheese um You know i think when you’re pairing With a blue cheese with wine You always have to pick to choose some Of the quite sweet stickiest Um drinks so you can alternate that with Aged kijoshuki yoshi this type of Sweet sake so today i have this Hanato moe from nara prefectures nature Of nature this is yamaha kijoshu it’s Quite sweet and viscous side of Sake it’s also being aged it’s a slight Kind of umber colors Um today i i chose a tiamisu to pair With this but I think pairing that with pungent um Blue cheese this pungence with a Flagrant sweet

Biscuit sake works nicely but Actually not only the kijoshu but also You can Choose some of the sweetest side of Daikinjo with blue cheese really works Nicely together too So that’s another option for blue cheese So not only the blue cheese but i think A range of different type of cheese Works Excellent with lentil sake because sake Has a lot of lactic Acidity so you know um Without the wonder it really works Nicely with a lactic Sake and a daily daily product together But you know i did introduce four Different approaches um to think of the Pairing But i think what most important it’s um Not only just Focusing on one element but it’s always You know it’s a multiple Different elements and also the balance Itself And um you know i think the best Best approach is you try just try In a learning by by trying in tasting The different flavor and the dish Together see what works the best And also how you eat like the odor of Eating as well Matas as well like um When you have the nigiri sushi um

It’s very simple dish but how you eat it Actually changes the impression of the Experience too there’s no right or wrong Way but some Sushi chef says that you know sushi you You’re supposed to Flip them like fish side bottom and you Put the soy sauce on the fish side And then if you put the Um fish and soy sauce side on the tongue That is completely different from you Know you’re eating from the rice bottom Um what you taste like the odor of Tasting it It’s very very different also like when You have the biscuits that has a one Only one side coated with a chocolate Either you’re eating from the biscuit Side or chocolate side The flavor impression it’s and the Sweetness impression is different too So these things it’s also good to Decides How how the pairing would work as well Okay can you please flip to the next Page did you Thank you so another thing that’s Interesting Um when you’re pairing with sake is you Can pray with temperature So sake has the widest range of the Temperature you can drink Compared to any other type of drinks i Can say so

In this chart he actually explains um Every five degrees sakia has a different Name To to enjoy sake so the co starting from The very very cold Mizorezaki which is almost kind of Slushy Frozen type of sake and then you got a Snow Cold and then you have a hanahi hanami In japanese means Uh flower and flower for japanese people Means cherry blossom so it’s as cold as A chef or some grooming season in japan I think it’s very poetic And then you have autumn breeze room Temperature sunbathing body temperature So and then some nurukang atsukan Tobikirikan so depending on that um You know even hot sake has a four four Actually Six names uh that you can you can call And depending on the temperature range Literally gives you a different uh Impression of the sake Can you please uh and then sorry the Best way to warm it up is a hot water Bust you can put Uh sake in a carafe or milk jug or Whatever that’s Uh heat resistant you can pour the hot Water in uh Again the heat resistant pot you can Boil the water in the kettle and just

Pour that in Into the bowl or pot you don’t have to Heat the you know pot itself from the Bottom because it’s Be too strong fire approach and then After a few minutes Um you know you can measure the Temperature by thermometer and sake is Being ready when it’s you know If you wanted to decide that it’s being Lukewarm or hot Can you please flip the next page So the relationship the temperature in The circuit is very interesting Sorry this chart is not translating in Japanese in english but this shows The how flavor intensity the impression Of the intensity changes depending on Our temperature So in the bottom this is a celsius Temperature starting from 2 degrees to 47 And then on the top it’s it’s If if the flavor or intensity increases It goes up so and then the black Line is the sweetness So the sweetness increases gradually Increases As the temperature goes up So maybe up until 42 degrees it Gradually Increases you you get the in impression That the sake started to feel sweeter By warm by warming but after 42 degrees

