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History of Sake
The use of sake dates back to the beginning of Japanese civilization. Along with rice, the use of sake also came over from China. Sake then was a thick milky white mash obtained by chewing the harvested rice, spitting it out and letting it ferment for several days. It was later discovered by accident that this process could be mimicked by adding the koji fungus, which grew on cooled steamed rice. The first mention of a sake brewery dates back to 689. This was located at the imperial palace. At that time, sake was probably still a precious beverage drunk only by the court nobility.
In the centuries that followed, sake spread throughout the country. The largest breweries were located in temples. Medieval sake was still murky and was brewed year-round based on a short primitive building process. As a result, the taste varied through the season. As time progressed, the brewing process also improved. At the end of the 16e century, important renewals took place. To combat cloudiness, rice began to be polished.
In the 17e century, people began adding distilled alcohol and pasteurizing to keep the sake longer. Differences in styles also emerged, depending on climate, type of rice and the spring water used. During this period, sake production grew to more than 10,000 (micro) breweries across Japan. There also came an ordinance to brew sake only during the winter months. This greatly improved the taste. Some of these breweries are still in production today.
World War II
During World War II, there was a shortage of rice and many breweries shut down. The breweries that survived looked for inexpensive alternatives to still flavor the sake. They therefore added grain alcohol and sugar to the rice extract. In the period of economic growth that followed after the war, this process continued.
Industrialization
This resulted in poor quality sake that had little to do with the refined sake of before that time. This did sake's popularity no favors and also created the image of a headache drink. Demand declined, and by the 1970s only one-third of the breweries left were prewar. It made no sense for the small remaining breweries to go along with the mass volume products of the big breweries. The wheel had to change.
Modern sake
Small breweries specialized on the production of authentic or modern refined quality sake. New polishing and carbon filtering techniques created the modern ginjõ sake from which the rice was polished at least 40%. This created a crystal clear and virtually colorless sake with no distinct rice flavor. The use of new strains of yeast gave this sake a fresh, fruity aromatic flavor. Other breweries returned to more traditional brewing and slow brew techniques in search of the authentic taste of true pre-war sake.
Sake is trending!
It is still difficult to find quality sake, even in Japan. Nevertheless, in the last 10 years, interest in quality sake has grown. A new group has emerged of bars, restaurants, consumer importers and exporters, who want only pure (junmainshu) sake. In addition, organic sake is also on the rise. Chefs are also increasingly seeing the versatility of sake as a nice addition to dishes.
