Taste with KJ – Sake Pairing with Problematic Produce

Have you ever wondered about the legitimacy of food and beverage pairing? There are classic wine pairings, such as Champagne and oysters, Bordeaux reds with steak or even Sauternes dessert wine and foie gras. The adage in the sake industry is that, “Sake doesn’t fight with food.” But are new discoveries in taste over? Is pairing sake and wine with food BS and just embellishment by crafty sales people? The answer is NO! My experiment this month proved that new pairings can indeed be discovered! 

Last month during our team dinner at Pa'ina, I noticed that the most difficult food items to pair sake with were the jalapeños on top of the poke nachos and the cilantro-rubbed chicken wings. As mentioned prior, sake is very agreeable in pairing scenarios, so for sake to have issues with foods that are also very challenging to pair with wine gave me the concept for this month’s article… Sake Pairing with Problematic Produce! 

The first goal in this exploration was to pick produce that are most likely to cause issues in a beverage pairing situation. I decided to dive into the most intimidating realm which in my opinion is the world of bitter veggies and fragrant herbs. Beau recommended using umami-rich sake with these types of foods, so I set out to find three big, bad umami-laden sake to enjoy during this experiment. 

The Veggie & Herb Contenders:

• Asparagus

• Frisée

• Arugula

• Jalapeño

• Brussel Sprouts

• Mustard Greens

• Romanesco Cauliflower

• Artichoke

• Dill

• Cilantro

The Big Baddies:

• Wakatake Onikoroshi Tokubetsu Junmai Genshu "Demon Slayer" from Shizuoka 

• Fukumitsuya Kuroobi DO DO Yamahai Junmai "Black Belt" from Ishikawa

• Minato Yamahai Nama Genshu "Harbor" from Akita 
  

During the pairing, all three sake were 45F (about 10 minutes out of the fridge). On their own, these sake have distinct personalities. Wakatake Tokubetsu Junmai is a very boozy, dry sake with medium body and notes of steamed rice. Kuroobi Yamahai Junmai is also dry and delivers notes of cashews, persistent umami and an elegant, almost light body. Minato is the opposite of the two with a very full body, some sweetness and a boatload of umami. The flavors of these three sake are closer together at room temp, but their bodies are distinctly different. 

Asparagus - a perennial herb from the Asparagaceae family. Asparagus is troublesome in pairing situations due to asparagusic acid and various sulfur compounds that can make a beverage pairing taste metallic or bitter. 

+ Wakatake - Tastes like dry añejo tequila! Clay pot and smoke notes emerged. Also aromas of light lemon and vanilla bean. Weird!!!

+ Kuroobi - Very chill. They stand side by side pleasantly and don't interact. 

+ Minato - Smooth body and the flavors became peppery and sweet. This was an okay pairing. 

Frisée - from the chicory family which includes lettuces like endive and radicchio. Frisée is very bitter, almost quinine-like and it has a grassy taste. The bitterness in this lettuce comes primarily from intybin and other compounds. 

+ Wakatake - Nice one!!It gets silky with lemon rind notes. The boozy character disappears!

+ Kuroobi - A forest of mushrooms emerge. A gentle sweetness too. Good pairing!

+ Minato - Notes of sweet peanut butter mousse when combined. Boozy finish! YUM! 

Arugula - part of the Brassicaceae family which includes mustards, cabbages and crucifers. Arugula contains glucosinolates, which are sulfur-containing compounds. When eaten raw without dressing, they are spicy and extremely bitter.

+ Wakatake - The body becomes thinner and fresh fruitiness develops. But the arugula is so bitter it outlasts the sake flavor, then combines with an ultra boozy finish. Yikes! Good one, but for extremists. 

+ Kuroobi - So bright!! Like ripe cherries. The bitter arugula enhances the sake and makes a strong cherry flavor that lasts into the finish. Like a dark chocolate covered cherry without the sweetness. 

+ Minato - Bitterness and booze balanced by sweetness. It works! Would be better with some dressing (sour/acid).

