对于日本人来说清酒为什么重要？喝清酒有什么特别的讲究

今天的这段对话，在讨论清酒，

对于日本人来说清酒为什么重要？喝清酒有什么特别的讲究

来听今天的讲解:

A:Hi, I wonder if you can help me. I have a fi-iend from Japan. who has just been promoted. so we are holding a big party for him. I would like to get some good quality sake, but I have no idea where to start.

你好，我不知道你能否帮我一个忙。我有个日本朋友，他刚刚升职，所以我们要为他举办一个大型聚会庆祝一下。我想买些质量较好的清酒，可是我不知道怎么挑。

B: Well, you've come to the right place. You know, to Japanese, sake is not just a drink. It's much more important than that.

哎．你算是来对地方了。你知道，对日本人来说，清酒不只是一种饮品，它要比这个重要得多。

A:Oh, really? In what way?

哦，真的吗？怎么重要？

B: Sake is often associated with festivals and rituals, it's been an important part of Japanese life from the ancient period right up to the present.  Production was started in 300 BC. But the first written record dates back from AD 300. Originally, it was drunk by the Imperial Court and in some very large temples.

清酒常常和节、庆典有关，从古至今一直是日本人生活巾的重要组成部分。清酒的生产开始于公元前300年，但是第一份文字记载的资料要追溯到公元300年。原来只是向皇宫和一些大型寺庙供应。

A:So, it wasn't for ordinary people then? I mean the general public.

就是说，当时清酒不是普通人所能享用的？我是指普通老百姓。

B: No, sake is very special indeed.

没错，清洒的确很特殊。

A: What exactly is sake made from?

清酒到底是用什么制成的？

B: It's basically made from rice and water with microbes called "koji", and sake yeast. We always use very good quality rice, because the bettter the rice, the better the sake. This special rice is called " Sakamai".

主要由大米、水以及一种叫清酒曲的微生物和滑酒酵母加丁而成口我们一直用质量上乘的大米，因为用的米越好，制出来的酒就越香。这种特殊的米叫“酒米”。

A:I see. Is there a special way to drink sake?

我知道。喝清酒有没有特别的讲究？

B:Yes, you can drink sake hot or cold. It changes its flavour with different temperatures, so one type of sake will raste very different when served hot and when served cold.

有的，可以加热也可以冰镇饮用。温度不同，味道也会有变化，所以同一种清酒冰镇和加热饮用的味道是大不一样的。

A:Well, it's summer so maybe cold would be betrer for the party.

好的，现在是夏天，所以聚会上冰镇饮用可能会不错。

B: If you want to dnnk cold sake, the best rype is this one, " high ftlavour sake", or "light and smooth sake". They taste much better when served chilled.

如果你想喝凉清酒，最好要这种“醇香型（大吟酿）”或“淡丽型”。冷藏后，米酒的味道会更好。

A: OK, thank you. Now. I'm not in charge of the food. but what would you recommend to eat with the sake? Sushi or some other rype of fish ?

好的，谢谢你。虽然我不负责食品采购，不过你能否推荐一下跟清酒搭配的食品？寿司或其它什么鱼类？

B: Well, actually sake enhances the flavour of ingredients and at the same time softens the softens strong smell of meat and seafood. So, honestly, you could eat anything with it.

是这样，实际上清洒可以改善食料的味道，同时也使很浓重的肉味、海腥味变得淡些。所以．说实话，喝清酒你吃什么都可以。

A: Thank you for your time. It's been really interesting to learn all about sake, hopefully the party will be a success now I know which type to buy.

谢谢，占用你那么多时间。全面了解一下清酒真的很有意思。现在我知道要买哪一种了，希望我们的聚会办得成功。