Sushi and Sake Pairing: Fuki Plum and Tekka Maki

What better a combo than sushi and sake? Well, if you are looking for a great pairing of the two, then I have included a brief but informative guide on choosing your next sake and sushi combo. Sake is actually a wine made from rice as opposed to fruit. Sake is brewed more like beer is brewed rather than the fermentation process of wine. There are two types of sake, futshu-shu, which is ordinary wine and tokutei meisho-shu, which is a more special version of premium sake. As far as sushi goes, there are many types available to try. Some include the California Roll, which is avocado and crab, Maguro, which is tuna and Unagi, which is eel.

Now when it comes to pairing, finding the right sushi to accompany sake could be rather difficult but it can be done. First I would like to suggest a great sake to try, Fuki's Plum. It is a sake that includes plum notes that add a little sweetness to the taste. This is a great alternative to the original Fuki because the flavor depths are more developed though the slightly sweet plum taste.

It is best to serve this rice wine at room temperature or slightly warm. It has a delicate aroma when chilled or at room temperature but it can smell rather strong if you decide to heat it. Although the smell might be strong, the flavors come out much more when the sake is warmed. It is 16% alcohol, which is a little bit stronger than other wines. This sake goes great with Tekka Maki, tuna roll. Tuna is a great fish and is paired wonderfully with Fuki Plum sake.

The plum sake is clear and has a very light taste. Fuki sake actually helps enhance the flavors of the food that you are eating with it by cleansing the palate. You can enjoy sake in the traditional small sake cup or even just a wine glass. Having your palate cleansed is great for the preparation for a delicious tuna roll. Tuna rolls are composed of sushi rice, nori (which is dried seaweed) and raw tuna. You would easily cut the tuna into long strip; place the nori on a bamboo mat, spread rice on top of the nori followed by the tuna, roll up the bamboo mat and then pull out the sushi.

From my experience, this sake is a lot easier to drink and enjoy then some of the traditional western red and white wines that I have tried. It goes incredibly well the tuna sushi because plum compliments tuna whether cooked or raw. You cannot go wrong with this superb flavor combination.