Li Family Sweet Fermented Rice

Li Family Sweet Fermented Rice

　　Li Family Sweet Fermented Rice

　　The Li ethnic sweet fermented rice is made by fermenting the Li group’s specialty—Shanlan sticky rice. The Li people mix steamed Shanlan sticky rice with yeast made from plants unique to the Li mountains, then place it in a bamboo basket and cover it with fresh, clean banana leaves. After letting it ferment naturally for several days, it is sealed in a jar and, after about half a month, becomes sweet fermented rice. In fact, this sweet fermented rice is highly nutritious and even more delicious when used to cook eggs. If the sweet fermented rice is stored in a jar and buried deep underground for three to five years before being dug up, the sweet fermented rice will have fully turned into a liquid and become “Shanlan Wine.”

　　Shanlan Wine is the “Maotai” of the Li ethnic group, referred to as “biang.” It is made using a type of upland glutinous rice—Shanlan rice—and plants unique to the Li mountains, employing natural fermentation methods.

　　The traditional brewing method for Shanlan Wine is quite unique. During production, Shanlan rice is steamed and then rubbed apart into grains. Then, “ball cakes” made from specific mountain plants and rice flour are ground into powder and mixed in. This mixture is then placed inside a cone-shaped bamboo basket lined with banana leaves, and the top is also covered with banana leaves. After three days, the pointed bottom of the upside-down bamboo basket begins to drip a milky-white liquid into an earthenware jar placed beneath it. This is the pure Shanlan liquid. Once the pure liquid has finished dripping, the leftover mash in the bamboo basket can be further brewed using traditional Li techniques to produce Shanlan Baijiu (white liquor).