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Every culinary culture has its own favourite vinegar and in Japan this is rice vinegar, which is a light golden colour with a mild and fragrant flavour. Throughout this book, use Japanese rice vinegar unless specified otherwise.

There are many brands of rice vinegar and each manufacturer produces several different grades. The grading of rice vinegar is quite similar to that of olive oil. Junmai-su, which means ‘pure rice vinegar’, is the highest quality – the equivalent of extra virgin olive oil – and is made from the first pressing of polished white Japanese rice. The next in order of quality and purity is kome-su, meaning ‘rice vinegar’. Lower-quality vinegars contain added alcohol and are made from other grains. In general, price is a good indication of quality – buy the best quality you can afford for the finest flavour.

As vinegar darkens with age and through exposure to light, it should be stored in tightly capped glass bottles in a cool, dark kitchen cupboard. Its gentle aroma can begin to fade after the bottle has been open for several weeks, so it is best to buy a small quantity at a time and to use it as quickly as possible.