Sake vs Tapuy

The Japanese have sake while Filipinos, thru the Igorots, have tapuy.

Both sake and tapuy are alcoholic drinks made from rice.

All along I thought that sake and tapuy were one and the same thing. However, a Philrice resource person I talked to told me that the two are different because of the mold used to break down the rice starch that becomes alcohol. I was also told that in making sake, water is added in the middle of the production process whereas with tapuy, the rice is simply left in a corner once innoculated with the mold.

For sake, the mold used is Aspergillum oryzae, while for tapuy, the mold used is Rhizopus oryzae. While they can be harmless and useful to make wine, both can also create problems and cause illness with improper handling. The Japanese mold is commonly called "koji" while the Philippine mold is called "bobod" by the Igorots.

In Japan, sake has become an almost revered national drink while in the Philippines, tapuy consumption has become confined mostly in the Cordillera region where it is mostly made.