Takju

''Makgeolli'' (), sometimes anglicized to makkoli (, ), is a 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 astringent. Chalky sediment gives it a cloudy appearance. As a low proof drink of six to nine percent alcohol by volume, it is often considered a "communal beverage" rather than hard liquor.

In Korea, ''makgeolli'' is often unpasteurized, and the wine continues to mature in the bottle. Because of the short shelf life of unpasteurized "draft" ''makgeolli'', many exported ''makgeolli'' undergo pasteurization, which deprives the beverage of complex enzymes and flavor compounds. Recently, various fruits such as strawberries and bananas have been added to makgeolli to create forms with new flavours.

Names

The name ''makgeolli'' () is a compound, consisting of ''mak'' (; in this context "just now") and a deverbal noun derived from the verb stem ''georeu-'' (; "to strain, to sift, to filter") to which is added a noun-forming suffix ''-i'' ().

Because of its cloudy appearance, ''makgeolli'' is also called ''takju'' (), meaning "opaque wine", as opposed to the refined, transparent ''cheongju'' (). Another name for ''makgeolli'' is ''nongju'' (), reflecting the traditional popularity of the beverage among farmers.

English nickname

In 2010, the South Korean Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries announced "drunken rice" as the winning entry in a competition to find an English nickname for ''makgeolli''. "Makcohol" (makgeolli + alcohol) and "Markelixir" (makgeolli + elixir) were among the runners-up. The five-member panel reasoned that the chosen name would communicate the product's identity as a rice liquor and evoke associations with its ambassadors, the popular Korean hip-hop group Drunken Tiger. This met with a cool reception from the Korean public, with objections relating to translation of the noun ''makgeolli'', felt to be unnecessary, and to the negative connotations of the word "drunken".

Scottish band Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5, playing at the inaugural DMZ Peace Train Festival in 2018, called ''makgeolli'' 'Fight Milk', or 'Korean Buckfast'.

Japanese name

In 2009, Korean importers in Japan began producing ''makgeolli'' products, promoting them with the name ''makkori'', the Japanese pronunciation of ''makgeolli''. In 2011, several Japanese ''sake'' companies, including Gekkeikan and Tatenokawa, launched cloudy rice wines under the name ''makkori'', and announced plans to export the products to Asia, America, and Europe. Concerns were raised in Korea that this could lead to ''makgeolli'' being mistakenly regarded as traditionally Japanese rather than Korean, as had happened in the 1996 kimchi-kimuchi case.

History

''Makgeolli'' is the oldest alcoholic beverage in Korea. Rice wine has been brewed since the Three Kingdoms era, which ran from the 1st century BCE to the 7th century CE. The consumption of rice wine during the reign of King Dongmyeong (37–19 BCE) is mentioned in the founding story of the kingdom of Goguryeo in ''Jewang ungi'' (Songs of Emperors and Kings), a 13th-century Goryeo Korean book.

There are a number of other early records mentioning rice wine in the Korean Peninsula. The Goryeo Korean book ''Samguk yusa'' (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) mentions the brewing of ''yorye'' (, "cloudy rice wine") in the kingdom of Silla for King Suro of Gaya by his seventeenth-generation descendant in 661, in its section entitled ''Garakguk gi'' (Record of the State of Garak). In the Jin Chinese book ''Sānguózhì'' (Records of the Three Kingdoms), the section ''Dongyi'' (Eastern Foreigners) of the ''Wei Shu'' (Book of Wei) contains the observation that "the Goguryeo Koreans are skilled in making fermented foods such as wine, soybean paste, and salted and fermented fish". The Asuka Japanese book ''Kojiki'' (Records of Ancient Matters) makes reference in the section entitled ''Ōjin-tennō'' (Emperor Ōjin) to a man named ''Inbeon'' () from the kingdom of Baekje being taught how to brew wine. And the poem ''Gōngzishí'' (), by the Tang Chinese poet Li Shangyin, refers to Silla wine () made with non-glutinous rice.

