{{Short description|Chinese rice wine made from glutinous rice}} {{more citations needed|date=January 2017}} {{Italic title}} {{Infobox beverage | name = Mijiu | image = Rice Wine.jpg | caption = Bottles of mijiu | type = Rice wine | abv = 15%-20% | proof = 30-40 | manufacturer = | distributor = | origin = China | introduced = | discontinued = | colour = Clear | flavour = | ingredients = Glutinous rice | variants = | related = Huangjiu, jiuniang, sake, cheongju | website = | region = East Asia }} {{Infobox Chinese | t = 米酒 | s = 米酒 | p = mǐjiǔ | h = miˋ jiuˋ | showflag = h }}
'''''Mijiu''''' ({{lang-zh|c={{linktext|米酒}}|p=mǐjiǔ|w=mi-chiu|l=rice wine}}), also spelled '''michiu''', is a Chinese rice wine made from glutinous rice, with the alcohol content ranging between 15% and 20% v/v.<ref>Carlson, Gordon S. (1981). [https://books.google.com/books?id=jGQpAQAAIAAJ ''The Rice Journal'']. Volumes 84-87. p. 263.</ref> It is generally clear in appearance with a balanced taste of sweetness and acidity, similar to its Japanese counterpart ''sake'' and Korean counterpart ''cheongju'', and is usually drunk warm like ''sake'' and ''cheongju''. A particularly popular category of ''mijiu'' is ''huangjiu'' or 'yellow wine'. An unfiltered form of ''mijiu'' containing whole rice grains is called ''jiǔniàng'' ({{lang|zh-hans|酒酿}}) or ''láozāo'' ({{lang|zh-hans|醪糟}}), with extremely low alcoholic content and often consumed by children. A type of ''baijiu'' (Chinese liquor) called rice baijiu ({{lang-zh|c=米白酒|p=mǐ báijiǔ}}) is made via further distillation from ''mijiu''.
Beverages similar to ''mijiu'' are noted on oracle inscriptions from the late Shang dynasty circa 1200–1046 B.C.E., and archaeological evidence confirms that the production of alcoholic beverages containing rice as part of a mix of fermentables (often including honey and/or fruit) dates back to over 8000 years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McGovern |first1=Patrick |last2=Zhang |first2=Juzhong |last3=Tang |first3=Jigen |last4=Zhang |first4=Zhiqing |last5=Hall |first5=Gretchen |date=8 December 2004 |title=Fermented beverages of pre-and proto-historic China |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=101 |issue=51 |pages=17593–17598 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0407921102 |pmid=15590771 |pmc=539767 |bibcode=2004PNAS..10117593M |doi-access=free }}</ref> Rice wine production then spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and other East Asian countries around the Sinosphere during the height of the Han and Tang dynasties. It played an important cultural role in historical Chinese life, with prominent poets such as Li Bai being some of the most famous drinkers. Although largely overtaken by the much stronger ''baijiu'' since the Mongol Yuan dynasty, ''mijiu'' is still a traditional beverage in parts of southern China and some of the families still follow the custom of homebrewing rice wine. It is sometimes served as an aperitif believed to be beneficial in improving metabolism and skin and is also frequently mixed with herbs and made into medicinal wines such as snake wine and ''dit da jow''.
Today, ''mijiu'' is mainly produced and consumed in southern Mainland China and Taiwan. In Taiwan, the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (Monopoly Bureau) is the main manufacturer, branded as "Taiwan red label" with an alcohol content of 19.5%. ''Mijiu'' is also used frequently in Chinese cuisine as a cooking wine, commonly used in seafood and southern dishes such as ginger duck, drunken chicken, and three-cup chicken.<ref>{{cite web|title=紅標料理米酒|url=http://www.ttl.com.tw/products/products_view.aspx?sn=5&id=2394|website=台灣菸酒股份有限公司/Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation|access-date=17 April 2016}}</ref> The cooking ''mijiu'' available in Asian grocery stores are generally of lower quality and often contain added salt to avoid an alcohol tax.
==Production== {{empty section|date=April 2024}}
==Usage== The traditional way to use mijiu is to boil three bottles and evaporate the alcohol while cooking with the chicken. It is believed that by using this recipe one can help women's rehabilitation wound. Mijiu is also used in Jiuniang which is a dish that consists of rice wine, rice particles, and sometimes glutinous rice balls.<ref>{{cite news|last1=太元|first1=查|title=台湾红标米酒与WTO那些事|url=http://www.dfdaily.com/html/8762/2015/9/8/1299800.shtml|access-date=18 April 2016|agency=dfdaily.com|issue=dfdaily.com|publisher=查太元}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==Dishes== Mijiu is used in Chinese desserts such as: * Eggs spoiled in rice wine * Sweet soup balls with rice wine * Rice wine with brown sugar
==Gallery== {{Gallery |File:TTL Oriental Mascot Michiu 600ml bottle 20090118.jpg |A bottle of Chinese cooking mijiu |File:Taiwan Michiu.jpg |A bottle of Taiwanese mijiu }}
==See also== *Cheongju, a Korean equivalent *Huangjiu, another type of Chinese wine made from rice *Jiuniang *Mirin *Rice baijiu, a distilled alcohol made from rice *Sake, a Japanese equivalent
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Rice drinks}} {{Chinese alcoholic beverages}} {{Alcoholic beverages}}
Category:Chinese alcoholic beverages Category:Chinese wine Category:Taiwanese wine Category:Rice wine Category:Alcoholic beverages