How many different types of soy sauce are used in Japanese cuisine?

Rice, soy and vinegar
In Denmark, the selection of Japanese soy sauce is very small and there are several reasons for this.

In Denmark, soy sauce is used in a different way than in Japanese cuisine. In Japan, soy sauce is considered a spice.

Our knowledge of Japanese soy sauce is very limited. In Japan, the labels are written on bottles with Japanese characters. This makes it difficult to figure out which soy sauce is used in which dishes.

In Japan, there are as many soy sauces in a Japanese supermarket as the selection of cheese in a Danish supermarket, which means that it does matter which soy sauce is used when cooking Japanese food.

Japanese soy sauce is a main ingredient in Japanese cuisine it gives the Japanese flavors and aromas that characterize food served in Tokyo.

In the Traditional Japanese cooking class for beginners, you will learn how to make tasty Japanese dishes where different soy sauce is used simultaneously in some of the dishes. Authentic Japanese dishes made from scratch.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

When is sake used in Japanese dishes?

Sushi chef & sake sommelier Zoë Escher
Sake is widely used in Japanese cuisine.
When sake is used is a little different, it depends on the dish. That, of course, must fit. Sake is added to dishes a bit in the same way, such as white wine or red wine in European cuisine.

However, not all types of sake are suitable for cooking. There are large selections of sake that are only suitable for drinking.
In Japan, several different types of sake are produced for cooking. It does not matter what kind of cooking sake are poured into the dish, as they taste very different.
You can, without knowing it, change the whole taste of the dish in question by pouring ”wrong” sake into the food.

Traditional Japanese food course for beginners you get a thorough introduction to the different types of sake used in Japanese cuisine. You will also learn when and in what dishes the different sake should be used.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

What is best to drink to sushi?

What is best to drink for sushi depends on where in the world you are.

Denmark is a country where wonderful wines are enjoyed all year round. Wines that go well with heavier dishes with meat or fish and seafood dishes that is lighter.

On a warm summer evening, I would suggest that you drink cold white wine that goes well with seafood. There are several different white wines and, I would recommend that you look past a wine merchant, they will be able to make the perfect match.

Champagne is also a very delicious wine to drink for sushi. The fine bubbles go really well with sushi. In Denmark, bubbles are most often drunk at special events. White wine and/or champagne are good choices for sushi.

In Japan, sushi restaurants most often serve cold beer for sushi. At the exclusive restaurants such as Michelin restaurants, you as a guest are offered sake. Sake is not just sake. Of course, it is important to sake wine that goes well with sushi.

When it comes to sushi, the selection of drinks is huge.

Read more about Sushi course for beginners

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Sake is more sophisticated than “ordinary” wines

The Japanese rice wine sake has more dimensions than classic wines as we know it in Europe. Sake wines have a nice and a more silky smooth texture. Sake is not “heavy” that you can sometimes experience with wine.

The variety of aromas is greater in your wines. Some sake wines have a depth that you do not find in wines and other sake types smash your tongue.

And yes in some countries you can get sake with bubbles which is Japan’s interpretation of champagne.

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

This is how the generation +55 years prefers to drink sake!

SakeIn Japan sake is served in several different ways. The older generation +55 years often drinks sake on weekdays and at special events.

During the week sake is typically served at the evening meal. How many glasses they drink depends on the percentage of alcohol. Generally speaking the percentage of alcohol in a bottle of sake is higher than in a bottle of wine.

As a rule of thumb if the percentage of alcohol in a bottle of sake is roughly the same as a bottle of wine the Japanese do enjoy a few glasses.

If the alcohol content is significantly higher and I am thinking of a bottle of booze the Japanese drinks small amounts of sake in the mug which is the size of a shot glass.

In the last newsletter of the year I will talk about how the younger generation prefer to drink sake.

Read more about Sushi Chef & Sake Sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.

Gem

Gem

How big is the selection of sake in Japan?

SakeThe selection of sake is very large in Japan.

In Europe wine is divided into champagne, white wine, red wine and dessert wine.

In Japan sake is divided into four main categories respectively Kun-shu, Sou-shu, Jun-shu and Jun-shu. Juku-shu is a category which is reserved for sake which has been aged for a long period of time.

Beside that there is also sake with bubbles and sake which is served for dessert. In addition, varying alcohol content also depend on which type of sake we are talking about. You can get sake with an alcohol content that matches a bottle of vodka. Therefore it does matter how sake is drunk. In Japan sake is drunk in several different ways.

In Japan sake is drunk in several different ways.

Read more about Sushi Chef & Sake Sommelier Zoë Escher

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Zoë has lectured and held sushi courses for A. P. Moller – Maersk, Hugo Boss Nordic, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Velux, Gorrissen Federspiel, Beierholm revision, Elbek & Vejrup and many more.