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Feature
The
Food & Drink of Korea
Drink |
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In Korea,
rice malt is produced when grains are pasted with water and then
fermented. In
contrast to the Japanese
alcoholic drinks which use rice malt and the Chinese,
which are made
with sticky rice, Korea uses rice, sticky rice, and other grains
mixed together. More than 300 varieties have been produced in Korea.
In Korea, the
major crop has always been rice, and most Korean traditional alcohol
fermentation uses rice. Yakju uses filtered alcohol and is then
fermented with rice and rice malt. It is called soju when it is
distilled. Takju is produced when you mix water into the dregs.
The Joseon
Dynasty had a period of famine due to the sudden increase in the
population, and making alcohol was banned except for medicinal
purpose. In time, people started to call traditional alcohols Yakju,
meaning medicinal alcohol, to evade the national regulations and laws
of the day.
Korean
traditional alcohol ranges in taste from sour to sweet, and its
unique fruit flavour has such variety it is hard to believe that many
kinds are produced in this small country. The key to solving this
riddle is in the unique thoughts and cultural perspective of Koreans
on alcohols. Ancestors did not seem to think of alcohols just as a
simple taste product but a necessary food. Fine alcohols were
evaluated based on a proper mixture of 5 different tastes. Because it
was considered a food, they consumed an appropriate amount!
And, as in
dining - just a few more rules :
" Bow
whenever someone tries to pour you a drink and when the person
finishes pouring. This shows your sincerity.
" Banje
drinks and foods signify gratitude to gods.
" Serving
water with cheongju means they respect the basic foundation.
"
Drinking where everyone shares one cup in turns is for building
harmony in the group.
" When
the eldest person finishes drinking, everyone else is supposed to
finish as well
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