The 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off today with South Africa v. Mexico and Uruguay v. France, and in the UK the World Cup is more or less synonymous with having a few (too many) drinks. And this renewed enthusiasm for a quick tipple means that the World Cup also sees the various players in the drinks industry battling it out on the consumer field for sales glory. Japan’s entry is the stunning Official FIFA Licensed Japanese Sake Series, a range of 17 traditional Japanese alcoholic drinks in limited edition World Cup 2010 branded bottles.

For three months, between February and April 2010, the Eat-Japan Trade Directory’s sister website, Eat-Japan.com, carried out a comprehensive survey on consumer trends in Japanese cooking at home. The survey was designed to provide an insight into which Japanese ingredients consumers were familiar with, which dishes they were cooking with them, and what they wanted to see more readily available in the future. For trade and restaurants professionals, up-to-date information on consumer trends is gold dust, particularly in a relatively niche market, informing buying and menu decisions and future marketing strategies.

Sake Matching Dinner @ Moti Mahal, Thursday 27th May

As we’ve been profiling here at the Eat-Japan Trade Directory, the interest in Japanese beverages is starting to catch up with the long-standing popularity of its cuisine, and the art of pairing sake with food – including non-Japanese cuisine – is  also a growing trend.  Which brings us to an interesting six-course sake matching dinner, held last month at one of London’s best Indian restaurants, the Moti Mahal. Sake expert Sarah Wedgbury hosted the evening, along with Moti Mahal’s wine buyer and Head Chef.

For the past few years, sake has been a big part of the International Wine Challenge, the world’s most prestigious and influential wine competition. The annual IWC Sake Masterclass is always packed full of experts and enthusiasts, but the main event is of course the tasting and the subsequent announcing of the results, at the London International Wine Fair. 2010 saw an unprecedented number of entries in the sake category, clearly demonstrating just how many sake brewers in Japan are turning their attention to the global market and the new opportunities it offers.

On 19 May, London’s Saki Bar & Food Emporium hosted a shochu tasting evening showcasing four shochu never before available in the UK. The event was attended by London-based chefs, restaurateurs and food professionals, all keen to sample the Honkaku Shochu (authentic shochu) from Kagoshima, an area which accounts for around 35% of all authentic shochu production in Japan. The four tasting shochu were all imojochu, or sweet potato shochu, which may be less familiar as a ingredient for shochu than rice or barley, but nevertheless produces shochu with robust aroma and a very distinctive taste.