During the Goryeo dynasty, ''makgeolli'' was called ''ihwa-ju'' (, pear blossom alcohol), as the liquor was made when the pear trees were in blossom. This was associated in many communities in Korea around that time with a tradition of all-night drinking and dancing in special ceremonies. ''Makgeolli'' was brewed at home for centuries and was considered a "farmer's wine", or rural working-class beverage.

During the period of Japanese rule of Korea (1910–1945), the colonial government introduced a licensing system and taxed even for self-consumption, and by 1934, home brewing had been banned. The Park Chung Hee dictatorship also banned its making (1965) because of rice shortages. In 1990, the South Korean ban on brewing with rice was finally lifted, with home brewing again becoming legal only at the beginning of the 21st century. In the interim period, ''makgeolli'' was made from wheat.

The most-consumed alcoholic drink in South Korea in the 1960s and 1970s, ''makgeolli'' began to lose popularity in the 1970s with the rise of imported alcoholic beverages. Also, due to the national food shortage, the government banned making makgeolli using rice, and makgeolli was made by mixing 80% wheat flour and 20% corn. When flour was used, the quality of makgeolli deteriorated. As ''makgeolli'' was considered cheap and old-fashioned, sellers then focused on selling quantity rather than quality, with many ''makgeolli'' companies turning to mass production. In this process, the rice wine is usually brewed with a non-traditionally manufactured fermentation starter instead of the traditional ''nuruk.'' It is also diluted with water.

In the 21st century, ''makgeolli'' enjoyed a resurgence in urban areas and among younger generations. The health benefits and low alcohol proof of ''makgeolli'', and a growing interest in cultural traditions in recent decades, have contributed to the revival. The product continues to be inexpensive, with a plastic, soft drink-style bottle costing around ₩1,200 ( $). Novelty high-end ''makgeolli'' are also produced, using traditional methods free of artificial additives. There were at least 700 small-scale breweries in production in South Korea in 2017. As of 2023, Geumjeongsanseong Makgeolli in Busan was the only officially recognized makgeolli master in the country.

Brewing

''Makgeolli'' is made from rice using ''nuruk'', a Korean fermentation starter. ''Nuruk'' is a dry cereal cake that has been allowed to ferment and mature to promote the growth of molds producing hydrolyzable enzymes that decompose the starches of the cereal grain into sugar. This sugar is then used by yeast to produce alcohol through fermentation. Different kinds of ''nuruk'', made with different ingredients such as rice, wheat, barley, or mung beans, produce ''makgeolli'' of a variety of flavors.

Steamed rice, ''nuruk'', and sometimes additional flavoring ingredients such as maize, chestnuts, fruits, herbs, and flowers are mixed and left to ferment in ''onggi'', the same permeable clay crocks used for making kimchi, soy sauce, and other fermented foods.

The brewing process involves two stages: seed and main mash and main fermentation. Seed mash is the process of obtaining actively growing yeasts and enzymes in the mixture of yeast and ''nuruk''. The tastes and aromas of the main mash develop with the transformation of the rice-derived nutrients and amino acids. Main fermentation lasts for about a week.

''Makgeolli'' is best consumed fresh, a week or two after brewing. When freshly brewed, it has a milder and creamier taste. It acquires a stronger taste over time and turns into rice vinegar after a couple of months.

Traditionally, the wine was only created one way, but to reach out across the different age groups and for exporting purposes there are several different ways the wine is created. Once ''makgeolli'' has been exported, it can change as well. Many people also brew makgeolli at home these days. Traditionally, ''makgeolli'' is created unpasteurized.

Commercial production

Many mass-produced ''makgeolli'' are brewed with non-traditional manufactured fermentation starter instead of the traditional ''nuruk'', and are diluted with water and contain additives such as aspartame. This gives the liquor sweetness without adding a fermentable carbohydrate, and thus increases shelf life. Flavorings such as fruit and ginseng are also sometimes added.

