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Fermentation Atlas

Alcoholic drinks from Northern China

Divine-qu glutinous-millet or proso wine (造酒法 under ch. 64; Yuan Puye family method)神麴秫黍米酒

A 6th-century recipe from the Qimin Yaoshu for wine made with divine qu (shenqu), a wheat qu. The qu cakes are sunned, cleaned and crushed, soaked until they bubble, and then fed cooked glutinous millet or proso millet in four stages over six nights. A glutinous-rice version of the same method is credited to the household of Vice-Director Yuan. Made in 5 steps over 12 days – 14 days. The longest step, add the grain in four stages (酘), takes 6 days (Jia Sixie). Moulds and yeasts of the divine qu, which make the soaking qu bubble does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step6 daysReported[qmys-ws][qmys-siku]Add the grain in four stages (酘)
Fully documentedAlcoholic drinks12 days – 14 daysMore alcoholic drinksMore from China

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceOne dou of qu as the text sets it out. The grain total is the sum of the four additions, 3 dou, 5 dou, 1 dan and 3 dou.
1 douDivine qu (神麴) · Whole qu cakes, cleaned, sunned and crushed[qmys-ws][qmys-siku]
5 shengWater for soaking the qu · River water is best for washing and cooking[qmys-ws][qmys-siku]
2 dan 1 dou in allGlutinous millet or proso millet · Washed about 20 times and cooked soft[qmys-ws][qmys-siku]
Starterkoji/qu/mold-starter (divine qu, a wheat cake starter)

Total time across the recorded steps: 12 days – 14 days

Start
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What changes: Whole qu cakes dry in the sun and are brushed clean three times a day

Step 1 of 5
Sun and brush the qu cakes
Time
3–5 days
Reported
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Moulds
Yeasts

Output: clean, dry qu cakes.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Divine qu is far stronger than the coarse ben qu. One passage in the same chapter says one dou of divine qu can ferment three dan of grain, against six dou for one dou of ben qu. The grain goes in small batches, and each wait between additions is a night longer than the last.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Glutinous-rice version (Yuan Puye family method)One dou of qu ferments 1 dan 8 dou of glutinous rice in only three additions. The rice is not steamed twice; boiling water from the pot is poured over the steamed rice in a jar until it is just covered.

Safety

The text says to clean the qu of earth, to wash the grain about 20 times, to use river water, and to keep people and dogs from eating the wine rice.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Qimin Yaoshu chapter 64, 造神麴餅酒 (making divine qu cakes and wine), compiled by Jia Sixie in the 6th century. The text marks the glutinous-rice method as that of the household of Vice-Director Yuan. Divine qu, as described in this book, shaped later medicated leavens.

  1. [qmys-ws] Jia Sixie, Qimin Yaoshu (6th century), juan 7, ch. 64 造神麴餅酒, transcription on Chinese Wikisource (齊民要術/卷第七)archive
  2. [qmys-siku] Jia Sixie, Qimin Yaoshu, Siku quanshu edition, juan 7, transcription on Chinese Wikisource (齊民要術 (四庫全書本)/卷07)archive
  3. [yu2022] Yu D.M. 2022, The making method of Shen Qu in Qi Min Yao Shu, Zhonghua Yi Shi Za Zhi (Chinese Journal of Medical History) 52:75–83 (abstract)paper