*Sake Jun Daiti - A lightweight choice for any occasion*
Before talking about Sake, we talk about "Cachaça" and its history in relation to the Brazilian people.
First, what is the Cachaça? Well, Cachaça is an alcoholic beverage typically Brazilian. His name may have originated from the old Iberian language - "cachaza" - meaning wine lees, a lower drinking wine in Portugal and Spain, or even of "Cachaço", the pig, and his female "Cachaça", the nut. That's because the meat of wild pigs, found in the forests of the Brazilian Northeast - called peccaries - was too harsh and Cachaça was used to soften it. The basic element is cane sugar and for obtaining the beverage is necessary fermentation of various types of alcohol, including ethyl. The sugar cane is a plant belonging to the grass family (Saccharum officinarum) originated in Asia, where it had registered its cultivation since the earliest times of history.
Cachaça reflects the culture of the Brazilian people. And throughout its history, each people chose their national drink from the raw materials had to produce them.
Thus, in colonial Brazil, with huge plantations of sugar cane, the people created their drink, Cachaça, circa 1532. In colonial production of sugar, cachaça was the name given to the first foam rising to the surface of sugarcane juice that was being boiled. She was given to the animals or discarded. The second foam was consumed by slaves, especially after ferment and also came to be called cachaça. Later, with the distillation of fermented foam and molasses and cachaça production of low quality, it has also become known as cachaça and slaves were supplied to or purchased by low-income people.
The Cachaça with its versatility, reflects the soul of the Brazilian people, inhabiting a country of sunshine, flavors and spices.
The secret of a good production of handcrafted Cachaça starts at planting sugar cane and goes through your harvest, fermentation, distillation in copper stills and aging in barrels of various woods such as balsam, the Jequitibá the umburana, the peanut, the oak, the Jatoba, the Manduirana, the Ipe, the Canela, among many others. It is not hard to see then that the simplicity of cachaça, its organoleptic qualities, its ability to adapt to the taste of the fruit caipirinhas, cocktails and beats, your chance of becoming drug, and infusions through maceration with various herbs and roots make her a drink that portrays the spirit deeply joyful, relaxed and adventurous Brazilian people who created it.
But you must be wondering: What is in common with the Cachaça and the Sake? Well, let's see a little about Sake.
Sake is a traditional Japanese fermented drink, made by fermenting rice, hot and usually taken in large celebrations such as New Year and Shinto wedding ceremonies. The first production of sake that has news and dates from the third century occurred in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. Several regions of the country produce, but the region that leads to fame manufacture the best sake is the Fushimi district in Kyoto. There are now around 1,600 manufacturers of sake in Japan.
Classified in the same category of wine, sake is a fermented natural, with an alcohol content of around 16%, whose only ingredients are rice and water.
Rice exits the raw material for the manufacture of sake, the koji which results from the removal of starch and excess oil and protein contained in the rice. To get to the koji, it is necessary that the rice is polished, so losing a third to half of its original surface, after being macerated, rinsed, steamed and cooled to a temperature of 5 º C.
In sequence, the koji is mixed with water and steamed rice order to form the shubo, a slurry of grains. The shubo is placed in a tank and fermented for thirty days, with addition of rice koji and again vaporized.
Formed around the maromi, a cake mix of sake, solid, and sake, net. Made separation by filtration and subjected to a liquid ultrafiltration, to ensure the fresh flavor of the drink, sake is ready to be consumed. It may be kept in the bottle for up to two years without losing its natural flavor. The best temperature for the sake of it being consumed is 35 º C, because this temperature is best realizes the delicate features of the drink. But it can be drunk at temperatures lower or higher, according to the season.
When heated at a temperature up to 45 ° C is known for the sake kan. It is full bodied and acquires a sharp taste of melão.Quando cold, sake is known higa and assumes a fruity flavor. To be served salt is added to the edges of the glass.
It is usually served in antique china cups or small wooden cups, known as masu.
In Brazil, the drink is produced by companies like Sakura and Azuma Kirin. Wide variety of sakes and Japanese Brazilians can be found in stores in the neighborhood of Liberdade, São Paulo. The Brazilian people appreciates the sake, as well as sparkling sake and shochu.
* The sparkling sake have the lower alcohol content than the traditional (between 8% to 12%), is special for those who love novelty. Sweeter than your ancenstrais without bubbles, sparkling fermented rice and accompanying desserts can be served as an appetizer, along with dried fruits and nuts.
* Shochu, a distilled beverage of Japanese origin, can be made with grains like rice and barley, or other raw materials, such as sweet potatoes or cassava. The Shochu has taste very similar to the famous Sake, but with much higher alcohol content, ranging from 25% to 35%.
In Japan it is eaten fresh. However, it is a drink that allows the combination with a multitude of flavors. A good choice is to mix the distilled with green apple juice. It is a delight!
As it turns out, the drinks seem to reflect, in any way, ecological conditions of the regions where they are produced, and this makes them perfectly suited to the climate, the soil, the very spirit of the people who consume them.
In the next post I'll talk a bit more about the famous Brazilian drink, the Caipirinha, and their various combinations. Among them, sake caipirinha.
Research sources: Wikipedia, The history of Cachaça and Home & Food Magazine.
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