Categories
Chinese liquor can be generally classified into two types, namely yellow liquors (huangjiu) or clear (white) liquors (baijiu).
Baijiu of Chinese Liquor (White Liquor)
Baijiu, or “shaojiu” is a Chinese distilled alcoholic beverage. The name baijiu literally means "white liquor," "white alcohol" or "white spirits.” Baijiu is often mistakenly translated as "wine" or "white wine," but it is actually a distilled liquor, generally about 80 to 120 proof, or 40-60% alcohol by volume. It is usually served on the table of families and restaurants either for get-togethers, celebrations, or simply for fun and relaxation
History
At the time that ancestors of the Chinese people started living in communities along the Yellow River valley, the planting of various kinds of grain laid the foundation for making wines and alcohol.
Some scholars believe that the technique for making Chinese liquor originated in the Xia Dynasty (c.2100 BC-c.1600 BC). Historical records credit Yi Di and Du Kang as the founding fathers of making liquor professionally.
According to historical records, Yi Di made great efforts to make mellow wine with fermented glutinous rice. Du Kang, who lived in the Xia Dyanasty, is credited with making top-notch liquor with Chinese sorghum beans. As the story goes, "Du Kang stored some cooked Chinese sorghum seeds inside a hollow tree stump on a winter day. In the spring of the following year, a fragrant aroma wafted from the tree stump into the nostrils of Du Kang. Afterwards, Du Kang found that it was the fermented sorghum seeds which gave off the alluring fragrance." This accidental discovery inspired him to make liquor from fermented sorghum seeds.
Print
Save