The History and Manufacture of Traditional Korean Alcoholic Drinks

Abstract

AbstractThe history of alcoholic beverages in Korea closely mirrors the hills and valleys of the culture as a whole. There are no native gods associated with alcohol in Korea, likely because the country’s ancient history is so closely tied to that of China. However, a story in Samguk sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms), points that in the third century CE a man from the Baekje kingdom, named Inbeon, brought his wine-making method to Japan and came to be revered as the god of wine in that region. Toward the end of Goryeo, the Yuan method of liquor distillation was conveyed to the Korean Peninsula. Joseon-dynasty (1392–1897) literature records over 300 liquor names, comprising various forms of grain alcohol and distilled liquor, medicinal flavored wine, fruit wine, composite wine, and mixed drinks, many of which were brewed or distilled at home with local ingredients. However, not long after Joseon-dynasty authority was abruptly dismantled by Japan’s annexation of the peninsula, the Japanese Governor-General of Korea levied a compulsory liquor tax (1907) with the objective of cracking down on the free-wheeling production of Korean alcohol. A liquor law enacted in 1916 stipulated that all alcoholic drinks produced in Korea must be standardized in the form of yakju (filtered wine), takju (cloudy wine), and soju (distilled liquor). This chapter reviewed the history of alcoholic drinks in Korea, and the classification of types and production techniques of Korean alcoholic drinks were introduced.