A Japanese delegation welcomed the announcement in Luque.
“Sake is considered a divine gift and is essential for social and cultural events in Japan,” Kano Takehiro, the Japanese ambassador to UNESCO, told The Associated Press.
The basic ingredients of sake are few: Rice, water, yeast and koji, a rice mould, which breaks down the starches into fermentable sugars like malting does in beer production. The whole two-monthlong process of steaming, stirring, fermenting and pressing can be gruelling.
The rice – which wields tremendous marketing power as part of Japan’s broader cultural identity – is key to the alcoholic brew.
For a product to be categorised Japanese sake, the rice must be Japanese.
The UNESCO recognition, the delegation said, captured more than the craft knowledge of making high-quality sake. It also honoured a tradition dating back some 1,000 years – sake makes a cameo in Japan’s famous 11th century novel, The Tale Of Genji, as the drink of choice in the refined Heian court.
Now, officials hope to restore sake’s image as Japan’s premier alcoholic drink even as the younger drinkers in the country switch to imported wine or domestic beer and whiskey.
Source: CNA
