''Choujiu'' is a type of Chinese
fermented
Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food p ...
alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol that acts Alcohol (drug), as a drug and is produced by Ethanol fermentation, fermentat ...
brewed from
glutinous rice
Glutinous rice ('' Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amyl ...
. It is very thick and has a milky white color, which is sometimes compared to
jade
Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group ...
.
photo
/sup> Fermentation is carried out by a combination of the fungus ''Aspergillus oryzae
''Aspergillus oryzae'', also known as , is a filamentous fungus (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 f ...
'', which converts the rice starches into fermentable sugars, and yeast, which converts the sugars into alcohol. Varieties of lactic acid bacteria are also commonly present in the fermentation starter. The traditional Chinese name of the fermentation starter is ''qū
''Qū'' (), ''qú'' (pronunciation in Taiwan), ''qūniè'' (), ''jiǔqū'' (), or ''jiǔmǔ'' () is a type of East Asian dried fermentation starter grown on a solid medium and used in the production of traditional Chinese alcoholic beverages.Chen ...
''.
''Choujiu'' is an ancient variety of Chinese alcoholic beverage. It can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
, where it was praised by the poet Li Bai
Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du F ...
.[ ] In ancient times, ''choujiu'' was referred to as ''láolǐ'' ( 醪 醴) or ''yùjiāng'' ( 玉 浆).
In the modern day, the city of Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqi ...
is known particularly for its ''choujiu''.
'' Doburoku'' ( / ) is the Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
ese equivalent of ''choujiu'', and in Korea ''gamju
''Dansul'' () or ''gamju'' (), translated as sweet wine, is a milky (or cloudy) 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 ...
'' and ''makgeolli
''Makgeolli'' ( ko, 막걸리, raw rice wine ), sometimes anglicized to makkoli (, ), is a Korean alcoholic beverage. The milky, off-white, and lightly sparkling rice wine has a slight viscosity that tastes slightly sweet, tangy, bitter, and ast ...
'' are similar.
See also
* Chinese alcohol
* ''Doburoku''
*''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 usin ...
''
*''Gamju
''Dansul'' () or ''gamju'' (), translated as sweet wine, is a milky (or cloudy) 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 ...
''
*''Makgeolli
''Makgeolli'' ( ko, 막걸리, raw rice wine ), sometimes anglicized to makkoli (, ), is a Korean alcoholic beverage. The milky, off-white, and lightly sparkling rice wine has a slight viscosity that tastes slightly sweet, tangy, bitter, and ast ...
'' – Korean equivalent of ''Choujiu''
*'' Nigori'' – Japanese equivalent of ''Choujiu''
*'' Zutho'' – Naga equivalent of ''Choujiu''
References
External links
How to Brew Choujiu
- Recipe & Information, including photos documenting the brewing and fermentation process.
Chinese alcoholic drinks
Rice wine
Types of beer
Chinese wine
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