Cloudy millet wine (浊酒)
A sweet, milky millet wine, unfiltered, still populated with its grains: slightly sparkling, sweet-tart, the liquid soul of Tang poetry.
A sweet, milky millet wine, unfiltered, still populated with its grains: slightly sparkling, sweet-tart, the liquid soul of Tang poetry.
Do not seek in my home the clear wine of the rich, filtered ten times. Mine is cloudy, thick with its grains, as the poor man brews it in his jar by the fire. I have often pushed it away when cough and years caught up with me—but a shared cup under the moon, believe me, loosens the tongue and consoles the exiled heart. Pour it slowly: it is sweet at first, then stings a little, like life.
- •Glutinous millet (黍) or glutinous rice — one measure, cooked (fermentable base)
- •Fermentation starter (酒曲, jiǔqū) — a crumbled piece (fermentation agent)
- •Boiled and cooled spring water — enough to cover (medium)
Cloudy millet wine (浊酒)
A sweet, milky millet wine, unfiltered, still populated with its grains: slightly sparkling, sweet-tart, the liquid soul of Tang poetry.
Why this dish? Du Fu wrote, aged and ill, "weighed down, I have just pushed aside the cup of cloudy wine" (登高). This zhuójiǔ, an unfiltered, cheap grain wine, was the drink of the impoverished scholar—companion to his rare joys and his sorrows.
Do not seek in my home the clear wine of the rich, filtered ten times. Mine is cloudy, thick with its grains, as the poor man brews it in his jar by the fire. I have often pushed it away when cough and years caught up with me—but a shared cup under the moon, believe me, loosens the tongue and consoles the exiled heart. Pour it slowly: it is sweet at first, then stings a little, like life.
Ingredients (period version)
- Glutinous millet (黍) or glutinous rice — one measure, cooked (fermentable base)
- Fermentation starter (酒曲, jiǔqū) — a crumbled piece (fermentation agent)
- Boiled and cooled spring water — enough to cover (medium)
Ingredients
- Glutinous rice (or glutinous millet) — 500 g (base)
- Chinese rice wine starter (酒曲 / jiuqu, ball form) — 1 ball (≈ 4 g) (ferment)
- Filtered water, boiled then cooled — 600 ml (medium)
Method
- Soak glutinous rice for 4 hours, then steam until tender.
- Let it cool to body temperature (never hot, or the starter will die).
- Crumble the starter and mix thoroughly with the rice in a sterilized jar.
- Make a well in the center, add cold water, cover loosely (not airtight).
- Ferment for 2–4 days at 25–28°C: a milky, sweet liquid will appear.
- Taste daily; serve "cloudy" with its grains, or lightly strain. (Very low alcohol—for adults only.)
How it was made : Grain wine fermented with starter (酒曲) is one of China's oldest beverages, detailed in the *Qímín Yàoshù*. A distinction was made between "clear" wine (清酒) of the wealthy, long-filtered, and "cloudy" wine (浊酒) of the common people, drunk young and milky—the wine of Du Fu's poems.
The contemporary twist : Served chilled in a stoneware cup, garnished with an osmanthus flower, this "ancestor sake" makes a scholarly toast at gatherings with friends.
Sources : Du Fu, "Climbing the Height" (登高) · Jia Sixie, *Qímín Yàoshù* (齐民要术), 6th century, chapters on wine
Du Fu · Charactorium