Yesterday was Valentine’s Day… The famous February 14 when all the boys (well almost) run to the florist to get a bouquet of roses and where all the girls (well almost) rush to a store to find a new bottle fragrant!
Some will say that Valentine’s Day is cliché… Others that it’s an opportunity to say “I love you”… It doesn’t matter which team you are in because I wanted to talk to you about the subject from the Japanese version.
For many years, Valentine’s Day has been a must in the Land of the Rising Sun. It must be said that the Japanese love giving gifts and they are professionals when it comes to beautiful packages. So much so that it’s sometimes a shame to open it because it’s magnificent!
Tradition dictates that women give a gift on February 14. And in general, they offer chocolates (now you see the link with the title of the article I think!). It’s a party for couples but not only. Because imagine that in Japan, women will give gifts to their darlings but also to their friends and work colleagues without it having a romantic meaning.
Several types of chocolate are offered:
– The “giri-choco” for the colleague, which can be translated as “courtesy chocolate”. These chocolates are generally bought in stores and women will offer the same ones to all their male friends.
– The “tomo-choco” for the friend. Tomodachi meaning friend in Japanese.
– The “papa-choco” for his darling little dad!
– The “fami-choco” for members of his family.
– The “honmei-choco” for the lover, which can be translated as “favorite chocolate”. Here, the chocolates are ideally homemade or purchased in a very nice boutique with a personalized box and a little sweet note.
– “Jibun-choco” which are chocolates that you offer to yourself.
What you also need to know is that since the 1980s, there has been “White Day”. This white day is March 14, one month after February 14 (well done, we all know how to count!). On this occasion, it is the men who flirt with the women! They will respond to their gifts by offering treats. The difficulty is of course finding the perfect gift for the person who gave honmei-choco! However, the brands are intelligent and they wanted men to also participate in February 14 in Western fashion. They therefore invented “gyaku-choco” (chocolates in the other sense) which are chocolates to give to the one you love for Valentine’s Day. So, I looked into the question for Valentine’s Day to find original chocolates linked of course to Japanese sake. I found two gem products to discover urgently.
Chocolate Nigori Saké is a sake, as its name suggests, from Homare, located in Fukushima Prefecture. It is a sake made with two rices: Gohyagumangoku and Hanafubuki with a polishing rate of 70%. This sake has 10% alcohol and is recommended to be enjoyed chilled. This product is a mixture of unfiltered sake (called nigori) and chocolate syrup! Onward then, the cocoa aromas but also the touches of caramel and the comforting notes of vanilla! The House actually released 3 products with 3 different flavors: strawberry, lychee and chocolate. Yum… La Kura also offers cocktail ideas to make with this sake. Here are small examples:
Mint Chocolate Nigori: 60ml Chocolate Nigori + 10ml Mint liqueur + a few mint leaves. In a glass filled with ice cubes, pour the two liquids and mix. Decorate with mint leaves!
Coffee Chocolate Nigori: 60ml of Chocolate Nigori + 10ml of coffee + 30ml of milk + whipped cream. In a glass filled with ice cubes, pour the liquids and mix. Add whipped cream.
I found this sake in a 300ml bottle for around 14 euros on the French market.
Chocolate sake is nice but chocolate sake is super cool too. So just for you, foodies, here is Sunrise Sake. Yes, it is indeed a creation of a chocolate with “tart yuzu followed by the smokiness of sake ganache and umeshu, a Japanese plum wine” which offer “a refreshing tasting experience from the first bite “. It is a gourmet product made by NeuhausChocolates. And there’s even a video!
This beautiful chocolate house was born in 1857 in Belgium. She is the one who created the Belgian praline and even the famous ballotin! More recently, she launched a unique concept: chocolate cocktails. It’s the meeting, the fusion of high-end chocolate with a vibrant cocktail recipe! We then discover Rosie Vodka, Provence Gin, Clarita Rum, Midnight Whiskey… and Sunrise Sake! This creation was made in partnership with renowned mixologist, Jan Van Ongevalle.
I hope this can give you ideas for March 14th!! Otherwise, you can always enjoy (in moderation) a small glass of well-chosen sake with chocolates from your favorite chocolatier!
#France Bleu Gironde broadcast from February 15, 2024 with Marie-Corine Cailleteau: click on the link to listen to the replay more easily!
