Matching sake with food

The key to pairing sake with food is to match the weight. Light, crisp sake goes with delicate food such as sashimi or chilled tofu; rich junmai, kimoto or yamahai goes with fuller flavours such as simmered dishes or teriyaki-glazed yakitori.

1. Match the weight

A light sake disappears next to a heavy dish; a heavy sake drowns a delicate one. The grade and the way a sake was made tell you roughly how heavy it is (see Types of sake).

• Light and crisp (tanrei karakuchi, honjozo, ginjo): white-fish sashimi, chilled tofu, edamame, salt-grilled fish.
• Rich and savoury (junmai, kimoto and yamahai, genshu): simmered meat and potatoes, glazed yakitori, ginger pork.
• Aged sake (koshu): cheese, grilled eel, slow-braised Chinese dishes, chocolate.

2. Salt and umami are sake's strengths

Sake carries umami from the rice, so it loves salty, savoury food. Salted fish guts (shiokara), dried fish, miso, cheese and pickles are classic partners. Salted bonito guts are even called shutō ("sake thief") because they make the sake disappear.

3. Match the aroma

Fragrant ginjo wants food that doesn't get in its way: white-fish sashimi, carpaccio, fruit, fresh cheese. Strong spices cover up the aroma you paid for.

4. Match the temperature

• Warm sake suits warm food (oden, hot pots, yakitori) and cleans up the finish after something fatty.
• Chilled sake suits cold dishes and light starters: sashimi, cold pork shabu-shabu, vinegared salads.

How to warm it: How to warm sake.

5. Sake and seafood

Sake is said to bring out less fishiness with roe and shellfish. With wine, that fishy note has been linked to the iron in the wine, and sake brewers keep iron out from the brewing water onwards.

6. Local sake, local food

When in doubt, pair things from the same place: Niigata's light sake with white fish, Hiroshima sake with oysters, dry Kochi sake with seared bonito. They grew up together.

Shochu and awamori

• Imo shochu: braised pork belly, fried fish cakes (satsuma-age), black-pork shabu-shabu. Its sweet aroma loves pork fat.
• Mugi shochu: fried food such as karaage or tempura, grilled fish.
• Kome shochu: sashimi, simmered dishes, Japanese food in general.
• Awamori: goya champuru, rafute (braised pork belly), fermented tofu (tofuyo).