What is the origin of carving wine?

There are two theories about its origin. The first view is that the rice wine in Shaoxing wine is called carved flowers. It uses high-quality glutinous rice, excellent distiller's yeast and spring water from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, brewed according to the ancient method, and then cellared for several years, and its quality is better than that of ordinary Shaoxing wine. Because when wine is taken from the cellar in the future, the alcohol content is often only one-third of the original, so it is traditionally mixed with new wine for drinking.

Another view is that this is an ancient custom in Shaoxing, China and Zhejiang: people use colored jars to store good wine as gifts for newborn babies. Because the jars are generally decorated with beautiful painted patterns, they are called flower carvings, and later they gradually became the first-class glutinous rice wine which enjoys a good reputation at home and abroad.

Carved wine is also known as Zhuangyuan Red and Daughter Red. Once upon a time, every Shaoxing family would bury an altar of carved wine underground after giving birth to their children. If a baby boy is born, I hope he will read a lot of poetry books when he grows up and go to Beijing to take the exam. One day, the champion of high school returned to his hometown to report good news, and he could open a bottle of old wine to greet his relatives and friends. Having said that, no one can really get the first prize, so in fact, "Zhuangyuanhong" is usually used to entertain guests when sons get married.

The Legend of Daughter Red

Legend has it that long ago, in Dongguan, Shaoxing, there was a member who longed for an heir, but his wife was infertile for a long time. The members searched everywhere and finally got the remedy. The wife was pregnant. Members were very happy and specially brewed more than 20 jars of yellow rice wine to celebrate. Winter goes and spring comes, pregnant in October, a wife gives birth to a daughter, and a full moon will come in a few days. According to the local custom, the staff will arrange a sumptuous banquet for the guests who have shaved their heads. After the banquet was over, the members saw that several jars of good wine had not been unsealed, and it was a pity to abandon them, so they buried the wine under the osmanthus tree in the garden.

Time flies, time flies, 18 years has passed in a blink of an eye, and my daughter has grown up, and her face is gorgeous, which can be described as sinking fish and falling geese. My fair lady is a gentleman, and there is an endless stream of people proposing marriage through matchmakers. My father was very careful and promised to marry the son of a benefactor.

Soon, the wedding day arrived. At the wedding banquet, the old members celebrated and drank with the guests, but the money for the drinks was still used up. When the old committee member was frowning, he suddenly remembered the 18-year-old good wine buried under the osmanthus tree, that is, he ordered someone to dig up the old wine and entertain the guests. When the jar was unearthed, it was placed in the banquet hall, and the mud head was removed, and the fragrance suddenly came to my face and penetrated into my heart. Everyone rushed to taste the drinks, all glittering and resplendent.

Since then, it has become a custom for the next-door neighbors and people from far and near to give birth to their daughters and bury them in wine. When they marry their daughters, they dig for wine and treat them. For thousands of years, ancient Shaoxing gradually formed the custom that "a woman must brew her daughter's wine when she is born, and she must drink her daughter's red when she marries". People even regard this wine as a precious gift for the most distinguished guests.

Extended data:

Huadiao wine belongs to yellow rice wine and is a traditional characteristic wine in China. According to records, Huadiao wine originated in Dawenkou culture period 6000 years ago, which represents the long-standing wine culture in China. Among the carved wines in various places, the oldest brand is Shaoxing, Zhejiang. There are many kinds of Shaoxing wine, including Yuan red wine, yellow wine, good wine, Xiangxue wine and carved wine, among which carved wine is the most distinctive.

differentiate

Yellow rice wine is a kind of cooking wine, which is made from glutinous rice by soaking, cooking and fermentation. Cooking with yellow rice wine can really remove the fishy smell of fish and meat, but the taste is not as fragrant and attractive as when cooking wine is added. The biggest difference between cooking wine and yellow wine is that yellow wine can be used as cooking wine; But cooking wine can't be used as yellow wine.

Flower carving-Flower carving is a kind of Shaoxing rice wine. It is precisely because of its mild characteristics (generally around 15 degrees) that Huadiao wine is also deeply loved by Cantonese people. Carved wine can be drunk directly or when it is scalded to 38 or 40 degrees. After heating, the alcohol content of Huadiao wine decreases, so it becomes more mellow, thick and easy to eat.

Besides serving as a side dish, many famous dishes are made of carved wine, such as carved chicken and stewed crab meat. It is worth mentioning that eating crabs is best to drink carved wine. Crabs are cool, and carved wine warms the stomach, which is the best match.

Drinking method

1, drinking in winter:

Add shredded ginger and Lycium barbarum, and heat to about 45 degrees before drinking. You can also beat the eggs in wine and heat them into the shape of egg blossoms. Pour it into the cup, the wine will be fragrant, warm people's hearts, and enjoy it slowly, which has the effect of strengthening the body.

2. Drinking method in summer: put a few preserved plums (don't put ginger and medlar, eat less in summer) in old carved flowers of not less than 10, heat them slightly with an electric kettle (preferably a small casserole), then cook them for about 10 minutes, and then put them in the refrigerator 10-65438 for cooling. It shouldn't be like drinking beer, so you can feel its real taste by sipping it slowly.