Sake Gourmet Embarks on a Culinary Exploration Across Japan
A pairing event on Japanese sake and cuisine, “Sake Gourmet Embarks on a Culinary Exploration across Japan,” was held on October 3 at the official residence of the Consul General of Japan in Chicago, Jun Yanagi. The event was hosted by the Consulate General of Japan in Chicago, and 40 industry professionals such as restauranteurs, liquor wholesalers, and liquor shop owners were invited.
Forty industry professionals attend pairing event on Japanese sake and cuisine at the official residence of the Consul General of Japan in Chicago
Sake expert Tona Palomino of the Breakthru Beverage Group and Jun-Jun Vichaikul, co-founder of the of the Konbini & Kanpai, gave lectures on the sake-market trends and sake-food-pairing ideas, and Akiko Nishimura, Consul General Yanagi’s Chef at his official residence, presented Japanese cuisine.
A Japanese traditional sake-making video was also screened to enable the guests to understand the artisan work of sake making. The video can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AME4TTw0fjQ.
Consul General Jun Yanagi welcomed all the guests to the washoku or Japanese cuisine and sake paring event and informed them that the Japanese seafood prepared by Chef Nishimura was provided by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).
He explained that Japanese sake was a brewed alcohol made of rice, koji, and water, and paired well not only with washoku but also with French, Italian, and American cuisine.
He went further to explain sake saying, “Each region in Japan has their own distinguished breweries, called kuramoto, and their own sake. Those distinguished sake reflect the region’s land, climate, and history. They are served to the Gods as offerings and are also served on important occasions such as weddings, funerals, and festivals. In a word, sake is the national beverage of Japan, and to appreciate sake is to know more about Japan, its history, traditions, and regions.”
Japanese cuisine, washoku, was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013, and traditional sake brewing techniques were applied to it the next year. Consul General Yanagi said, “With that in mind, please enjoy sake together with washoku, prepared by Chef Akiko Nishimura. Once you taste this wonderful marriage between washoku and sake, I am sure you will be excited to share that experience with your friends and customers,” and he made a toast for his guests’ success in promoting and drinking sake.
Presentation on Sake Market and Trends
According to Sake Expert Tona Palomino of the Illinois-based Breakthru Beverage Group, its gross sale in 2022 was 46% up from the previous year. He said sake sale has shown stable growth across the U.S. at the rate of over 10% for a decade.
The Breakthru Beverage Group saw a significant increase rate in 2022 compared to the previous year. One of the reasons for the big increase was probably due to the COVID-19 pandemic which hard-hit the restaurant industry in 2021.
According to Palomino, most sake is consumed in Japanese restaurants; however, with the restaurant closure, the numbers took a very serious dip.
“The silver lining is that as restaurants pivoted to takeout for survival, consumers finally began buying more sake in retail to drink at home with their sushi,” Palomino said.
By the middle of 2022, restaurants in Illinois fully reopened, and the sake sales increased substantially and continues to increase at a double-digit rate in 2023. The Breakthru Beverage Group shows more than a 10% increase from January to May in 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. In addition to its revenue, “Specific sakes that sell in hundreds of cases per year,” Palomino said.
Sake Trends
There would be marketing changes made by the sake industry in an effort to access American people by taking account of their preferences.
Palomino introduced recent sake trends compared to the old school. Some examples were:
. Year-round nama sake has become seasonal nama.
. Warm sake --> Cold sake
. Too much umami --> Dry, clean, bright, fruity
. Cheap sake --> High-end sake
. Only kanji --> Innovative packaging, more English on labels
Japanese Cuisine (washoku) and Pairing Sake
Consul-General’s Chef Akiko Nishimura presented very creative Japanese cuisine, and Sawako Kojima of the Consulate General of Japan in Chicago, a certified sake sommelier, explained each menu.
Tona Palomino and Jun-Jun Vichaikul together selected pairing sake for each of them, and Vichaikul explained each pairing.
1. Japanese Scallop and Amberjack Carpaccio with Sesame Oil and Lime Sauce
Japanese Scallop and Amberjack Carpaccio (front), Saikyo-miso marinated Scallop with Cheddar Cheese (right), Roasted Japanese Black Wagyu (left), and Crab Cream Croquette (top)
The Chef combined rich fragrant sesame oil and refreshing lime juice to make raw fish ease the palette. Crispy, pickled, sliced Daikon radishes were added to the dish.
