SORA NEWS



 

Classy new chips were designed to pair with one specific type of sake.
The size of the cups that sake is traditionally served in are similar in size to shot glasses, but Japan’s national spirit isn’t something that’s supposed to be gulped down.

Instead, sake is a drink to be sipped and savored, usually while having something to eat too so that the interplay of flavors makes for a harmonious, delicious synergy.

 

Koshimeijo, a sake brewer founded in Niigata Prefecture in 1845, is particularly committed to this aspect of sake culture. Its Yamashiroya Special Class is brewed for a smooth flavor and mild aroma to make for easy pairings with a variety of foods.

But just like Yamashiroya is crafted to go well with food, there’s now a food that’s been created specifically to go well with Yamashiroya, and surprisingly, it’s a new type of potato chip.

 

Chip maker Koikeya, whose previous Japanese-style innovations have included matcha chips, chips with gold leaf, and Pikachu chips, set out to design a new chip that would have sake fans reaching for their cup after every bite.

 

Bearing the unusual name Mikansei (meaning “incomplete,” and with “The potato chips are not complete” written on the bag), the chips came about after multiple planning sessions and taste tests between Koikeya and Koshimeijo, during which the two companies tested not only different seasoning combinations but even multiple potential shapes for the snacks.

Eventually they settled on the classy combination of shrimp, oyster, and olive oil flavors, chosen for how well the mixture meshed with the strong rice notes Yamashiroya Special Class has, a palate-pleasing characteristic of Niigate sake.

 

Mikansei are being sold in a special bundle of three 50-gram (1.8-ounce) bags of the chips plus a 300-mililiter (10.1-ounce) bottle of Yamashiroya Special Class, priced at 2,178 yen (US$20) and available here through Koikeya’s online shop. Just don’t forget to save room for Japan’s new sake for ramen too.