Sake: Discover the Culinary Pleasures of Sake's Japanese Cuisine
Food & Drink Reference Cultural Studies Culinary Education Japanese Cuisine Beverages & Wine Drinks & Bartending
Sake: Discover the Culinary Pleasures of Sake’s Japanese Cuisine (2015, hardcover, 232 pp.) is the definitive English-language reference for anyone who wants to move beyond the “shot-glass” cliché and understand how premium sake is brewed, graded, and—most importantly—paired with food. Written by Hideo Dekura, a Tokyo-trained chef and educator, the book doubles as a visual tour: every technique, rice variety, and regional style is captured in lush, full-color photography that makes the pages feel like a private walk-through of a kura (brewery). Collectors prize this first-edition hardcover for its durable binding and gallery-quality images, and this copy arrives clean and unmarked—only a few pages show the faintest handling, so it shelves like new.
Inside, Dekura breaks down the sake lexicon (Daiginjo, Junmai, Nama, Kimoto, etc.) with chef-level clarity, then shows exactly how each profile enhances specific dishes—from sashimi to Western braises. The flavor-wheel diagrams, temperature-service charts, and step-by-step tasting notes turn beginners into confident buyers who can explain why a banana-scented Ginjo lifts sweet shrimp or why an earthy Yamahai stands up to grilled beef tongue. Young adults and culinary students love the quick-reference sidebars, while serious oenophiles appreciate the detailed maps of Japan’s 47 sake prefectures and the vintage/ polishing-ratio tables that are still current in 2024.
Because sake exports have tripled since this book’s release, used copies in collectible condition are disappearing fast. Owning a crisp, illustrated hardcover gives you an instant conversation piece for the bar cart and a trusted guide that no online forum thread can match. Whether you are stocking a home izakaya, hunting a gift for a wine-swap friend, or completing a Japanese culinary library, this gently read volume delivers restaurant-grade expertise without the restaurant price tag.
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