The suggested pairing sake was Sohomare Karakuchi, Junmai (Tochigi Prefecture)
2. Saikyo-miso Marinated Japanese Scallop with Cheddar Cheese
Scallops were marinated in Saikyo miso, high-end miso from Kyoto, which is lower in sodium and sweeter.
Miso is fermented soybean paste which is made by using koji. Koji is an essential ingredient not only for miso but also for sake, mirin, and soy sauce. It was a dish to enjoy the marriage between miso and sake, both were made through the fermentation effect of koji. Grilled scallops with cheddar cheese gave off the abundant aroma of miso.
Suggested pairing sake was Hakkaisan Yukimuro, 3 Years Snow Aged, Junmai Daiginjo (Niigata Prefecture)
3. Japanese Black Wagyu (Chuck Short Rib) Sushi
Japanese Black Wagyu Sushi
The shape of Chuck Short Rib looks like a chili pepper, so it is called Togarashi in Japanese. This cut comes from the shoulder area close to the belly and is known for its rich sweet flavor of the healthy wagyu fat which is distinctive to the Japanese Black Wagyu. The umami-rich fat is enjoyed with sushi rice.
Chef Nishimura used some marbling part of this cut for sushi. She cooked it with careful attention to the temperature, so that it was cooked through but still had beautiful marbling on it.
Suggested pairing sake was Takatenjin Sword of the Sun, Honjozo (Shizuoka Prefecture)
4. Roasted Japanese Black Wagyu (Chuck Tender) with Red Wine and Soy Sauce
This cut is more on the side of akami (leaner) but still has marbling and soft texture. For roasted beef, the Chef paid special attention to make it soft and juicy. The sauce was soy sauce-based with vegetable sweetness to pair with the beef.
With these two dishes, the Chef tried to bring out the full flavor of Japanese Black Wagyu.
Suggested pairing sake was Konteki Tears of Dawn, Daiginjo (Kyoto Prefecture)
5. Crab Cream Croquette with Pomodoro Sauce
Croquettes are very popular Yoshoku (Western-influenced food) and loved by all the generations in Japan. Chef Nishimura filled the cream croquette with a lot of Snow Crab meat.
The suggested pairing sake was Mizubasho Ginjo (Gunma Prefecture)
6. Dessert Plate
Matcha Crème Brulee (top left), Matcha Cheesecake (front right), Ice Cream and Chiffon Cake (top right), and Mochi Daifuku with Figs and Orange (front left)
The main ingredients of the desserts were matcha, black sesame, and mochi
. Matcha Crème Brulee and Matcha Cheesecake are featured by the combination of the rich flavor of matcha and cream cheese.
. Ice Cream and Chiffon Cake; the Chef brought out aroma of the black sesame for ice cream and chiffon cake.
. Mochi Daifuku with Figs and Orange; the Chef made a soft mochi to bring out the unique texture of mochi daifuku and wrapped seasonal figs and refreshing orange with the soft mochi.
Suggested pairing sake were Fukucho Moon on the Water, Junmai Ginjo (Hiroshima Prefecture) and Dassai 45 Nigori, Junmai Daiginjo (Yamaguchi Prefecture)
Other Occasions & Sake
Other recommendations at the Reception and Toast were:
At the Reception:
. Umeshu, Campari, Cocktail
. Dewazakura Dewasansan, Junmai Ginjo (Yamagata Prefecture)
. Masumi Okuden Kantsukuri, Junmai (Nagano Prefecture)
. Heaven Sake Hakushika, Junmai Ginjo (Hyogo Prefecture)
At the Toast:
. Uka Sparkling, Organic Junmai Daiginjo (Fukushima Prefecture)
Feedbacks from Guests
After experiencing washoku with paring sake, some of the feedback from the guests were:
. Very informative. Variety in sake and different food pairings
. Great food explanations and very precise food flavors
. Japanese Cuisine is an art
. The presentation and descriptions of Sake + Food with the intro to sake while being able to discuss Japanese beverage
. There were a lot of female touches on food and it was very enjoyable
. It was very interesting to learn about the process of making Sake, and that sake goes with all foods
. Very well thought + timed, pairings were excellent also, and wonderful video (introducing Sake)