© Tetsu KARIYA, Akira HANASAKI/Shogakukan Inc.

I’m really getting into Oishinbo. Through some quirk, it’s perfectly timed to coincide with my interest in Japanese cusine, so I eagerly await each new volume of this fantastic little cooking manga. Just to remind you, this A La Carte series is a sampling of an epic manga series that has over one hundred volumes, so you get all the best bits collected into seven volumes looking at specific food and drink. This volume – number two – is all about sake.

Now I’ve been waxing lyrical about rice, it’s cultural significance and versatility but the transformation from grain to alcohol is fascinating. Think Japan and you’re more than likely to associate the country with sake than anything else. Sake is drunk during wedding ceremonies, geiko bonding rites, by salarymen after a day at work, it is offered to the gods at shrines and it’s now becoming popular with women as an alternative to wine.

Volume one introduced the characters and the purpose of the story … The Ultimate Menu, Yamaoka Shiro’s feud with his gourmet father, Kaibara Yuzan. Woven into this rich storyline is food … as the cast try to find the perfect menu to celebrate the Tozai News’ Hundredth Anniversary, Yamaoka and other culinary masters explain food and drink which makes up an important part of Japanese culture, from the simple to the expensive and extravagant.

So, sake. This volume doesn’t just introduce Japan’s favourite alcohol, it also looks at the kinds of food which complement it. However the chapters – which in this volume are called ‘flights’ – emphasis is also placed on giving sake it’s rightful dues. At least two chapters deal with characters who believe that sake cannot match champagne or wine. By doing this, Kariya Tetsu imparts useful information such as how to find the best sake, what to look for in a seller and how sake should be stored.

As with the first volume, two of the four colour pages are devoted to two of the recipes featured within the manga, in this case sansho kombu and beef short ribs in miso, as well as instructions and colour photographs showing the finished dishes. They don’t half make you hungry! The volume also contains a short essay by Kariya Tetsu and, next to the manga itself, the most informative section is an appendix which offers cultural and food notes to compliment the text. There’s also a teaser for volume three, which looks searches for ’soul of ramen’ and gyoza (and is out on 19 March).

The story itself remains interesting and teaches but not in a patronising or obvious way, preferring instead to drip feed information and keep everything relevant. Yamaoka’s feud with this father is also one of the key aspects of the manga and there are times when both of their views are equally valid, even if their approaches are radically different. By focusing on specific aspects of cuisine per volume it also allows for lots of relevant information to be imparted succinctly without ruining the plot or confusing the reader. The fact that it’s not a traditional cook book also makes it much more relevant for a wide demographic, Oishinbo should be viewed more as a jumping off point for people interested in Japanese cuisine. 

Oishinbo: Volume Two is out on 10 March, priced $12.99.