It immediately drops um and you might Start feel the sake is very dry So that actually has a relationship to You know i mean Which temperature you want to heat it up To um the best temperature to Enjoy the sake warm sake is about 40 to 45 degrees if you actually bring them Over 55 or 60 degrees only flavor As you can see the sake gets very dry Sensation And at the end you ended up only tasting The alcohol So the best temperature is up to the hot Sake maybe up Up to 55 or 60 degrees i don’t recommend To warm up anything above that So you can use this temperature range to Control the impression of the sweetness If you wanted to increase the sake of Sweetness to balance out with a sake Without be saying with that with a dish You can gently warm it up but not to be Um not too not too hot or vice versa if You have some Sake that you want to pair with food but The sake is A bit too sweet you can actually warm it Up to Atskan about 50 degrees or 55 and That could actually you know decrease The impression of the sugar Levels in in in your palette so that’s

Something you can control by the heat By the temperature and then um The green line is acidity actually Acidity doesn’t change much by the Temperature But uh what it’s been changing is the Um this brown or purple color one that It’s a saltiness And then the red color line is the Bitterness So both saltiness and bitterness Decreases in warmer temperature So your impression of bitter flavor of The sake Tend to become mild and softer so that Is One of the reason why some of the very Umami for rich Sake that may be a bit too strong when You taste them chilled um or maybe Bitter Kind of flavors actually make it the Much much smoother and softer Texture when it’s flavor when it’s being Warmed up So you can use that to pair that with Dish to open up the mummy flavors make Them softer and mellower And and below i wrote about The heat loving acidity and cool loving Acidity so in japanese we said Onshi sun or resistance type of acidity That Enhances when it’s been heated or in

Chill temperature So the heat loving acidity that type of Acidity type of acidity that enhances The Warmer temperatures lactic acid succinic Acid so the acidity In a shellfish or the amino acid Is a mummy so if the sake contains this Type of acidity they tend to open up The flavor that enhances the flavor in The warmer temperature Whereas could having a city such as Malik or citrus Citric or maybe some Um yeah this type of cooked kind of a Fruity type of acidity what’s more in a White wine Tend to be better taste in a cuda Temperature So i know it takes time for you to Really land on a palette that what is Lactic acid or actually taste Malic acid on my palette but um you know You can see the connection you know if You learn If you understand this base of how the Acidity plays raw By the temperature too so you can always Uh you know play with that with the Temperature if you serve them very ice Chilled or ambient temperature Or you can serve them in a look or quite Hot temperature Okay uh lydia can you please flip

To the next page thank you so I couldn’t cover the entire thing and Introduce enough for the sake of pairing So Um i wanted to introduce you some of the Things you want to learn more um About like specific about the sake Pairing one of the one of the books i Recommend is a sake pairing by Maria chiba who is one of the kind of Very Famous sakura samurais in japan works For the bar called Gem by moto in tokyo and hitoshi Tsunamiya he’s a professor He used to work at the national research Institute of brewing and He’s very knowledgeable about the Technical expert he’s a technical Expertise on sake and he they worked Together to publish this book and it Brings out a lot of Interesting approach of the success i Really highly recommend you to get Them even though the the book is mainly In japanese But they do also have this instagram Account called jam Sake pairing which introduces some of The Recipes on the book in english and Chinese So if you can Sorry so if you can

If you if you wanted to check out check That out you can find some of the other Approaches that i let you learn today With some unusual interesting pairing With a second too And some of the questions that i Recommend if you wanted to enhance your Experience of pairing Um so as i mentioned aya has a great He can guide you through the pairing if You are in paris Um in london um endor rotunda is one of The restaurants that offers sake pairing Together with their omakase course as Well And here in tokyo andy is one of my Favorite destinations to visit it’s Actually a modern Vietnamese restaurant and the Owner and the chef are somebody Heroes and he’s also another one of the Legends Um in tamils in terms of sake pairing And the wine pairing with the food In japan and they offer amazing pairing Course With their vietnamese courses and jaime Motto You know she’ll bring a lot of Interesting news sakes that it’s been Aged in oak barrels or wooden burrows or Kijo shoes quite new generational sakes That’s in the news quite new style Together

