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''Cheongju'' (; literally "clear wine"), sometimes romanized as ''Chungju'', is a clear, refined
rice wine Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the s ...
of Korean origin.


Names

The word ''cheongju'' () consists of two characters: ''cheong'' () meaning "clear" and ''ju'' () meaning "alcoholic drink". It contrasts with ''takju'' (), as "tak" () means "turbid". The word ''takju'' usually refers to '' makgeolli'' (milky, unrefined rice wine). The
hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...
characters 淸酒 are the same as the
kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequ ...
pronounced ''seishu'' used on the labels of
sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and in ...
. The native Korean word for "clear wine", ''malgeun-sul'' (), is also used to refer to ''cheongju''. Another name for ''cheongju'' is ''yakju'' (), which literally translates into "medicinal wine".


History

According to '' Things on Korea''—a 12th-century book on Korea written by Song Chinese scholar Sun Mu (孫穆)—the
Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...
people used non-glutinous rice to brew rice wine. Another 12th-century Chinese book, '' Illustrated Account of Goryeo'', reports that Korean rice wine that is made with '' nuruk'' is deeper in color and has a higher alcohol content; it says that when drinking this wine one gets drunk quickly and sobers up quickly. This book says that clear, refined rice wine was made in the royal court, while milky, unrefined rice wine was more popular among commoners.


Preparation

''Cheongju'' is usually brewed in winter, between the months of November and March. Steamed rice mixed with '' nuruk'' (fermentation starter) and water is left to ferment for 16 to 25 days, at a temperature not higher than . During the fermentation process, the rice starch becomes saccharified; the yeast fungi feed on the sugars created by saccharification and produce alcohol. The fermented wine is then filtered with ''yongsu'' (a wine strainer), which is dipped into the liquid. The clear wine inside the ''yongsu'' is ladled out to make ''cheongju''.


Consumption

''Cheongju'' has been widely used in a variety of traditional
ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized ...
s and rites, as it is regarded as a well-prepared alcohol.


Varieties

Southern cities in South Korea such as
Masan Masan is an administrative region of Changwon, a city in the South Gyeongsang Province. It was formerly an independent city from 1949 until 30 June 2010, when it was absorbed to Changwon along with Jinhae. Masan was redistricted as two distric ...
, Gunsan, and
Nonsan Nonsan () is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at . The origin of Nonsan's geographical names is said to have come from the small garden " Nolmoe, " which rises in the middle of farming fields, where rice paddi ...
are famous for producing good ''cheongju''. ''
Beopju ''Beopju'' () is a type of ''cheongju'' (clear rice wine). The name literally means "law liquor", as it is made following a fixed procedure. On 1 November 1986, a variety called ''Gyodong-beopju'' was designated by the government of South Korea ...
'' brewed in
Gyeongju Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...
and '' sogok-ju'' brewed in Hansan are well-known varieties of ''cheongju''. There also are ''cheongju'' varieties made with glutinous rice or black rice. Flavoured ''cheongju'' varieties include '' gukhwa-ju'' made with
chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums (), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants of the genus ''Chrysanthemum'' in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the cent ...
, '' dugyeon-ju'' made with
rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...
, '' songsun-ju'' made with
pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...
sprouts, '' yeonyeop-ju'' made with lotus leaves, and ''insam-ju'' made with
ginseng Ginseng () is the root of plants in the genus '' Panax'', such as Korean ginseng ('' P. ginseng''), South China ginseng ('' P. notoginseng''), and American ginseng ('' P. quinquefolius''), typically characterized by the presence of ginsenosides ...
.


Similar beverages

''Cheongju'' is similar to other East Asian
rice wine Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the s ...
counterparts such as the Chinese '' mijiu'' and Japanese ''
sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and in ...
''. A dry white vermouth can also serve as a substitute for ''cheongju'' in cooking.


Gallery

Cheongju.jpg, ''Yi Sangheon yakju'' Cheongju 2.jpg, ''Cheonbihyang'' Cheongju 3.jpg, ''Upoui achim'' Cheongju 4.jpg, ''Anseong yakju'' Gyodong beopju.jpg, ''
Beopju ''Beopju'' () is a type of ''cheongju'' (clear rice wine). The name literally means "law liquor", as it is made following a fixed procedure. On 1 November 1986, a variety called ''Gyodong-beopju'' was designated by the government of South Korea ...
''


See also

* '' Gwaha-ju'', fortified rice wine * '' Mijiu'', a Chinese equivalent of ''cheongju'' * ''
Sake Sake, also spelled saké ( ; also referred to as Japanese rice wine), is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name ''Japanese rice wine'', sake, and in ...
'', a Japanese equivalent of ''cheongju'' * Korean alcoholic beverages


References

{{Alcoholic beverages Korean alcoholic drinks Rice wine