Jalapeño - part of the nightshade family which includes tomato, potatoes and eggplants. Capsaicin is the compound that creates a hot sensation when consumed. Jalapeño heat varies and this one was hot AF. It was so hot, I almost sneezed. When grilled, its crispy texture turns more gelatinous, like steamed cactus.

+ Wakatake - Cools off palate and makes a cheese-like taste. Booze on the finish interacts poorly with tactile heat.

+ Kuroobi - Very nice, almost soothing!

+ Minato - Softens heat in a nice way. This would be perfect with the poke nachos and jalapeño from last month!

Brussel Sprouts - from the Brassicaceae family also known as crucifers. Brussel Sprouts have delicate bitterness and sulfurous aromas due to glucosinolates, which break down into bitter compounds when boiled or steamed. If you like less bitter brussels, try roasting them! 

+Wakatake - Harsh alcohol, kind of sharp. I like it for a refreshing sake option. It also has a vanilla frosting essence. 

+ Kuroobi - Butterscotch pudding notes! Winner!!

+ Minato - This was a weird mix. It got very citric.

Mustard Greens - also from the Brassicaceae family. Like brussel sprouts, glucosinolates are responsible for the bitter character of mustard greens. 

+ Wakatake - The greens are so bitter and dense, but the sake lifts the flavor. The greens are very earthy, but the sake covers the bitterness... creating a vanilla bean essence between the two. The booze almost matches the bitterness in intensity. And it almost gets minty!  

+ Kuroobi - There is a hint of caramelized mushroom and sweet egg. With Dijon mustard added, it’s great!!! This sake mellows the salty mustard completely. 

+ Minato - The salty peanut butter and sweet characters take the forefront. Although the bitterness from the mustard greens outlasts each sip.   When adding some Dijon mustard to the greens, it becomes refreshing with umami and chocolate notes. Caramel emerges too.

Romanesco Cauliflower - another from the crucifer family. Nothing in the natural world showcases fractals and the Fibonacci sequence quite like a romanesco cauliflower! Again, glucosinolates and sulfur compounds are responsible for its challenging flavor profile.

+Wakatake - With baked romanesco cauliflower, the sake had a smooth texture contrasted by a strong boozy finish and notes of vanilla bean.

+ Kuroobi - This pairing takes some umami away from the sake and enhances the cauliflower taste. The light body is pleasant at a cool temperature, but flavors are not. 

+ Minato - Neither the sake or cauliflower mess with each other. They are complimentary, but nothing new happens.

Artichoke - from the Asteraceae family, also known as the daisy family. It took me years before I realized that artichokes are actually flowers. I found out when walking through my town and seeing one in bloom (hence the photo taken below!). Artichokes are difficult to pair because of chlorogenic acid and cynarin, which temporarily takes away the palate’s ability to perceive bitterness, saltiness and acidity, leaving one with an unusual sweet-like taste. 

+Wakatake - Not much happening. 

+ Kuroobi - Soft caramel notes, so light and thin. Yum!

+ Minato - Gets sweeter with artichoke and loses umami. Meh. It's the cynarin compound in the artichoke not working with the Minato’s actual sweetness. 

Dill - from the Umbelliferae family, a family of aromatic flowering plants including fennel, anise, parsley, cumin, coriander and cilantro. Dill is a tricky herb to pair with due to monoterpenes, carvone and limonene. Carvone emits a fennel-like taste and limonene exhibits bright citrus. If you have never experienced dill, it tastes like an evergreen wonderland. Eating it raw made me imagine myself in a grassy field in Ireland. 

+ Wakatake - Nice pairing, Wakatake mellows out dill and the vanilla bean emerges again.

+ Kuroobi - Refreshes the palate with a hint of dill showing its face in the background. Dill is BACK at the finish. Funny!! I added some tzatziki, a cucumber yogurt dill sauce which also contains garlic. The Kuroobi acid was exaggerated by the dill and garlic. Blah.

+ Minato - Cool mint vibe. Dill is like the ultimate photobomber, always lurking in the background. It’s back strong when sake disappears. Such a funny flavor. 

