Sweet or Dry: Which would you go for?

Well, we are talking about Sake - that extra cool drink that goes best with Sashimi. Let it be known in the outset this desk is a born Saint with no inclination for alcohol and lest fit for a discussion on Sake. And yet he insists on contributing an episode on Sake because the subject has more to do with language than drinks. So, here we go.

Come to Japan, and you find just as much rice or rice-related foodstuff as Sake and all of its variations. If you are a language man you will see in the liquor store shelves after shelves of Sake tactfully named to rouse your appetite. 

And your closer look at each label will reveal all Sakes classified either Amakuchi (sweet) or Karakuchi (dry). Dry for Karakuchi is a bit euphemistic as an analyst authentically puts it "unsweet". He argues Sake in the Yedo Period was made from mineral-rich rice and, with more enzyme active in fermentation, could have given out a touch of acid. The less the sugar content, the higher the acidity - hence "unsweet" Sake in the Yedo Period was what we call dry today.

The confusion roots in varied meanings of Kara from Karakuchi: salty, hot spicy, strict severe, etc. Sake tastes different from one party to another, where to drink and with whom. So, really there is no ground for serious debates on its sweetness or dryness, But, from a Saint's point of view, there ought to be a definite line drawn between the two camps.

Why so? Well, some almost always go for sweet and others never fail to go for dry - pardon me "unsweet". A large proportion of gin makes a dry martini - that makes sense. What gin-like substance is there to make Sake "dry"?

It's high time this episode was wrapped up. The point is: why not you take a while to spend time in Japan and find us what makes Sake sweet or dry as you taste it?

News Source: Nikkei Shimbun