The ethnic Korean alcoholic beverages yakju and takju were originally
made from rice but are now made by saccharifying wheat, barley, or corn
with mold enzymes and fermenting the sugars to ethanol with yeasts.
In
addition, broomcorn millet, foxtail millet and great millet are used
for the fermentations. The lower or diluted concentration of yakju is
known as takju. During yakju preparation, steamed rice is cooled and
then mixed with nuruk and fermented.
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| Korean alcohol |
Nuruk, cake made
of malted and partially fermented grain, is the starter for yakju and
takju. Presently, the substrate for nuruk is wheat but historically it
was rice. The fermentation process is repeated by addition of rice and
water to give 1st brewed liquor, 2nd brewed liquor, 3rd brewed liquor
even up to a 12th brewed liquor. The liquid pressed from the fermenting
mass is filtered under pressure, and is aged and bottled.
Yakju
and takju are ancient beverages popular among the common people. Yakju
originally was consumed by upper classes and takju, by peasants; now
both are consumed by farmers and other low-income groups.
Cereal fermented beverages Korean yakju and takju