It’s quite interesting pairing too and Another more centic And the great pairing of destinations Akabonshi and kumagai in tokyo And akaboshissan used to live in New york and he has been working in Asakusa For long years so he he offers really Great sake pairing at these restaurants Too so Um it’s as i mentioned uh there’s Actually no one Answer for pairing and it’s a you know It’s a it’s a limitless combination Of how you can enjoy sake and the dish Together But hopefully um you can you can Um you know find your own approaches And you know find your best hearing Together with your favorite sake To enhance your experience even more Okay so that is all about my Presentation Lydia if you can mute everybody and uh Um if we can Discuss or take some questions Sure and be very happy to i guess i made A note of a couple that came up in the Chat so if i Just ask those and then i’ll i’ll meet Everyone and they can ask any others so Someone asked about the missouri sake They’re the s Sucky slushy and is it too cold to taste

Or can you still get an interesting Flavor from that Yeah i think for your palette if it’s Too cold it’s same for the wine it’s too Cold Um it’s it’s refreshing and you know Cooling but For the palette wise you don’t taste so Much of the You know flavors in there um you would Block Some of the flavor elements in there but Um I i think in the summer time or you know If Because the alcohol doesn’t freeze in Certain temperature if you give a little Um stress when you pour the sake in the Glass they Start to freeze like a slushie and it’s It’s a really nice presentation i think It’s quite fun element too So maybe not in the professional tasting Setting it can taste Nicely but i i think it can be quite Enjoyable in A hot temperature in the summertime Thank you And someone else asked um why can you Heat sake and not wine Um Um so yeah i have i’m not sure but i Think But i think you know the serving

Temperature of the wine like you know Serving Us having them quite chilled or ambient You know You know people talk about the red wine Should it be chilled in the fridge But some red wine is quite enjoyable Chilled so I think even though it’s more subtle Than the sake Um it does have a relationship with the Temperature isn’t it Yeah and i think perhaps as well with With you just don’t go as warm as sake Because you have more like Fruit and wine which you lose whereas You have more More of the umami or other flavors in Secondary that probably maybe complement The heat but That’s a bit of a guess yes Okay um you mentioned your favorite was Oysters and sake what what style of sake Would you Serve with the oysters Yeah so um i think the range of the Styles is okay You can have very cleansing hon jozo Style very refreshing cleansing hon jozo To kind of Almost like a mouse washing effect you Want to do the pairing And again obviously that’s type of Oyster as well some oysters

I taste in europe especially the one Coming from France it’s very mineral very very Mineral and salty Um so that should probably pair um Better with Um a little bit more dryer cleaner Type of sake um but the oyster that i Tend to taste in maybe some areas of the Um irish or scottish and also japanese Ones it’s very creamy the japanese ones Are most creamy and um So these ones i tend to like it a little Bit more sweeter Um can be um for umami but Um i think as long as it has a sweet Creamy textures dai ginjo can even pair Nicely So um maybe not too delicate ginger Like fluty flagrant like fragrant driven Ginger styles Wouldn’t would make the oyster a little Bit fishy But as long as it’s had a you know this Body Nice body of the sweetness or the Creaminess it works I think works nicely so the range of Sake should work Brilliant thank you um someone else said They they feel acid more when the sake Is hot And they wondered if that’s because when You heat it this saltiness decreases i’m

Not sure if you Probably yeah probably the the maybe That’s that Um the saltiness might be fitting so I think this acidity could be the Um i mean on this chart it says acidity So Five flaps but the bitterness in there Could quite Uh it could include um you know some of The amino acids Or lactic acid as well i think so that Could Open up the flavor so um Imam is i think the umami related Acidity um Increases or tastes more when it’s been Warmer temperature i can say Such as like chemotherapy or yamaha my Has a lot of acidity in there and if This video opens up when it’s Heated but i i assume like that a lot of Water Even if you warm up the white wine it Wouldn’t Enhance the flavor itself brilliant Thank you um There’s a couple more and someone asked If you can Is it easy to tell what the residual Sugar will be in a sake Other than tasting it um or are they Because obviously you can get Bearing sugar levels is there is there a

