''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 that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The c ...
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 a ...
. 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 gro ...
.
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''.
''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 imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...
, 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
Radical 96 or radical jade () meaning "jade" is one of the 23 Kangxi radicals (214 radicals in total) composed of 5 strokes.
When appearing at the left side of a Chinese character, the radical transforms into consisting of four strokes.
In th ...
浆).
In the modern day, the city of Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...
is known particularly for its ''choujiu''.
''Doburoku
''Nigori'' or is a variety of sake, an alcoholic beverage produced from rice. Its name translates roughly to "cloudy" because of its appearance. It is about 12–17% alcohol by volume, averaging 15% with some as high as 20%.
Description
Sake ...
'' ( / ) is the Japanese 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 alcoho ...
'' 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
There is a long history of alcoholic drinks in China. They include rice and grape wine, beer, whisky and various liquors including ''baijiu'', the most-consumed distilled spirit in the world.
Name
(''jiǔ'') is the Chinese character referring ...
* ''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 us ...
''
*''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 alcoho ...
''
*''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
''Nigori'' or is a variety of sake, an alcoholic beverage produced from rice. Its name translates roughly to "cloudy" because of its appearance. It is about 12–17% alcohol by volume, averaging 15% with some as high as 20%.
Description
Sak ...
'' – 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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