UNESCO Lists Sake Brewing as Part of Japan's Intangible Cultural Heritage

TaiwanPlus News

UNESCO has listed Japanese sake brewing as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Brewers in Japan hope the recognition will revitalize their craft as sake has been losing out to other alcoholic beverages in recent years.

Transcript

00:00Chief Brewer Maesako Koichi uses a recipe he's followed throughout his career.

00:07A formula that some version of or another has been used for over a millennium.

00:12The concoction of water, rice, yeast, starters, and koji, a culinary mold, will eventually

00:34turn into sake, an aromatic sweet and sour alcoholic drink beloved in Japan and known

00:40worldwide.

01:00Traditional sake brewing follows a three-step preparation known as sandan-jikomi.

01:05This method allows multiple fermentation stages to occur at the same time in a single container,

01:11and it is so deeply rooted in Japanese culture that UNESCO has recognized it and the brewing

01:15process as a whole as intangible cultural heritage.

01:41Many in the sake industry hope the recognition breathes new life into an industry that's

01:45been hit hard by economic turmoil, climate change, and competition from Western spirits.

02:12The climate, too, is working against the brewers.

02:16Not far from Ishikawa Brewery, unseasonably warm weather this year saw snow come later

02:21to nearby Mount Fuji than ever before.

02:47Brewery insiders point to the example of traditional Japanese cuisine, which the UN listed in 2013

02:53and has proven wildly popular abroad.

02:56We hope similar recognition of sake results in a spike in exports.

03:18A UNESCO committee session in Paraguay recognized the brewing technique on Wednesday.

03:23It's a move that could provide a new future for a beverage tied to Japan's past.

03:29Fu Hua Hong and Bryn Thomas for Taiwan Plus.

Category

Transcript

Recommended