New Book Explores Sake's Varieties and Pairings

Many people know sake only as the warm serving alongside sushi at their local restaurant, but experts say the traditional Japanese beverage offers a world of complexity comparable to fine wine. Yoko Kumano and Kayoko Akabori, owners of Umami Mart in Oakland, California, highlight this diversity in their new book, "Everyday Sake," emphasizing pairings that extend far beyond Japanese cuisine.

Sake, known as nihonshu in Japan, is brewed rather than distilled, using rice, yeast, water and koji, a mold that converts rice starch into fermentable sugars. Premium varieties may include a small amount of distilled alcohol to refine the profile, while purists adhere strictly to the core ingredients. "It's quite incredible to think of the variation in flavor sake provides, given these constraints," Kumano said. Each batch is crafted under the guidance of a toji, or master brewer, whose expertise influences the final taste through techniques like rice polishing, filtration and fermentation.

The process begins with seimaibuai, or rice polishing, where the outer layers of rice grains are milled away to expose the starchy core. More polishing results in lighter, more refined sake, while less...