Consumption

''Makgeolli'' is usually served chilled, in a bottle or in a pottery bowl with a ladle. Prior to drinking, it is stirred with the ladle, or the bottle is gently flipped upside down several times with the cap on, in order to mix in the settled sediment. It is then ladled or poured into individual small bowls, rather than cups, for drinking. This is because of the tendency of ''makgeolli'' to split into a cloudy white fraction that settles to the bottom and a clear, pale yellow liquid that rises to the top.

''Makgeolli'' is often served with fried buchimgae, Korean pancakes, such as ''pajeon'' (made with scallions), ''haemul-panjeon'' (made with scallions and seafood), and ''bindae-tteok'' (made with mung beans and pork). Consuming ''makgeolli'' with these pancakes is a custom often associated with rainy days. There are a number of theories regarding the origin. The first theory is the effect of association, whereby the sound of the rain is similar to the sizzling sound of a pancake making, so when it rains, pajeon automatically comes to mind. The second theory has to do with traditional agricultural culture. When the farmers were not able to work due to the rain, especially during the rainy season of Summer, they made pajeon to soothe their hunger and accompanied it with makgeolli, a farmer's favorite drink. Naturally, it became a seasonal food, and the tradition has been passed down to this day.

''Makgeolli'' may also be mixed with ice and fruits such as mango and pineapple to make fruit cocktails, or with ''saida'' (lemon-lime drink) to make a simple cocktail named ''maksa''. ''Makgeolli'' mixed with ''kkul'' (honey) is called ''kkul-makgeolli''.

Because of the microorganisms present during fermentation, ''makgeolli'' is a probiotic product. It contains high levels of lactic acid bacteria such as ''Lactobacillus'', as well as vitamins, amino acids, and fiber. With a 1.9 percent protein content, over 10 amino acids, vitamin B, inositol and choline, ''makgeolli'' is reputed to increase metabolism, relieve fatigue and improve the complexion.

Gallery

File:Makgeolli 3.jpg, alt=, bottled makgeolli
File:Korea Makgelli 18 (7934121404).jpg, alt=, Various makgeolli
File:Makgeolli and dubu-kimchi(Tofu with Stir-Fried Kimchi).jpg, alt=, Makgeolli and dubu-kimchi
File:Makgeolli 01.jpg, Makgeolli on traditional Korean table

Similar beverages

''Dongdong-ju'' ("float-float wine") is a drink very similar to ''makgeolli'', but slightly creamier and with unfiltered floating rice grains. The word ''dongdong'' is an ideophone for a small object floating by. ''Ihwa-ju'' ("pear-blossom wine") is so named because it is brewed from rice with rice malt which ferments during the pear-blossom season. ''Ihwaju'' is often so thick that it is eaten with a spoon. ''Dansul'' ("sweet wine") is a sweeter variety with partial fermentation.
The Tibetan alcoholic beverage Chhaang is also very similar drink with its cloudy milky appearance along with its unfiltered rice sediments. During the Tibetan lunar new year, Tibetans drink a slight variation of Chaang by adding dried cheese, droma (a type of small tuber similar in taste to sweet potato) and nuts which is then heated and drunk warm. In Nepal, where chaang is enjoyed by the Newars and Sherpas, Korean produced bottled makgeoli is branded and sold as chaang.

Chinese ''choujiu'' and Japanese ''nigori'' are rice wines similar to ''makgeolli''.

See also

* ''Nigori'' – Japanese equivalent of Makgeolli
* ''Choujiu'' – Chinese equivalent of Makgeolli
* ''Zutho'' – Naga equivalent of Makgeolli
* ''Cheongju''
* List of rice beverages
* Korean alcoholic beverages
*

References

{{Alcoholic beverages

Korean alcoholic drinks
Rice wine
Alcoholic drinks