Way to tell Well maybe you just like swirl the glass Um gently and like No this is a regular psychical if you Have a wine glass you swirl the glass You can see the tears or legs and If it’s being quite slow to drip down it Means it could have us Heavier sugar content i mean you can’t Even tell it could be a Alcohol as well though so um i think Beta is just to practice What is sweetness um how do you taste Sugar um media oh Yeah but yeah well no i definitely say Sugar i think i think maybe more I don’t know if they meant you know if You’re looking at a list or a range of Is there is success labeling them for The sweeter styles Or how how do you know if if The sake is going to contain less or More sugar I think that obviously some ki Sugar content if you are looking for Some very sweet side of sake Um go for kijoshu or maybe If you can find a label called or koji Or koji It’s a sake that’s predominantly made With a koji rice So it keeps a lot of sugar sugary Flavors in there Um but for the typical sake that’s tend

To be sweeter styles Maybe some maybe typical gym Could have a touch of more sweeter Sensation Um just to balance out with the Aroma flavors too Some cooking perfect um just a couple More so As someone said about sushi obviously Uses lots of different types of fish and Eggs Do you think it’s better to change sake For each sushi or is there perhaps one That you might think Works with the you know the array of Sushi if you were having a A few times i did a sake pairing With sushi course in a sushi restaurant Like omaka sushi style just like one Piece another piece and then I was so busy and it’s actually quite Difficult I mean to pair with each single pieces Of nigiri as well So that that um you um have to be quite Uh maybe creative i guess one how how do You Design the menu um how we Change this is um because the sushi Restaurant Says not only you’re having a sushi you Have a little You could have some vegetables you could Have some meat or you could have some

Grilled Fish or something like that not only Sushi so Small plates nigiri small plate nigiri Soup Nigiri so kind of sandwich between Different dish And try to bundle this dish and sneaky Dish and sushi kind of together and then Pair that kind of Bundle or sets together with one sake You could it was working okay But otherwise it’s going to be super Super Um busy to just pair with a single Nigiris and It’s going to be just a hectic not Enjoyable i think but if not you can do A kind of similar style of nigiri Together Um lean lean fish uh quite delicate Uh you know ginger style or quite Lighter soft gym by styles Or some fattier nigiri Like eels or sier chain or you know Otoro’s this fatty things with a little Bit more richer Acidic fuller sushi Or you can have um Like some of the um like Like fishy type of macros or sardine This type of fish can be paired with Some Satin sakes um but

I if you’re not so strict about pairing Completely To for the each single piece um Quite new choosing a one quite neutral Sake like hon jozo like clean Dry hon jozo that kind of bridge between All the range of the fish May be an um safer choice i think Because sushi is actually one of Difficult yeah difficult dish to pair With Everybody thinks sushi is easiest but It’s actually one of the most difficult To pair completely thank you and Final question from me that came up in The chat is do you know if endo is going To reopen Or is it yes um so i i work for endo and The I hope the end of august start opening So please wait for this Yeah i went in to come back in january And it was oh it was amazing [Laughter] Yeah it’s like experience isn’t it oh it Was yeah incredible everything you met Was just Utterly delicious [Music] Well thank you so much i’m going to stop Recording now so that’s It from me but i will let everybody on Mute if they have any further questions Because i couldn’t

Keep an eye on the chat and ask the Questions all at the same time but thank You So much natsuki i think everyone is very Hungry and thirsty after all of that and Inspired and some really great and Hungry yes So thank you so much for your for your Time and and yes this will be available To you if you want to catch up or miss Anything on Youtube tomorrow um which you can also Access via the wcg school website as Well going to Student information and webinar Recordings So yes thank you natsuki and um yeah see You again Okay thank you very much