By Toshio Ueno, Sake School of America / Mutual Trading Co., Inc.
Is sake only suitable when paired with washoku, or traditional Japanese cuisine? Or can sake accompany Western fare like wine? The answer: there are no set rules, whether it’s sake or wine. But one may pair better than the other from a scientific perspective.
Starting from the early 2000s, America’s interest in the culinary domain has been on a steady rise as the Food Network has brought food prep demonstrations and celebrity chefs on tours of restaurants around the world into viewers’ homes. Thanks to cable TV and YouTube, devotees from metropolitan and rural areas alike have “traveled” to international destinations for tastes of global cuisines, including Washoku (traditional Japanese food). During this foodie renaissance, sake has repositioned itself from a “house sake” single line listing on a restaurant menu to a featured item. By gradually gaining sake knowledge, diners have lifted gingko, the abundantly aromatic, premium-grade brew typically served chilled, to the heights of popularity it enjoys today.