history of sake

Many people drink saké with sushi or when eating in Japanese restaurants, but not many people know very much about the interesting history of this uniquely Japanese beverage. Saké is a brewed alcoholic beverage, produced in a fashion similar to beer, except that where beer begins with a mash of wheat and barley, the base grain used in sake production is rice. Good sake is produced from a special type of rice (called—shockingly–sake rice), which contains less protein and more starch than typical table rice. After polishing, the rice is rested (air dried), soaked in water, and steamed. A special mold (Aspergillus oryzae) is added