Mijiu is a variety of Chinese wine

Chinese wine

Jiu is the Chinese word that refers to all alcoholic beverages. This word has often been mistranslated into English as "wine"; the meaning is closer to "alcoholic beverage" or "liquor"...

 made from rice

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

. As a fermented beverage, it is categorized as a form of huangjiu

Huangjiu

Huangjiu is a type of Chinese beverage brewed directly from grains such as rice, millet, or wheat. Unlike baijiu, such liquors are not distilled, and contain less than 20% alcohol, due to the inhibition of fermentation by ethanol at that concentration...

. It is generally clear and somewhat sweet, like its Japanese counter-part sake. Its alcohol content ranges between 12% and 20%.

Mijiu is usually drunk warm, like the Japanese sake, and is also used in cooking

Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...

. The cooking mijiu available in Asian grocery stores

Asian supermarket

An Asian supermarket, sometimes called an "Oriental supermarket", is a grocery store in non-Asian countries that stocks items imported from the many countries in East and Southeast Asia. They carry items and ingredients generally well-suited for Asian cuisines and not found in most Western...

 is generally of a lower quality, and often contains added salt

Edible salt

Salt, also known as table salt, or rock salt, is a mineral that is composed primarily of sodium chloride , a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of ionic salts. It is essential for animal life in small quantities, but is harmful to animals and plants in excess...

. Mijiu is produced in both China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 and Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

.

Some varieties are of extremely low alcoholic content and consumed by children.

A potent distilled spirit called rice baijiu

Rice baijiu

Rice baijiu , also known as rice fragrance baijiu , is a variety of distilled beverage popular in China. Unlike other kinds of baijiu, it is distilled mainly from rice rather than from sorghum or other grains...

 (米白酒; pinyin: mǐbáijiǔ) is distilled from mijiu.

An unfiltered form of Chinese rice wine containing whole glutinous rice grains is called jiuniang

Jiuniang

Jiuniang is a sweet, soup- or pudding-like dish in Chinese cuisine made by fermenting glutinous rice with a starter containing yeast and Aspergillus oryzae...

or laozao.

See also

• Sake
• Cheongju (wine)
  Cheongju (wine)
  Cheongju is a clear Korean rice wine. The most popular brand of cheongju is Chung Ha...
  
  
• Rice wine
  Rice wine
  Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage made from rice. Unlike wine, which is made by fermentation of naturally sweet grapes and other fruit, rice "wine" results from the fermentation of rice starch converted to sugars...
  
  
• Rice baijiu
  Rice baijiu
  Rice baijiu , also known as rice fragrance baijiu , is a variety of distilled beverage popular in China. Unlike other kinds of baijiu, it is distilled mainly from rice rather than from sorghum or other grains...