KOREAN FOOD TOP 10-Juntongju

Origin

 

Liquor is a fermented drink in which various ingredients including alcohol were created by microbes’ disintegration of carbohydrates and is the oldest drink among human made drinks. The origin of Korean liquor, Takju (unrefined rice wine) and Yakju (rice wine) is not known exactly but based on the literatures it seems to have developed over a long period of time after it was created before Samhan age.

Various kinds of brewing were done in the middle of Goryeo Dynasty and from that time on the kinds of wines such as Takju, Yakju (Cheongju) and Soju (distilled liquor) were started to be documented in the literature. In Joseon Dynasty, the methods of brewage were diversified by region, family, season and usage, which are largely categorized into Yakjus, Takjus, Sojus and liquors for medicine use. From ancient times, Koreans loved to brew wines, enjoyed drinking them and had wisdom and intelligence to control liquor. Based on long history and original culture, Koreans created its own unique liquors and culture. Korean ancestors used to express that they eat wines instead of saying that they drink wines, as they have perceived wines as food instead of merely taste beverage.