This past thanksgiving, I went to Tokyo, Japan with my brother. Just me and him, exploring at our own free will. During our trip, we were told to try sake, a traditionally Chinese rice wine.
Sake is very important to the Japanese culture, as it was first made more than two thousand years ago. Originally, like chocolate drink, sake was intended for the leaders in the Japnese society. Thay called it “the drink from the Gods.” So why is sake considered Japnese and not Chinese? Although sake was made in China at least two thousand years before it was seen in Japan, the Japanese took this drink and mass produced it!
So why is sake considered Japnese and not Chinese? Although sake was made in China at least two thousand years before it was seen in Japan, the Japanese took this drink and mass produced it! The process that the Japenese followed was very simple. First, they mill the rice kernels and cook them in water into a mush-like substance. Finally, it is fermented and is ready!
What makes sake so different and culturally important is the process of milling the rice kernels. The whole village would take rice kernels and nuts, chew them up in their mouth, then spit them into a communal tub….GROSS! As you can tell, the process of making sake was so important to the community as a whole. It was a way that the village as a whole worked together to provide a “God-like” drink for the royal family, or super rich.
Nowadays sake is seen all over the world as a popular alcoholic drink and comes in so many different forms and represents the mixture of tradition…and innovation. One of the traditions my brother and I experienced was that because sake is such a communal drink, it is not considered good form to pour your own sake. Your tablemate should always pour it for you.
