 | |
| Type | Rice wine |
|---|---|
| Origin | Korea,East Asia |
| Alcohol by volume | 14% |
| Proof (US) | 28 |
| Variants | Beopju,sogok-ju |
| Related products | Mijiu,huangjiu,sake |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 청주 |
| Hanja | 淸酒 |
| Lit. | clear wine |
| RR | cheongju |
| MR | ch'ŏngju |
| IPA | tɕʰʌŋ.dʑu |
Cheongju (Korean: 청주;Hanja: 淸酒;lit. clear wine), sometimes romanized asChungju, is a clear, refinedrice wine of Korean origin.[1]
The wordcheongju (청주;淸酒) consists of two characters:cheong (청;淸) meaning "clear" andju (주;酒) meaning "alcoholic drink". It contrasts withtakju (탁주;濁酒), as "tak" (탁;濁) means "turbid". The wordtakju usually refers tomakgeolli (milky, unrefined rice wine). Thehanja characters 淸酒 are the same as thekanji pronouncedseishu used on the labels ofsake.
The native Korean word for "clear wine",malgeun-sul (맑은술), is also used to refer tocheongju.[2] Another name forcheongju isyakju (약주;藥酒), which literally translates into "medicinal wine".[3]
According toThings on Korea—a 12th-century book on Korea written bySong Chinese scholar Sun Mu (孫穆)—theGoryeo people used non-glutinous rice to brew rice wine.[4] Another 12th-century Chinese book,Illustrated Account of Goryeo, reports that Korean rice wine that is made withnuruk 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.[5] This book says that clear, refined rice wine was made in the royal court, whilemilky, unrefined rice wine was more popular among commoners.
Cheongju is usually brewed in winter, between the months of November and March.[6] Steamed rice mixed withnuruk (fermentation starter) and water is left to ferment for 16 to 25 days, at a temperature not higher than 14–16 °C (57–61 °F).[6] 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 withyongsu (a wine strainer), which is dipped into the liquid.[7] The clear wine inside theyongsu is ladled out to makecheongju.[8]
Cheongju has been widely used in a variety of traditionalrituals and rites, as it is regarded as a well-prepared alcohol.[9]
Southern cities in South Korea such asMasan,Gunsan, andNonsan are famous for producing goodcheongju.[6]Beopju brewed inGyeongju andsogok-ju brewed inHansan are well-known varieties ofcheongju.[9] There also arecheongju varieties made with glutinous rice or black rice.[10][11]
Flavouredcheongju varieties includegukhwa-ju made withchrysanthemum,dugyeon-ju made withrhododendron,songsun-ju made withpine sprouts,yeonyeop-ju made withlotus leaves, andinsam-ju made withginseng.
Cheongju is similar to other East Asianrice wine counterparts such as the Chinesemijiu and Japanesesake. A dry whitevermouth can also serve as a substitute forcheongju in cooking.[12]
