Beyond subsistence: Evidence for red rice beer in 8000-year old Neolithic burials, north China

Abstract

The domestication of rice and the brewing of rice-based alcoholic beverages in pottery vessels were closely intertwined during the early Neolithic period in China. This practice may have originated in the Shangshan culture of the lower Yangzi River valley around 9000 cal. BP. The brewing process involved the preparation of qu starter using rice and molds to produce rice beer. Over time, this fermentation tradition spread northward to the Yellow River region, although the exact timing of this diffusion process remains unclear. To shed light on this issue, our study focuses on two early Neolithic Peiligang culture sites, namely Peiligang and Shuiquan, dating to 8000–7600 cal. BP in the middle Yellow River region. Through microfossil analysis of ceramic vessels, we have discovered multiple lines of evidence indicating the use of rice and Monascus mold as ingredients for preparing qu starter in the production of fermented alcoholic beverages. These beverages included a variety of ingredients such as rice, millet, Job's tears, wild Triticeae, foxnut, and yam. During the early stage of rice domestication, when rice was still a minor crop serving to partially fulfill subsistence needs, the development of rice-based fermentation technology played a significant role in the provision of alcoholic beverages, particularly in the context of mortuary rituals within the Peiligang culture.