''Jiuniang'' is a sweet, soup- or
pudding
Pudding is a type of food which can either be a dessert served after the main meal or a Savoury (dish), savoury (salty or sweet, and spicy) dish, served as part of the main meal.
In the United States, ''pudding'' means a sweet, milk-based des ...
-like dish in
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine comprises cuisines originating from Greater China, China, as well as from Overseas Chinese, Chinese people from other parts of the world. Because of the Chinese diaspora and the historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine ...
. It is also known as sweet wine or sweet rice wine. It consists of a mixture of partially digested rice grains floating in a sweet saccharified liquid, with small amounts of alcohol (1.5–2%) and lactic acid (0.5%). It is made by fermenting
glutinous rice
Domestication syndrome refers to two sets of phenotypic traits that are common to either domesticated plants or domesticated animals.
Domesticated animals tend to be smaller and less aggressive than their wild counterparts; they may also hav ...
with a
starter called ''
jiuqu'' containing ''
Rhizopus oryzae
''Rhizopus oryzae'' is a filamentous heterothallic microfungus that occurs as a saprotroph in soil, dung, and rotting vegetation. This species is very similar to ''Rhizopus stolonifer'', but it can be distinguished by its smaller sporangia and ...
'' or ''
Aspergillus oryzae
''Aspergillus oryzae'', also known as , is a mold used in East Asia to saccharify rice, sweet potato, and barley in the making of alcoholic beverages such as '' sake'' and '' shōchū'', and also to ferment soybeans for making soy sauce and '' ...
'' and often
yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...
and bacteria.
Ingredients and preparation
It was first developed as a
by-product
A by-product or byproduct is a secondary product derived from a production process, manufacturing process or chemical reaction; it is not the primary product or service being produced.
A by-product can be useful and marketable or it can be cons ...
of ''
mijiu'' production and generally speaking is partially digested rice from a young rice wine (or
vinegar
Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...
) ferment. If eaten quickly or held at 10 degrees or less, which halts the fermentation, the product can be consumed as ''jiuniang''. If the temperatures are raised and fermentation continues, ''jiuniang'' will eventually produce rice wine or rice vinegar. ''Jiuniang'' is most commonly made and consumed in the winter, where fermentation can be halted easily.
[Li, Jian-rong, and Yun-Hwa P. Hsieh. "Traditional Chinese food technology and cuisine." Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition 13.2 (2004).]
''Jiuniang'' is often made with
sweet osmanthus
''Osmanthus fragrans'' (), variously known as sweet osmanthus, sweet olive, tea olive, and fragrant olive, is a flowering plant species native to Asia from the Himalayas through the provinces of Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan in China, Taiwan, souther ...
flowers in a dish is called ''guihua jiuniang'' ( zh, s=桂花酒酿, t=桂花酒釀). It is also often served together with small unfilled ''
tangyuan'' during the
Dongzhi Festival, a Chinese winter holiday dedicated to the ancestors. All forms of ''jiuniang'' are typically eaten with a spoon.
Similar dishes
An almost identical food product is made in Southeast Asia. In the Philippines it is called ''binubudan'', in Thailand it is called ''
khao mak'', and in Malaysia and Indonesia it is called ''
tapai
''Tapai'' (also ''tapay'' or ''tape'') is a traditional fermented preparation of rice or other starchy foods, and is found throughout much of Southeast Asia, especially in Austronesian cultures, and parts of East Asia. It refers to both th ...
''. In Indonesia it most popularly made with purple/black glutinous rice and called ''tapai ketan''.
It is also similar to the southern Vietnamese dish ''
cơm rượu'', which usually contains balls of rice. It is also similar to Korean ''
sikhye'' and Japanese ''
amazake
is a traditional sweet, low-alcohol or non-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. ''Amazake'' dates from the Kofun period, and it is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki. It is part of the family of traditional Japanese foods made using ...
'', although these are thin in texture and considered drinks rather than soups or puddings.
See also
*
Rice pudding
Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and commonly other ingredients such as sweeteners, spices, flavourings and sometimes eggs.
Variants are used for either desserts or dinners. When used as a dessert, it is commonly c ...
*
Mijiu
*
Amazake
is a traditional sweet, low-alcohol or non-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice. ''Amazake'' dates from the Kofun period, and it is mentioned in the Nihon Shoki. It is part of the family of traditional Japanese foods made using ...
– Japanese equivalent of ''jiuniang''
*
Sikhye – Korean equivalent of ''jiuniang''
*
Gamju
''Dansul'' () or ''gamju'' () is a milky (or cloudy) Korean rice wine made with rice, glutinous rice, and '' nuruk'' (fermentation starter). Due to the incomplete fermentation of the rice, the wine has relatively low alcohol content (2‒3% AB ...
*
Tapai
''Tapai'' (also ''tapay'' or ''tape'') is a traditional fermented preparation of rice or other starchy foods, and is found throughout much of Southeast Asia, especially in Austronesian cultures, and parts of East Asia. It refers to both th ...
References
Further reading
* History of the later Han * Volume 32: 《后汉书。樊传》：“又野王岁献甘醪膏饧。”李贤注：“醪，醇酒汁滓相将也。”引伸为浊酒。
External links
''Jiuniang'' page
Chinese alcoholic drinks
Chinese desserts
Chinese soups
Rice pudding
Rice wine
{{Drink-stub