The cooking mode is almost the same as that of the mirin, but the akazake makes the ingredients more tender than the mirin because it does not affect the proteins of the ingredients that become harder.
Akazake is particularly appreciated by Japanese leaders for several reasons:
1. Meet meat and fish very tender and juicy.
2. Creates brilliant glaze
3. Refreshes the sweet taste that does not stay in the mouth.
4. Increases umami
5. Eliminates odors
6. It is not necessary to reduce the alcohol content before cooking
The origin of the Akazake is uncertain, but it is said that Kato Kiyomasa, a supporter of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, reported him from Korea during the seven-year war (1592-1598). Kiyomasa brought a specialist in Kumamoto to make the Akazake and people then learned to do it.
In Kumamoto, during the Edo era, the Hosokawa clan decreed that Akazake was the official Sake of the country and imposed restrictions at the entrance of other types of Sake. Even today, in the Kumamoto region, the inhabitants drink from Akazake on special occasions such as New Year celebrations and shinto ritual events.
Also called Tohi Akazake, our Akazake is made with the Akumochizake manufacturing method, translated by "Sake with ashes", the traditional alcohol of Japan. The bouquet evokes wet forest leaves, the caramel, the tonka bean, the praline in the mouth. Its texture is velvety, syrupy; The degree of sweetness is high and the low alcohol level.
The most impressive aspect of this drink is its incredibly silky texture in the mouth. Akazake is used as a wine wine in various dishes, including simmerish fish, simmer dishes, sukiyaki sauce and Teriyaki sauce.
