Millet Beer Brewing in North China: Exploring Traditional Methods and their Significance in Archaeological Research

IF 1.8 0 ARCHAEOLOGY

Ethnoarchaeology Pub Date : 2023-08-18 DOI:10.1080/19442890.2023.2245214

Li Liu, Zhongwei Liu

引用次数: 0

Abstract

ABSTRACT China's alcohol production tradition dates back 9000 years to the early Neolithic era, with multiple types of alcohol recorded in ancient texts. However, these records lack sufficient detail about production processes for different alcohol types. Experimental archaeology, especially when informed by ethnographic observations, offers valuable insights into traditional brewing methods. Here, we present an ethnographic study of huangjiu (yellow beer) production by a local farming family in Henan province, North China, using wheat qu (a moldy grain starter) and foxtail millet. We conducted experimental brewing following the traditional method and analyzed the qu starter and fermented materials microscopically. This approach improved our understanding of morphological changes in starch and fungal elements during fermentation, serving as a comparative reference for studying ancient alcohol remains in archaeological contexts.

查看原文本刊更多论文

中国北方小米酒的酿造:传统酿造方法的探索及其考古意义

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Ethnoarchaeology ARCHAEOLOGY-

CiteScore

1.60

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Ethnoarchaeology, a cross-cultural peer-reviewed journal, focuses on the present position, impact of, and future prospects of ethnoarchaeological and experimental studies approaches to anthropological research. The primary goal of this journal is to provide practitioners with an intellectual platform to showcase and appraise current research and theoretical and methodological directions for the 21st century. Although there has been an exponential increase in ethnoarchaeological and experimental research in the past thirty years, there is little that unifies or defines our subdiscipline. Ethnoarchaeology addresses this need, exploring what distinguishes ethnoarchaeological and experimental approaches, what methods connect practitioners, and what unique suite of research attributes we contribute to the better understanding of the human condition. In addition to research articles, the journal publishes book and other media reviews, periodic theme issues, and position statements by noted scholars.