Japan’s brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
Japan has long experimented with the role of sound in fermentation.For centuries, sake brewers sang motosuri-uta, rhythmic work songs performed while grinding rice and preparing yeast starters. The songs synchronized the movements of brewery workers, kept them warm through the depths of winter and boosted morale. Folklore also held that workers would speak to the microorganisms in the kōji (rice inoculated with kōjikin mold), encouraging healthy fermentation.Today, that tradition is being revisi...
