History:
– Rice wine production dates back thousands of years
– Ancient China used rice wine as a primary alcoholic drink
– First known fermented beverage was rice and honey wine in central China
– Rice wine production in Japan started around the third century BCE
– Roman Empire began importing rice wine in the first century BCE
Production:
– Rice wine production process is similar to brewing beer
– Different types of rice wine made from glutinous or non-glutinous rice
– Fungal culture like jiuqu or koji is used in fermentation
– Chinese rice wine made by soaking, steaming, and fermenting rice
– Water and fungi mix added to adjust water content in rice wine
Taste of Rice Wine Based on Science:
– Rice wine tastes best at 60 degrees Celsius
– Glutinous rice is commonly used
– Various rice wine types in Southeast Asia and East Asia
– Vietnamese rice wines like Phú Lộc and Rượu nếp
– Japanese Sake is widely known in North America
Further reading:
– “Food Science and Technology” by Geoffrey Campbell-Platt (2009)
External links:
– Cambodian Rice Wine and Sra Sor Story by Sam Inspire
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2008) |
Rice wine is a generic term for an alcoholic beverage fermented and possibly 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 source of the enzymes that convert the starches to sugar. Sake in Japan, Mijiu in China, and Cheongju and Makgeolli in Korea are some of the most notable types of rice wine.
Rice wine typically has an alcohol content of 18–25% ABV. Rice wines are used in East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian gastronomy at formal dinners and banquets and in cooking.