Jiuniang

{{Short description|Chinese rice pudding dish}} {{italic title}} {{more citations needed|date=June 2014}} {{Infobox food | name = Jiuniang | image = Kueh hrua lau cau.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = A bowl of ''guihua jiuniang'' | alternate_name = | country = China | region = East Asia | creator = | course = | type = Rice pudding | served = | main_ingredient = Glutinous rice, fermentation starter (yeast and ''Aspergillus oryzae'') | variations = | calories = | other = }} {{Infobox Chinese |t=酒釀 |s=酒酿 |p=jiǔniàng |j=zau2 yeung6 |wuu=ciu nyang |l=wine brew |c2=醪糟 |p2= láozāo |l2=alcohol with dregs |altname3=Glutinous rice wine |c3=江米酒 |p3=jiāngmǐjiǔ |altname4=Name in Yunnan |c4=甜白酒 |p4= tiánbáijiǔ |l4=sweet white wine }}

'''''Jiuniang''''' (酒酿) is a sweet, soup- or pudding-like dish in Chinese cuisine. It is also known as '''sweet wine''' or '''sweet rice wine'''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2010/10/31/baiju-and-huangjiu-and-mijiu-oh-my|title=Baiju and Huangjiu and Mijiu, Oh My!|last=lauren_mccarthy|date=2010-10-31|website=www.thebeijinger.com|language=EN|access-date=2019-05-01}}</ref> It consists of a mixture of partially digested rice grains floating in a sweet saccharified liquid, with small amounts of alcohol (1.5–2%) and lactic acid (0.5%). It is made by fermenting glutinous rice with a starter called ''jiuqu'' containing ''Rhizopus oryzae'' or ''Aspergillus oryzae'' and often yeast and bacteria.

==Ingredients and preparation== It was first developed as a by-product of ''mijiu'' production and generally speaking is partially digested rice from a young rice wine (or vinegar) ferment. If eaten quickly or held below 10 °C (50 °F), which halts the fermentation, the product can be consumed as ''jiuniang''. If the temperatures are raised and fermentation continues, ''jiuniang'' will eventually produce rice wine or rice vinegar. ''Jiuniang'' is most commonly made and consumed in the winter, where fermentation can be halted easily.<ref>Li, Jian-rong, and Yun-Hwa P. Hsieh. "Traditional Chinese food technology and cuisine." Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition 13.2 (2004).</ref>

''Jiuniang'' is often made with sweet osmanthus flowers in a dish is called ''guihua jiuniang'' ({{lang-zh|s=桂花酒酿|t=桂花酒釀}}). It is also often served together with small unfilled ''tangyuan'' during the Dongzhi Festival, a Chinese winter holiday dedicated to the ancestors. All forms of ''jiuniang'' are typically eaten with a spoon.

==Similar dishes== An almost identical food product is made in Southeast Asia. In the Philippines it is called ''binubudan'', in Thailand it is called ''khao mak'', and in Malaysia and Indonesia it is called ''tapai''. In Indonesia it most popularly made with purple/black glutinous rice and called ''tapai ketan''.

It is also similar to the southern Vietnamese dish ''cơm rượu'', which usually contains balls of rice. It is also similar to Korean ''sikhye'' and Japanese ''amazake'', although these are thin in texture and considered drinks rather than soups or puddings.

==See also== *Amazake – Japanese equivalent of ''jiuniang'' *Gamju *Mijiu *Rice pudding *Sikhye – Korean equivalent of ''jiuniang'' *Tapai

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== * History of the later Han * Volume 32: 《后汉书。樊传》：“又野王岁献甘醪膏饧。”李贤注：“醪，醇酒汁滓相将也。”引伸为浊酒。

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100122145410/http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/html/en/8Kaleidoscope1012.html ''Jiuniang'' page]

Category:Chinese alcoholic beverages Category:Chinese desserts Category:Chinese soups Category:Rice pudding Category:Rice wine