C6 - Sake and Food - completed

Question 1

What is the purpose of food and sake pairing?

Answer 1

Ideally both the food and sake should taste better.

Question 2

What need to avoid when pairing food with sake?

Answer 2

avoid any negative or unpleasant interactions.

Question 3

What is the difference between sake and wine when pairing food with multiple dishes?

Answer 3

it is common practice for one sake to pair with many different dishes.

Question 4

Why sake is easier to pair with food in terms of the taste elements it has?

Answer 4

• sake has low levels of acidity or bitterness, these elements cause problems when consuming with food.

Question 5

What is the advantage of sake in food pairing when compare with wine?

Answer 5

• sake is more versatile

- less likely any dish will make a good sake taste unpleasant

Question 6

What else we should consider in pairing besides the interactions between food and sake?

Answer 6

• preferences and sensitivities of individuals

Question 7

which two elements in food make beverages taste ‘harder’

Answer 7

sweetness and umami

Question 8

What ‘harder’ means when the beverage’s taste is affected by food

Answer 8

• more drying
• more bitter
• more acidic
• less sweet
• less fruity

Question 9

which two elements in food make beverages taste ‘softer’?

Answer 9

salt and acid

Question 10

What ‘softer’ means when the beverage’s taste is affected by food?

Answer 10

• less drying
• less bitter
• less acidic
• sweeter
• more fruity

Question 11

examples of food with high levels of umami without salt

Answer 11

• asparagus
• eggs
• mushrooms
• ripe soft cheese

Question 12

examples of food with high levels of umami and salt

Answer 12

• cured or smoked seafood and meats

- hard cheeses (especially Parmesan)

Question 13

examples of Japanese cuisine using high levels of umami

Answer 13

• dashi
• dried bonito flakes
• seaweed
• soy
• miso
• mushrooms
• seafood

Question 14

What happens to the bitterness taste when both food and sake are bitter?

Answer 14

bitter tastes add to each other, thus the level of bitterness will be raised in this pairing.

Question 15

bitterness can be found in many Japanese dishes, why it won’t have problem when pairing with sake?

Answer 15

• because of the absence of bitterness in sake won’t cause the pairing taste more bitter.

Question 16

What are the other considerations other than the basic taste components in pairing?

Answer 16

• flavour intensity
• acid and fat
• sweet and salty
• sake and fish

Question 17

what is the usual choice of intensity when pairing food and sake?

Answer 17

both intensity should be match so that one does not overpower the other.

Question 18

examples of intensely flavoured food can be partnered with a lightly flavoured beverage

Answer 18

curry and a simple honjozo sake

Question 19

Can lightly flavoured dessert be partnered with a intensely flavoured sweet sake?

Answer 19

Yes

Question 20

when pairing with fatty, oily foods with high acidic beverage seems satisfying?

Answer 20

• the acidic drink has a ‘cutting through’ effect on the richness of the food

Question 21

why the effect of pairing sake with fatty, oily food is quite subtle?

Answer 21

• most Japanese dishes are low in fat or oil

- sake has a low levels of acidity

Question 22

example of successful pairing of salty food with sweet sake

Answer 22

sweet sake and blue cheese.

Question 23

what is the problem when pairing fish with sake?

Answer 23

the elements in sake will reduce the intensity of fish flavours, especially junmai and honjozo than ginjo styles.

Question 24

what are the disadvantages of wine, beer and spirits in pairing with food?

Answer 24

• wines are high acidity, red wines have bitter tannin
• beer has bitterness from hops
• spirits are high in alcohol

Question 25

what are the components of high-risk foods?

Answer 25

• sugar
• acid
• chilli heat
• intense flavours

Question 26

what style of sake should pair with sweet foods?

Answer 26

• the sake should be at lease as sweet as the food, otherwise the sake can taste too dry and thin.

Question 27

what style of sake should pair with acidic food?

Answer 27

• the sake should be high in acidity, otherwise the sake can taste flat, flabby and unfocused.

Question 28

what style of sake should pair with spicy (chilli heat) food?

Answer 28

• lighter in alcohol
• has some sweetness
• sweetness can help soften the burning sensation results from the alcohol level in sake.

Question 29

what is the negative effect when pairing food with high intensity food with sake?

Answer 29

• dishes has very intense flavours can easily overwhelm the delicate flavours of most sake.

Question 30

what is the component(s) of low-risk food

Answer 30

high in salt

Question 31

what should be considered when pairing with koshu and ginjo style of sake to avoid risk?

Answer 31

• koshu sakes are intense in flavours, can overwhelm some dishes
• ginjo-style sakes are very delicate, can be overwhelmed by some dishes.

Question 32

are most sake considered as low-risk?

Answer 32

Yes