Japanese wine sake 750ml 720ml 1.8L
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Korea Traditional Alcohol Beverage Drink Damso Makgeolli Rice wine
- Category: Rice Wine >>>
- Supplier: REAL TRADE Inc.
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Product Overview
Description
Product Description
Makgeolli, that milky alcoholic beverage Koreans have a soft spot for. Although similar beverages exist outside of Korea, most notably in Japan, makgeolli is a uniquely Korean drink, and the common customs associated with drinking makgeolli an integral part of the Korean food culture.
What exactly is makgeolli? Makgeolli, also referred to as takju (meaning ‘cloudy alcohol’), is Korean fermented rice wine. It is traditionally made with three ingredients: rice, a wheat-based Korean fermentation starter called nuruk and water. Other grains such as barley, wheat and corn are commonly used as well.
People who have actually tried makgeolli use words like “sweet”, “slightly sour”, “fizzy”, “thick”, “refreshing”, “grainy” and “chalky” to describe its characteristics. All true – to varying degrees – depending on the recipe. The taste of makgeolli is determined by a number of different key elements, including the type of nuruk and grains used, the ratio of grains to nuruk to water, fermentation temperature, fermentation period and the presence or absence of additives such as sweeteners. For instance, makgeolli made with glutinous rice tastes naturally sweeter than makgeolli made with non-glutinous rice.
The most basic single fermentation makgeolli recipe requires mixing steamed rice–called godubap–with nuruk and water. The concoction is poured into a sterilized vessel, covered with a porous lid (to allow carbon dioxide to escape during the fermentation process), and left to ferment in a relatively cool area. Depending on the temperature, you will have makgeolli in about seven to ten days. The final step is to separate the alcohol from the solid residue by straining it through a fine mesh cloth. Because the alcohol is squeezed out from the residue, the final product ends up being milky white and cloudy.
Pretty simple to make, yes, but there are some important rules to follow when brewing makgeolli. One of them is temperature. Too cold and the fermentation will not start; too warm (above 25 degrees Celsius) and the concoction will turn into vinegar. Another important factor that can make or break makgeolli is a sterile brewing environment; one careless mistake and you will run the risk of spoiling the whole batch.
Makgeolli is good for you
Aside from the alcohol, the bulk of makgeolli is pure nutrition. Other than the 80% water and 6-8% alcohol, makgeolli is made up of 2% protein (includes 7 out of 8 essential amino acids), 0.8% carbohydrates, 0.1% fat and 0.6% dietary fiber (compared to 0.8% in tomatoes), along with vitamins B and C, lactobacilli and yeast. Makgeolli is unfiltered, so it contains high levels of lactic acid and lactobacillus bacteria – 10 times the level in yogurt. The beverage is also effective in quenching thirst, invigorating the metabolism and relieving fatigue.
Korea’s Oldest Alcoholic Beverage
Makgeolli is Korea’s oldest alcoholic beverage. Historical records show that Koreans have been drinking makgeolli from as far back as the Goyreo Dynasty (918-1392). In fact, makgeolli was one of the most commonly consumed alcoholic beverages of the time. In his poem titled “The White Brew”, scholar Yi Kyu-bo (1168-1241) muses over makgeolli – the only drink he could afford to indulge in during his days as a commoner and the one drink he didn’t have the freedom to enjoy once he became a high-ranking court official. In the 40-volume ‘Illustrated Account of an Official Mission to Korea during the Xuanhe Reign’ written by Xu Jing, an envoy from China’s Song Dynasty who stayed for more than a month at the Court of Goryeo in 1124, he states, “Goryeo people brew alcohol using non-glutinous rice as glutinous rice is unavailable here. The alcohol content is high, so one gets drunk quickly and sobers up just as quickly…Commoners don’t have access to the good-quality alcohol produced by the government, so they brew their own that is unsavory and murky in color.”
Like all aspects of culture at the time, drinking had been strictly segregated on the basis of social status, and makgeolli was a cheap brew made with surplus crops favored by farmers and the working class. Because of makgeolli’s low alcohol content and refreshing carbonation, it was customary–even until recent times–to serve farmers and laborers makgeolli during their break from intense labor.
How to Serve Makgeolli
Makgeolli should always be served chilled. Drinking vessels tend to be on the smaller side – usually bowls made of ceramics, glass and even nickel silver.
Typical dishes that are eaten with makgeolli include bindaetteok (pan-fried mung bean pancakes), kimchi-jeon (kimchi pancakes), haemul pajeon (savory seafood and scallion pancakes), dubu kimchi (fresh tofu with kimchi), dotori-muk (acorn jelly salad), hongeo-hoe (raw fermented skate) and jokbal (braised pig trotters).
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