''Choujiu'' is a type of Chinese

fermented Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic compound, Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are Catabo ...

alcoholic beverage Drinks containing alcohol (drug), alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and Distilled beverage, spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered Non-al ...

brewed from

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 ...

. It is very thick and has a milky white color, which is sometimes compared to

jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...

.photo
/sup> Fermentation is carried out by a combination of the fungus ''

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 '' ...

'', 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''. ''Choujiu'' is an ancient variety of Chinese alcoholic beverage. It can be traced back to the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, where it was praised by the poet

Li Bai Li Bai (, 701–762), Literary and colloquial readings, also pronounced Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet acclaimed as one of the greatest and most important poets of the Tang dynasty and in Chinese history as a whole. He and hi ...

. 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 is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

is known particularly for its ''choujiu''. '' Doburoku'' ( / ) is the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese equivalent of ''choujiu'', and in Korea ''

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 ...

'' and ''

makgeolli ''Makgeolli'' (), sometimes anglicized to makkoli (, ), is a Korean alcoholic drinks, Korean alcoholic drink. It is a milky, off-white, and lightly sparkling rice wine that has a slight viscosity, and tastes slightly sweet, tangy, bitter, and astr ...

'' are similar.

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 {{Drink-stub

See also

References

External links