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Toppage ＞ Shudo - The Way of Sake＞ chapter4 |
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| When the fugu, or blowfish, season comes, I miss aromatic hirezake (warmed sake with toasted fugu fin in it). In the sky, the moon is shining as if waiting for the spring. Hirezake and the moon…both amber-colored and beautiful. |
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the season’s First Flowers |
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 February is called Kisaragi, or the “month of reviving plants,” in the lunar calendar. It is commonly said that the word originally meant “wearing extra layers of clothes” because it is still cold in this month. But according to the Kojien Japanese dictionary, this is wrong.
The word Kisaragi has been used since the 8th century, when ancient Japanese chronicles “Kojiki” and “Nihon-shoki” were compiled. February is also called Chushun (mid-spring), Reigetsu (celebratory month), Ogusaoi-zuki (the month when the grass grows), Hatsuhana-zuki (the month of the first flowers,) and Umemi-zuki (the month of Japanese apricot blossom viewing.) In February in the old Japanese calendar, ume (Japanese apricot) blossoms were in full bloom.
According to the Japanese traditional calendar, February 4th is the first day of spring, and by then the cold winter is supposed to have gone. But actually, it is still very cold. Ice that has formed during the night is too thick to melt even in the morning sunlight. Snowfall peaks, and some areas are hit by heavy snow at times. But spring is steadily approaching. The days are getting longer, and pale green butterbur sprouts come out in the countryside. Ume trees begin to put forth their blossoms, first at the southern tip of Kyushu island. The Ume blossom “front line” then advances northward, reaches Tokyo by the end of February, and goes further up north, bringing a spring breeze to northern areas of the country.
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Arabashiri, the Season’s First Sake |
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The sake brewing process that began in late autumn is reaching its climax at this time of year. When the alcohol level in the moromi mash rises to about 20% in about 20 days in futsu-shu (normal sake), and 30 days in ginjo-shu (sake brewed with highly “polished” rice), the fermentation process ends. Then, the moromi needs to be immediately squeezed into new sake and kasu, or white lees. This is because, if an alcohol level becomes too high, yeast fungi rapidly die, releasing amid acid and other nitrogenous compounds as well as enzymes, which worsen the taste of sake, or darken its color.
To squeeze a large amount of sake, brewers use automatic presses, which look like a folding curtain. But for the production of choice sake like ginjo-shu, the moromi is put into small canvas bags, and set in a traditional press called fune. The sake first gushing out of the mouth of the press is called arabashiri, literally meaning “run roughly.”
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Orizake, Nigorizake, Sake with Sediment, Opaque Sake |
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Freshly squeezed sake is still opaque with sediment called ori, which contains starch, fibers, yeast and enzymes. The opaque sake is allowed to sit so that more solid substances settle out and a clear top layer forms. The clear liquid is transferred to a separate tank to allow more ori to settle. The top clear layer is again separated, leaving opaque sake at the bottom, which is Orizake.
Since orizake still contains carbon dioxide, some brewers use bottles with the top having a hole to let out the gas. Some other makers remove the solid substances with microfilters to produce namazake. Or, there are brewers who prepare the moromi mash for the purpose of making nigorizake from the start.
Since orizake is a “young” sake, wait for a while after you pour it in a cup, and allow it to settle. Then savor it quietly, perhaps with your eyes closed. Probably, you can receive some messages from orizake, as new sake has its own voice. In fact, this is where you can start “conversation” with sake.
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Hirezake, Warmed Sake with Toasted Fugu Fin in It |
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 When the fugu season comes, you may want to at least drink hirezake at home, even if you can’t eat expensive fugu dishes.
When fugu is cut up while it is still alive, its fins (hire) are dried on a wooden board. The dried fin is toasted, and put into a glass. Warmed sake is poured on it. Then, the lid is put on the glass to let the sake sit for about five minutes. Hirezake with the unique aroma of the dried fin is made this way.
When you drink the sake, remove the fin.
When you finish the first serving, put the fin back and pour sake on it again. You can enjoy another glass of hirezake.
Some bars or small eating establishments offer burned fins, which are not recommendable as they add a burnt smell to sake. Fugu fins should be slowly toasted to golden brown.
Since too hot sake is not good for your health, leave hirezake for about five minutes to cool it down a bit, and savor it.
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Zen (meal tray) - Keep your yard tidy
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 In this chapter, I’ll talk about zen, or a meal tray, following previous topics on etiquettes in offering sake or using chopsticks.
Zen was originally called kashiwa, or an oak leave, because food was offered on oak leaves in ancient times. At a Shinto shrine in Ise, western Japan, sacred sake and food are offered on oak leaves placed on earthenware. At Court, emperors’ cooks were called kashiwade, and the office in charge of emperors’ meals was called Daizenshiki.
The term zen originally meant meals, but later it began to be used to also refer to a meal tray, as well as food on the tray. Today, zen is also used to count helpings of rice like in ichizen-meshi (one helping of rice), or pairs of chopsticks.
