The Science of Sake: Fermentation, Culture, and History with Dr. Eric Rath

Sake sits at the intersection of fermentation science, ritual, and food culture. In this episode of Foodie Pharmacology, Dr. Cassandra Quave is joined by Dr. Eric C. Rath, professor of history at the University of Kansas and author of Kanpai: The History of Sake . Together, they explore what sake really is, how fermentation with koji mold transforms rice into alcohol, and why sake has played such a central role in Japanese ritual, everyday life, and food culture. The conversation also traces the history of home brewing, the rise of izakaya gastropubs, and the emergence of American sake as both adaptation and innovation.

You can listen to The Science of Sake: Fermentation, Culture, and History with Dr. Eric Rath online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Science of Sake: Fermentation, Culture, and History with Dr. Eric Rath is an episode from Foodie Pharmacology Podcast by Co-Conspiracy Entertainment.

This episode is 40:02 long.

This episode was published on Feb 16, 2026.

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