Editing Sake (section)

===Rice===
[[File:Yamada Nishiki rice (unpolished) from Hyogo.jpg|thumb|[[Yamada Nishiki]]]]
The rice used for brewing sake is called {{Nihongo3|'sake rice'|酒米, さかまい|sakamai}}, or officially {{Nihongo3|'sake-brewing suitable rice'|酒造好適米, しゅぞうこうてきまい|shuzō kōtekimai}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A handy guide to sake - Japan's national drink|url=https://japantoday.com/category/features/food/a-handy-guide-to-sake-japan%27s-national-drink|access-date=2021-11-23|website=Japan Today|language=en}}</ref> There are at least 123 types of sake rice in Japan.<ref name ="nourin">{{cite web|url=https://www.maff.go.jp/j/seisaku_tokatu/kikaku/attach/pdf/sake_01chousa-1.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215083805/https://www.maff.go.jp/j/seisaku_tokatu/kikaku/attach/pdf/sake_01chousa-1.pdf|script-title=ja:資料2 酒造好適米の農産物検査結果（生産量）と令和元年産の生産量推計（銘柄別）|language=ja|publisher=[[Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)]]|archive-date=15 December 2022}}</ref> Among these, [[Yamada Nishiki]], Gohyakumangoku, Miyama Nishiki and Omachi rice are popular.<ref name ="nourin"/> The grain is larger, stronger (if a grain is small or weak, it will break in the process of polishing), and contains less protein and lipid than ordinary table rice. Because of the cost, ordinary table rice, which is cheaper than sake rice, is sometimes used for sake brewing, but because sake rice has been improved and optimized for sake brewing, few people eat it.<ref name="yamada">{{cite web|url=http://www.nippon.com/ja/features/h00113/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625030216/http://www.nippon.com/ja/features/h00113/|script-title=ja:酒米の王様「山田錦」|language=ja|publisher=Nippon.com|date=19 June 2015|archive-date=25 June 2017}}</ref><ref name="nihonshula">{{cite web|url=https://sake-5.jp/rice-polishing-rate/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519091409/https://sake-5.jp/rice-polishing-rate/|script-title=ja: 日本酒の精米歩合について詳しく解説 精米歩合が高い=良いお米？|language=ja|publisher=Nihonshu Lab|date=18 September 2020|archive-date=19 May 2022}}</ref>

Premium sake is mostly made from sake rice. However, non-premium sake is mostly made from table rice. According to the Japan Sake and Shochu Makers Association, premium sake makes up 25% of total sake production, and non-premium sake ({{tlit|ja|futsushu}}) makes up 75% of sake production. In 2008, a total of 180,000 tons of polished rice were used in sake brewing, of which sake rice accounted for 44,000 tons (24%), and table rice accounted for 136,000 tons (76%).<ref>Page 15 and 37 https://www.nrib.go.jp/English/sake/pdf/guidesse01.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111191207/https://www.nrib.go.jp/English/sake/pdf/guidesse01.pdf |date=November 11, 2020 }}</ref>

Sake rice is usually polished to a much higher degree than ordinary table rice. The reason for polishing is a result of the composition and structure of the rice grain itself. The core of the rice grain is rich in starch, while the outer layers of the grain contain higher concentrations of fats, vitamins, and proteins. Since a higher concentration of fat and protein in the sake would lead to off-flavors and contribute rough elements to the sake, the outer layers of the sake rice grain is milled away in a polishing process, leaving only the starchy part of the grain (some sake brewers remove over 60% of the rice grain in the polishing process). That desirable pocket of starch in the center of the grain is called the {{Nihongo||心白, しんぱく|shinpaku}}. It usually takes two to three days to polish rice down to less than half its original size. The rice powder by-product of polishing is often used for making [[Rice cracker|rice crackers]], Japanese sweets (i.e. [[Dango]]), and other food stuffs.<ref name="yamada"/><ref name="nihonshula"/>

If the sake is made with rice with a higher percentage of its husk and the outer portion of the core milled off, then more rice will be required to make that particular sake, which will take longer to produce. Thus, sake made with rice that has been highly milled is usually more expensive than sake that has been made with less-polished rice. This does not always mean that sake made with highly milled rice is of better quality than sake made with rice milled less. Sake made with highly milled rice has a strong aroma and a light taste without miscellaneous taste. It maximizes the fruity flavor of ''[[#Special-designation sake|ginjō]]''. On the other hand, sake made with less milled rice but with attention to various factors tends to have a rich sweetness and flavor derived from rice.<ref name="yamada"/><ref name="nihonshula"/>

''Rice polishing ratio'', called {{Nihongo||精米歩合, せいまいぶあい|Seimai-buai}} (see [[Glossary of sake terms]]) measures the degree of rice polishing. For example, a rice polishing ratio of 70% means that 70% of the original rice grain remains and 30% has been polished away.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mathew|first=Sunalini|date=2019-01-03|title=Introducing sake|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/introducing-sake/article25899194.ece|access-date=2021-11-23|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> As of 2023, the most polished sake has a polishing ratio of 0.85% or less, with at least 99.15% of its rice grains polished away. This sake is {{nihongo||零響 Crystal 0|Reikyo Crystal 0}}, released by {{nihongo|Niizawa Brewery Co.|新澤醸造店}}, priced at 1,375,000 yen for 720 ml.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://xtrend.nikkei.com/atcl/contents/18/00765/00003/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127134216/https://xtrend.nikkei.com/atcl/contents/18/00765/00003/?n_cid=nbpnxr_twed_new|script-title=ja:日本酒の世界最高精米歩合、ついに更新 新澤醸造店が目指す新地平|language=ja|publisher=Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.|date=24 January 2023|archive-date=27 January 2023}}</ref>