There are various types of zen including footed ones invented during the Edo period (1603-1867), but today zen generally means the shakunimono-size (approx. 36 x 36 cm) oshiki, which is often used for the kaiseki cuisine (Japanese traditional course meal). Oshiki is a footed meal tray with a raised hem which is made with a narrow thin wooden board bent at the four corners. What is interesting is that the width of shakunimono is mostly the same as that of average women’s hips. In fact, the shakunimono tray was invented for the sake of convenience for waitresses carrying the trays. Since the Meiji period (1868-1912), zen trays have became popular also among ordinary households as furniture for guests. At drinking parties where zen is used, be careful not to slide dishes on the tray, because the bottom of the tableware can damage the surface of the tray. Lift dishes and bowls when you eat, and return it gently on the tray. Zen is a yard you are assigned in the party. Keep it tidy. |
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『Coldness and Hot Sake』
When it’s cold, a temperature of the skin drop. When it goes down to about 12 ℃, we begin to feel cold. This is where we feel a shivering fit. If the temperature further declines to 5℃ or lower, your fingers are numb. And at 0 ℃ or lower, we feel pain at the tip of the fingers or feet.
When the weather gets cold, more people feel like warmed sake. But as mentioned earlier, heating too much destroys the flavor of sake. And epidemiological studies show that consuming too much hot sake harms the gullet and the stomach, just as stronger alcoholic drinks do.
There is no need for hot sake at all, because alcohol burns up on its own accord and warms the body, even if it is absorbed at room temperature. |
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『Fugu, Blow Fish』 |
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 Under the eaves of every bar,
A Fugu lantern is hung;
Snow drips (Hakobune)
When I hear from my favorite bars or eating establishments that they have begun to offer fugu dishes, I recognize again that winter has come.
An old saying goes that my purse is too light to eat fugu. Indeed, fugu is expensive, but since less expensive farmed fugu is easily available nowadays, it would be nice to indulge ourselves and savor the seasonal delicacy at times.
If you want to fully enjoy fugu, start with usuzukuri (raw fugu sliced very thin so that the patterns of the tray can be seen through). Pick a few slices together with chopsticks, and lightly dip them in soy sauce mixed with citrus juice, perhaps along with chopped scallion and momiji-oroshi, or grated daikon radish with red pepper. Then, move to nikogori, or jellied fugu, while warming yourself with hirezake. Following usuzukuri, a hot-pot meal of fugu and vegetables would be nice. When you finish the sake, wrap up the meal with zosui, or a porridge made with rice added to the broth in the pot.
When eaten raw, usuzukuri, also known as tessa, is usually sliced very thin. In fact, however, fugu is better in its texture when sliced twice as thick as normal usuzukuri and lightly dipped in boiling water.
Deep-fried and lightly salted fugu meat with bones is also a good accompaniment to sake.
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『Halfbeak』 |
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 In Chinese characters, sayori, or halfbeak, are usually written as “needle fish,” because its lower jaw is protruding like a needle. The characters meaning “thin fish” are also used due to its thin body.
Sayori is good with sake when sliced into thin strips, and flavored with sudachi citrus juice. Filleted sayori can also be deep-fried, or used as soup ingredient.
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『Whitebait』 |
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 January and February are the fishing season for shirauo, or whitebait, small fish that have the shiny and semitransparent body. Odorigui, or eating live whitebait after dipping them in soy sauce, is a well known way of eating the fish. But to accompany sake, the fish is better cooked with egg, deep-fried, or steamed in egg custard. Odorigui in Hakata, southwestern Japan, is famous, but they use gobies, instead of whitebait. |
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『Spanish Mackerel』 |
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 Sawara, or Spanish mackerel, come to the waters near Japan to spawn, as spring approaches. That’s why the Chinese character meaning the fish consists of two symbols, spring and fish.
But in fact this is misleading. Fishermen at the Inland Sea in western Japan, start catching Spanish mackerel shortly before the rainy season, after the sea bream fishing season ends in spring.
But in Suruga Bay, central Japan, Spanish mackerel are caught late in autumn. In winter, the fishing ground moves to Sagami Bay, eastern Japan. So, we can eat Spanish mackerel all year round.
Fresh mackerel is good eaten raw, of course. But mackerel grilled with soy sauce, or preserved in miso (soybean paste) is also good for sake.
Spanish mackerel’s Karasumi (dried ovaries) are said to be as delicious as those of striped mullet.
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『Angler Fish』 |
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 Another fish we definitely want to taste during winter is anglerfish.
In eastern Japan, the fish is known as a local delicacy in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture. But actually, the fish can be caught with trawl nets in various other areas.
Despite the grotesque appearance, nothing in an anglerfish needs to be discarded. The meat, gills, liver, tail fin, ovary, stomach, and skin are called ankou-no-nanatsudougu, or the seven “tools” of angler fish. The “tools” can be cooked with soy sauce with broth or miso, to produce good accompaniments to sake.
These days, the liver of the fish (ankimo) is a popular delicacy. Mash the liver; mix it with vinegared miso, and dress sliced udo (a plant of the ginseng family). This too is good for sake.
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『Nori, Dried Laver』 |
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 It’s the season for new nori, or dried laver
Komachiai
First offers warmed sake and
Dried nori. (Bijomaru)
This is a touching senryu poem…the hostess of komachiai (a small teahouse where guests have a drinking party with geisha) offers sake with dried nori?a food item most households commonly stock-- to fill up the time until catered food is delivered. How caring she is.
When I drink sake with fish dishes, I occasionally tear up a sheet of nori, and savor it. The fragrance of the sea spreads in my month, making the sake tastier.
Nori is an ideal food to accompany sake also in terms of nutrition, as the seaweed contains abundant protein, as well as Vitamin A, calcium, potassium and iron.
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| Translated by Stephen Hanson
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