What’s a surprising cuisine or dish that may not seem like it pairs with sake on paper but is actually delicious? What makes the pairing so spectacular?
My go-to answer is typically pizza, though I do think this pairing is becoming more well-known as sake evangelists like me have been celebrating it for a long time. Essentially, there are high levels of glutamates—the amino acids responsible for the flavor we call “umami”—in sake, making it a natural match for other foods high in these same glutamates like tomatoes (particularly cooked tomatoes), aged cheese like parmesan, or common pizza toppings like mushrooms or salami. Sake is also rich in lactic acid, the same as we find in mozzarella.
I also think not enough people consider pairing sake with oysters on the half shell. Truly a magical experience. Pour some on top of the oyster to take it to the max.
How do you go about pairing hot sake with food? What are your recommendations for this?
I like to think not only about how to pair sake with food, but also with my environment and the context. I personally enjoy drinking warm sake during chilly weather, and from there will often pair it with cold-weather foods—hot pot, rich braised dishes, stews. My personal favorite pairing is probably the Japanese hot pot dish called oden—a variety of vegetables and fish cakes long-simmered in a dashi and soy broth, and eaten with hot mustard. Warm sake can also be a beautiful match for an after-dinner cheese plate.
Can sake be paired throughout a meal?
Sake is a wonderful pairing for an entire meal. There are some flavor profiles that I find better suited to lighter dishes that tend to arrive earlier in a meal, and others that work better for richer main dishes, but I truly believe there’s a sake for everything. Anecdotally, there’s a sake producer in Niigata who makes a sake only for the US market called Cowboy that they specifically brew to demonstrate how well sake can pair with steak, as they (and other brewers) have concerns that there is a misconception about sake’s ability to pair with red meat and main course–like dishes.
What is the most versatile sake for an entire meal?
This certainly depends on the meal itself, but if I were bringing a bottle to a dinner party without knowing what was being served I would probably bring either Takatenjin “Sword of the Sun” Tokubetsu Honjozo or Sogen Junmai.
What glassware should first-time sake drinkers use?
I always encourage new sake drinkers to try to have fun with glassware and presentations. Taste the sake in a wine glass, a tumbler, a tea cup, a ceramic cup at different temperatures, and see what you like best. There are sakes being made today that the producers want to be served on the rocks! Sometimes I think sake feels “high pressure” to Americans, it can only be properly enjoyed with the exact right serving ware and under the exact right circumstances. There are ways to make sake shine, of course, and this will vary bottle to bottle, but playing around and figuring out what works is part of the journey.
