| FOOD PAIRINGS |
TIPS FOR PAIRING SAKE LIKE A PRO
BY MELISSA DOWLING
As with pairing food with wine , pairing sake has its nuances . The diversity of sake — including the various rice varietals , milling and distillation styles — can make for a complex beverage pairing . And if you need a refresher on the basics of sake , see “ Serving Up Sake ” from our Summer 2021 issue .
Japanese chef Masa Hamaya of Atlanta ’ s modern sushi restaurant , O-Ku Atlanta , believes the key to matching sake with meals comes down to a few simple rules of thumb . Here are a few of his points to consider for sake-pairing success .
1 ) COMPLEMENT . Select sake and foods that have complementary , or similar , flavor profiles to create balance . For example , White Fish Carpaccio with a high-acid ponzu dressing will pair nicely with the acidity in sake .
2 ) CONTRAST . Pairing sake and foods that are contrasting also can create an unexpected , but flavorful combination . For example , a lighter , creamy dessert of vanilla ice cream with soy sauce can pair well with a more-robust , aged sake .
3 ) SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS . When you combine different types of umami , you multiply the effects . Umami from sake is glutamate acid , umami from fish is inosinic acid . The two distinctly different umami components combine to multiply the umami flavor . Win win !
4 ) FLAVORS . There are several ways to approach sake by flavor profile :
Saltiness : Salt outlines the flavor of food and reduces the sweetness to harmonize the flavor .
Sweetness : Sweet food should be paired with sakes that are sweeter than the food itself . Otherwise , you will taste excess bitterness and sourness of food . Sakes tend to pair well with sweeter foods .
Sourness : If the food contains acidity , it should be paired with sake that contains equal acidity .
Bitterness : Bitterness in sake comes from amino acids and alcohol . The flavor profile on alcohol is sweet and bitter , and it has a stinging sensation that stimulates pain nerves . Bitterness brings the complexity to the flavor and pairs well with sourness .
5 ) TEXTURES . The different temperatures of sake , whether served chilled , warm , or room temperature , adds unique textures as the sake hits the palette . If it is a sparkling , effervescent sake , it will pair well with crunchy fried foods . If the sake is sweet and soft , it matches with foods that have a fatty texture .
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