A New Way to Enjoy Sake Lees! Tasting the Oldest Sake Brewery in the Prefecture [Vegan Custard from the Brewing Town]
Hello! This is Koreeda from The SUZUTIMES editorial department.
What we are introducing this time is [Vegan Custard from the Brewing Town]. I will thoroughly introduce the charm packed into this product, which might leave you a bit puzzled by the name alone!
Main Ingredient: Sake Lees
Sake lees are, as everyone knows, a 'by-product of sake brewing.'
To explain it simply...
When brewing sake, raw materials like 'rice,' 'koji,' and 'water' are fermented, causing them to dissolve into a white, viscous liquid.
To turn this into standard 'sake,' there is a process of applying pressure to separate the liquid portion [sake] from the remaining portion [moromi].
(This is the so-called 'pressing' process. There are various methods for this pressing, and I feel the depth of sake brewing...!)
Sake lees are this [moromi].
Like sake, it contains alcohol, but above all, it is an amazing ingredient packed with nutrients and umami created through fermentation.
Although sake lees are quietly lined up in supermarkets, they were originally like 'scraps' born from sake brewing.
Even so, I think it can be called an ingredient that has stayed close to the lives of Japanese people to this day precisely because people in the past treated it with care as a food ingredient based on what we now call SDGs-like thinking.
Yoshinogawa Brewery
Sake lees, which can be said to be the taste of sake itself, are a bit special in this product, as if they are also a concentration of the history of sake in Niigata.
In 2019, Yoshinogawa Brewery renovated a warehouse built about 100 years ago called 'Jogura' to open
the 'Yoshinogawa Sake Museum [Jogura].'
In this facility, which uses a nationally registered tangible cultural property, you can touch upon the history of Settaya and sake brewing.
Founded in Settaya, Yoshinogawa Brewery has a 470-year history and is said to be the oldest sake brewery in the prefecture.
When you hear about its journey and the stories from the time of its founding, you will be surprised by the historical background and the names of the characters, as if you were watching a historical drama or looking at a history textbook.
From its past of working on 'large-scale brewing' with the desire to make 'everyday delicious sake' just as much as 'special delicious sake,' to actively incorporating young power and new ideas today, it is a sake brewery that continues to challenge itself while maintaining passion and commitment to sake brewing.
We used the carefully selected sake lees made by Yoshinogawa to create 'Vegan Custard,' a sweet that allows you to enjoy sake lees in a new way.
The Town of Fermentation and Brewing: 'Settaya'
Settaya is a place where the history of fermentation and brewing culture is even more deeply rooted, even within Nagaoka, where such culture is already established.
It is said that it flourished as a transportation hub in the Edo period, and because of its convenient transportation and abundance of resources such as high-quality water and rice, breweries gathered in this area.
It is a place whose historical value is recognized as a place where the appearance of that time remains miraculously, having escaped repeated disasters and war, and it has supported Nagaoka's traditions and food culture for a long time.
The 'Brewing Town' series is a product series that collaborates with each of the six breweries existing in Settaya to deliver the traditional fermentation and brewing culture as a slightly new way to enjoy it.
Product: Vegan Custard from the Brewing Town
Custard cream free from the 7 major allergens
Custard cream is a rich, thick, and creamy dessert made from eggs, flour, and milk. It is a standard in Western confectionery.
We have recreated this cream using the flavors of sake lees and soy milk, making it completely free of eggs, flour, and dairy ingredients.
To bring out the unique flavor and deep taste of the sake lees, we use "traditional raw sugar."
By using sugar that has not been chemically refined and contains many minerals, we have drawn out a caramel-like aroma and richness.
The Appeal of Sake Lees
This product was commercialized after a planning period of over a year. It is infused with the desire to connect the history of Settaya to the present and the future.
Sake lees have long been a familiar ingredient in Niigata, a land of sake, but many people struggle with how to use them, and they often have an image of being difficult to incorporate into daily life.
We developed this as a dessert out of a desire to help people enjoy sake lees and fermented foods more easily, and to let more people know about Nagaoka and Settaya.
It comes in a board-like form (commonly known as 'board lees') that can be broken by hand.
Yoshinogawa's sake lees are incredibly rich in umami. They are characterized by a superb, vibrant fermentation aroma.
This cream, with its gentle sweetness and soft aroma, can be enjoyed in many ways, such as spread on toast or mixed with soy milk to make a drink.
Also, the alcohol content has been removed through heating during the manufacturing process.
It is safe for children to eat, making it a dessert that the whole family can enjoy while benefiting from the nutrients in sake lees.
Please enjoy it while reflecting on the fermentation culture of Niigata.
Arrangement Recipe: Vegan Custard Shira-ae Style Salad
<Materials>
・Pumpkin
・Walnuts
・Vegan Custard from the Brewing Town
・Salt/Pepper
<Instructions>
1. Steam the pumpkin until soft (we recommend leaving it firm enough to retain some shape), and peel it if you like.
2. Mix the desired amount of Vegan Custard into the pumpkin from step 1.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Top with walnuts and it's done.
The aroma of sake lees and the rich sweetness of pumpkin are a perfect match. A little tip is not to over-mix when combining them. We also recommend adding plenty of walnuts for a delightful texture!
▼ We also introduce arrangement recipes in this article!
Finally...
It was a product with a lot of information, including the term 'sake lees cream' and 'vegan custard'...
We hope that through this item, you will experience the food of Niigata, including Settaya, and enjoy the ingredient 'sake lees' more closely.
Well then, look forward to the next update!!
Koreeda