This week’s entry is the second intermission in our Days of Wine and Music series. Instead of going to the lobby for a couple of boxes of candy or a bag of chips, or crisps, as the case may be, why not find a squeeze bottle of Jogurt and treat yourself to a delicious and healthful drink?
Jogurt straddles the border between solid and liquid and, therefore, can be consumed with spoon or by slurp. It is a new product from FARM8, a Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, based company. Simply put, it is a sake-lees (sake kasu) yogurt. Lees + lactic acid bacteria = great stuff. Jogurt is a good example of upcycling, a word which took on a new meaning circa 1994: “to recycle (something) in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item: to create an object of greater value from (a discarded object of lesser value)” [Merriam-Webster Dictionary]. This definition of upcycling may be new, but the practice is certainly not. Lees, which are a byproduct or waste product, depending on one’s perspective, have been used for years to enhance the mouthfeel of wine and as a fish marinade. These are just two examples. We at drinkingjapan.org enjoy adding a little sugar to a mat of such lees, popping it in the toaster oven, and when slightly singed, removing and consuming. Sake lees are especially nutritious.
We tasted some Jogurt recently and wrote up the following tasting notes. The important word here is “balanced.” The influence of the sake kasu, which gives the product a rich mouthfeel and is reminiscent of doburoku, is offset by the tartness from the yogurt side of the equation. Unlike ordinary yogurt, which has a lackluster aroma at best, Jogurt is a pleasure to smell, as well.
The concept of upcycling food has always appealed to us at drinkingjapan.org. It is, to the best of our knowledge, a win-win type of thing. Those readers similarly inclined might be interested in visiting the following websites: FARM8’s and that of the Upcycled Food Association. The latter organization certifies “upcycled food products & ingredients.”
Drinking Japan 