1. Japanese Vocabulary

Question 1

Steamed white rice on which a mould has been allowed to grow.

Answer 1

Kōji

Question 2

A high-strength distilled alcohol which has a neutral flavour, added to some sakes before filtration.

Answer 2

Jōzō alcohol

Question 3

A Japanese word for ‘sake’, means the same as nihon-shu.

Answer 3

Sei-shu

Question 4

A Japanese word for ‘sake’, means the same as sei-shu.

Answer 4

Nihon-shu

Question 5

Basic sake, less tightly regulated than premium sake.

Answer 5

Futsū-shu

Question 6

‘Pure rice’, sake that has not had any high-strength distilled alcohol added.

Answer 6

Junmai

Question 7

Premium sake made with rice that is polished to 50% or less. These sakes typically have fruity aromas.

Answer 7

Daiginjō

Question 8

Premium sake made with rice that is polished to 60% or less. These sakes typically have fruity aromas.

Answer 8

Ginjō

Question 9

Grade of premium sake, where rice is polished to 70% or less and a small amount of high-strength distilled alcohol can be added before filtration.

Answer 9

Honjōzō

Question 10

A primary taste (like sweetness, sourness, saltiness and bitterness), we taste this when proteins in food are broken down into amino acids.

Answer 10

Umami

Question 11

A clearly defined section at the centre of the rice endosperm. It is opaque and almost completely made up of starch.

Answer 11

Shinpaku

Question 12

Polishing ratio. The percentage of the rice grain that remains after polishing

Answer 12

Seimai-buai