Cilantro - also an aromatic flowering plant from the Umbelliferae family. If you pay attention, cilantro tastes like bitter grass, orange pith and soap. Genetics determine how off-putting and soap-like cilantro tastes to a particular person. Cilantro has this effect because believe it or not, the aldehydes that are present in cilantro are the same volatile compounds used to create scent during soap production!

+ Wakatake - Washes out the cilantro flavor, then refreshes the palate. It works, but nothing is added. Would be a nice guacamole pairing.

+ Kuroobi - This sake’s umami covers the orange rind and soap notes, but then the cilantro comes back with a vengeance. Not good. 

+ Minato - YIEY!!! My partner said this pairing reminded him of a plastic ball pit. He also said raw cilantro tastes like bitter orange sorbet, leather, peppercorn and pine needles. No wonder some people hate it! With the Minato, the combination tastes like SALTY chocolate fudge. It’s also like eating orange rind or charred lime rind. Works with a big gulp of sake, not a sip. Cilantro is WEIRD!

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* I did another pairing incorporating our actual dinner which was conveniently jalapeño chicken sausage with Dijon mustard and sauerkraut. The Dijon mustard was the most difficult aspect of this pairing. Mustard seeds contain sinigrin, which is converted by enzyme myrosinase when steeped in liquid, creating allyl isothiocyanate which is responsible for the spicy heat of mustard.

+Wakatake - Sake got totally killed by the Dijon and sauerkraut.

+ Kuroobi - Great! A spicy kick pops out and fights a little with sake, but the Kuroobi has kraut and Dijon DOWN! With just the sauerkraut, the sake becomes super chocolately with essence of shiitake mushroom! Additional notes of crème brûlée, brown sugar and toasted nuts too. GREAT! The salt and sour work with this sake. They run side by side and you can recognize both flavors. Plus they enhance each other! 

+ Minato - Softens the Dijon, but the sauerkraut successfully balances the bitterness of the mustard and sausage. Alcohol is at the forefront. Kind of an edgy pairing, but it works.

The Results! 

- All 3 sake worked with frisée

- All 3 sake worked with mustard greens

- Kuroobi and Minato worked with jalapeño

- Kuroobi and brussel sprouts were the winner! 

Asparagus, arugula, cauliflower, dill and cilantro had no perfect partnerships with the three sake chosen. The Kuroobi was pleasing with artichoke, but it wasn’t a resounding success. I used vegetables and herbs I had left to attempt another pairing. Since there were no clear champions for some of the more problematic items like asparagus and artichoke, I aimed to find the *Grüner Veltliner of the sake world. For this, I again asked our own personal IWC Chairman Beau Timken for his sake choice. He picked Bijofu Tokubetsu Junmai from Kochi Prefecture. This sake has the mellowness of a Junmai, but just enough aromatics from AA-41 yeast to pair with some of these more difficult foods.

*Grüner Veltliner, an Austrian white wine known for being able to handle the hardest of food pairings, including asparagus and artichoke. 

On its own, Bijofu Tokubetsu Junmai has notes of powder and water lily on the nose with flavors of nougat, forbidden rice, delicate melon, and peach candy on the palate. It has an astringent and dry finish, a classic attribute for a sake hailing from Kochi Prefecture.

• Asparagus: Bijofu doesn’t argue with asparagus, but makes the bitterness much stronger. An acquired taste.

• Mustard Greens: Much peachier with super bitter mustard greens. Mustard greens worked surprisingly well with all 4 sake!

• Brussel Sprouts: With brussels, the sake tastes like buttermilk frosting. It would be even better with salted butter. Good one!

• Romanesco cauliflower: Notes of lemon marshmallow and bright acidity emerge. Interesting!

• Artichoke - The sake stays the same and more vanilla appears. Better at cellar temp (60F). Brings out candy sweetness in sake, but no fruit. It works!!!

• Cilantro - This wild herb takes all the sake aroma away and leaves bright acidity which creates a more orange wildflower taste. Thought-provoking, but not recommended. 

I ran out of arugula and dill for the Bijofu section, plus I haven’t cracked the code on cilantro or asparagus yet. If you have your own sake and problem produce inspirations, please email us your ideas at KJ@truesake.com!