Types
Besides the technique common in Western alcoholic beverages of either fermented from fruit juices that already contain simple sugars (wine), or else malted grains with sugar converted from starch using the grain's own enzymes (beer), Chinese jiu (and many other East Asian alcoholic beverages) are most commonly fermented from sugars converted from grain starch using enzymes from certain mold strains. The two main varieties of Chinese alcoholic beverages are fermented beverages (Chinese: 黃酒; pinyin: huáng jiǔ; literally "yellow liquor"), which may be clear, beige, or reddish-brown in color; and distilled beverage (Chinese: 白酒; pinyin: bái jiǔ; literally "white liquor"), which are usually clear liquids. Although less traditional as a product, grape wine (Chinese: 葡萄酒; pinyin: pútáo jiǔ; literally "grape liquor") was first mentioned in classical Chinese poems around 2,000 years ago in the Han Dynasty. It has been increasingly produced and consumed in China since 1900 as a result of increased Western influences.
Kumis an alcoholic beverage produced by fermenting milk has been long known in China.
Read more about this topic: Chinese Alcoholic Beverages
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