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Toppage ＞ Shudo - The Way of Sake＞ chapter7 |
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Could the haiku poet be describing the Echigo plains? A breeze passes through the rice paddies where young rice
seedlings have just been planted. One can only but pray for bountiful crops, for the sake of the season’s sake. |
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Chiuka Mid-summer |
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The expression, Satsuki comes from the word, sanae, which means sprouts of rice, described in
the Chinese letters, sa (meaning early) and nae (sprouts). As May is the month farmers plant
rice seedlings, it was the sanae-zuki (month of sanae), which was shortened to satsuki.
Japan’s earliest writing, the Chronicles of Japan, writes that May, or the fifth month, Satsuki,
came to be called thus because flies, called the May flies, or sabae, become active at this time of year.
There are other expressions that one associates with May. These include Boshu, one of the 24 small
seasons in Japan’s lunar calendar, which marks the start of the rice planting season, Chiuka
(mid-summer), Uzurazuki (the month of quail) and Tsuki- minu-tsuki (the month when the moon
goes missing).
As the unstable weather of early spring ends to bring in clear blue skies, known as satsuki-bare
(sunny May weather). But even May weather could bring long days of rain, reminiscent of the seasonal rain-front in
June, upsetting plans for the string of holidays that start end of April. Because present day May falls in April in
the traditional lunar calendar, the month in which the deutzia blooms, the rain that falls at this time of year is
called Unohana kudashi (the rain that causes the deutzia flowers to wither). But when the sun prevails,
the May sun rises as high as in June, which would push the mercury up. On days of rain, it could get humid and hot. |
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The Suimono Soup Dish Represents the Masterly Hand of the Chef |
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The kaiseki cuisine, developed to accompany sake drinking, has a menu of dishes grouped under
the various courses that make up a banquet.As was mentioned in the earlier chapter, the first course is the
Sakizuke appetizer, which is followed by suimono (soup).
To be served a soup meal just when the banquet has hardly begun, may seem odd.But unlike the somewhat casual
soups flavored with miso paste and such, this clear broth also accompanies sake as much as the other
meals. If anything, this dish, along with the sashimi raw fish meal to follow, are the most important
menus in the course. This is because the soup is in effect a greeting sent by the chef, which asks the diners to
take note of how this basic dish is prepared, because it represents how he seasons all his other dishes.
It is important, therefore, to observe the basic etiquette to eat steaming hot dishes while they are hot.The soup
is served in a lacquerware bowl with a lid. Sometimes it is not easy to lift the lid.Should this be the case,
one should hold firmly the rim of the bowl with his/her left hand so that the lid lifts on its own. The lid
should then be lifted with one’s right hand, and held vertically, so the vapor on the back of the lid falls
inside the broth. It should then be placed on the right, and in front of the soup bowl, with the back of the
lid facing up. Cooked inside the broth are ingredients that make up five elements ? the main ingredient, typical
of the season, vegetables or herbs that accompany the main ingredient, a green leaf or vegetable placed to give
the dish a refreshing look, broth, and something that gives the broth a savory aroma, such as a small slice of
a peel of yuzu citrus fruit.
There is much logic in the fashion this dish is designed. It serves the same purpose
as soup to begin a meal course in western cuisine. The meal prompts saliva and gastric juice to secrete, which,
in effect, protects the gastric wall when
liquor is ingested.
Diners should take only one or two sips of sake while finishing this meal, to enjoy the feast
of the season.
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Bonito |
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Every year, at this time of season, the famous haiku of poet Yamaguchi Sod?: “A view of greenery, A wild
cuckoo, The first bonito” is quoted to herald the start of the bonito season. The Japanese fondly call the first
haul of bonito of the season, hatsu gatsuo (first bonito). The only fish whose first haul is considered
such great delicacies are bonito and saury.
In the Tokugawa Era (1603-1867), the first bonito of the season was extremely expensive.The haiku by Takarai
Kikaku: “On the cutting board, One gold coin, The first bonito” substantiates this.
Bonito is a fish that swims along the Black Current, near the sea surface. They begin to swim north along the
Pacific coast. They near Ogasawara Islands between January and February. reach Hachijojima island in March, and off
Chiba, near Tokyo between April and June, as well as Joban between June and July. The bonito at this time of year is
called nobori-gatsuo (bonito swimming upwards). In July and August, they reach off Kinkazan, August and
September off Sanriku, to finally swim near southern Hokkaido before they begin to swim back south.
Hatsu gatsuo used to refer to the first haul off the coasts of Chiba and Joban, but now fishermen take their boats
further out to sea to catch bonito. As a result, hatsu-gatsuo reach restaurants in Tokyo early March.
To watch fishermen catching bonito one by one with fishing rods after taking their fleets out in gentle waters
during the night, is quite a spectacular sight. Bonito, a member of the mackerel family, does not stay fresh for
long. Dried or steamed bonito have probably come to be because of this characteristic. But the best way to enjoy
bonito is to sear the fish quickly on the outside while being left raw inside ? namely, bonito tataki.
Those in western Japan have had a preference for white fish, while those in eastern Japan prefer red-meat fish,
with a bland flavor. This explains why the Edo-ites (present day Tokyo-ites), with their fondness for first of new
crops or new hauls, jumped to hatsu-gatsuo.
100 grams of bonito contains 25.4 grams of protein ? a third of how much protein we need a day. This is truly a
healthy accompaniment to sake.Strangely, bonito does not go well with wasabi Japanese horse radish, but rather
ginger or garlic.
Ginger is originally from the Orient, and used as seasoning or medicine in China and India. In Europe, however,
the Romans found ginger to be an aphrodisiac, as we learnt from Arabian Nights. Its key constituents include
gingerol and zingerone, which is a good remedy for digestive problems and certain types of food poisoning.
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Sea Grapes |
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There is a saying, “Sea grapes grow tasty when wisteria flowers begin to bloom”. True to these words, the
clusters of large eggs laid by cuttlefish are abundant off-shores of Sanriku, the Pacific waters off northeastern
Japan, and as a result, the delicacy is a must for drinking parties and dining tables in the area.
But because of its distinctive taste, some love the taste, while others cordon it off.They are eaten shredded in a
sauce made from vinegar, soya sauce and broth, after the outer skin is discarded. The fresh ones, though, are best
eaten as is, as they compliment sake. |
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Yamame Trout and Japanese Char |
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The stars of freshwater fishing are Yamame trout and Japanese char, which become tasty during early summer and summer. Japanese char live upstream Yamame trout.
Both species won’t be readily available unless anglers are around, but the light taste of the fish certainly goes well with sake.
But cultured rainbow trout, which are members of the same family, are readily available in fish markets, so here is a chance to enjoy fish from freshwater. |
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| Translated by Fumiko Konoye |
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