Choujiu is a type of Chinese
fermentedalcoholic beverage brewed from
glutinous rice. It is very thick and has a milky white color, which is sometimes compared to
jade.photo Fermentation is carried out by a combination of the fungus Aspergillus oryzae, 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, where it was praised by the poet
Li Bai.[1][2] In ancient times, choujiu was referred to as láolǐ (
醪醴) or yùjiāng (
玉浆).
In the modern day, the city of
Xi'an is known particularly for its choujiu.