막걸리와 전통주 (Makgeolli and Jeontongju): Korean Fermented Beverage Tradition

Makgeolli — the milky, lightly fizzy fermented rice wine — is Korea's oldest alcoholic beverage, with a production history dating to at least the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE – 668 CE). The broader jeontongju (traditional liquor) tradition encompasses hundreds of named preparations, each from a specific region or occasion. The Korean fermented beverage tradition is as complex and regionally specific as the French wine tradition.

The Korean fermented beverage tradition — its techniques and its cultural role.

• Japanese sake (same rice fermentation — different technique), Chinese baijiu (same grain fermentation tradition — distilled rather than fermented-only), Ethiopian tej (honey wine — same wild fermentat