【Reading】いりざけ

【English Name】Irizake (sake-plum sauce)

A liquid seasoning created by combining umeboshi (pickled plum) and Japanese sake and reducing it over heat—that is irizake. Originating in the Muromachi period, it was indispensable at the dining table as a presence on par with tare-miso in an era when soy sauce had not yet become widespread.

Past the middle of the Edo period, soy sauce, which keeps well and has a powerful flavor, spread to various regions, and the occasions for irizake gradually declined. However, compared with soy sauce, it has a milder taste, and its great appeal lies in bringing out the inherent character of the ingredients themselves.

The basic preparation is simple: drop one large umeboshi into about 180 ml of junmai sake, heat it over low flame, and turn off the heat once the volume has reduced to about half. After straining, move it to a cool, dark place and let it rest for one to two days to stabilize the flavor. It can be kept refrigerated for about two weeks. Methods of adding bonito flakes, kelp, roasted rice, and the like to deepen the richness are also known.

It is said to pair especially well with sashimi of white-fleshed fish and shellfish, and is undergoing renewed appreciation in the world of sushi, where seasoning that does not detract from the inherent character is sought.