Maesil-ju

Maesil-ju (Korean: 매실주; Hanja: 梅實酒), also called plum wine, plum liquor, or plum liqueur, is an alcoholic drink infused with maesil (plums).The exact origins of Maesil-ju are unknown, but it is thought to date back to the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392)^[1].^[2][3][4][5]

Maesil-ju

Type	Plum wine
Country of origin	Korea
Alcohol by volume	10-35%
Ingredients	Maesil (plums)

Korean name
Hangul	매실주
Hanja	梅實酒
Revised Romanization	maesil-ju
McCune–Reischauer	maesil-chu
IPA	[mɛ.ɕil.t͈ɕu]

Ingredients

Maesil-ju is made with maesil (매실; 梅實; "plums"), preferably ripe hwangmae (황매; 黃梅; "yellow plums"), which are yellowish in color, fragrant and firm.^[6][7][8] Unripe cheongmae (청매; 靑梅; "green plums")—firmer and less fragrant—can also be used.^[8][9] Bruised or over-ripened plums may make the wine cloudy.^[8] Damaged fruits should be avoided, as direct contact of plum seeds with alcohol may produce a small amount of prussic acid, due to the amygdalin in plum seeds.^[10] However, toxicity vanishes after a year of maturation.^[10] Ripe plums have much lower amygdalin content.^{[citation needed]}

Typically, 3 litres (0.66 imp gal; 0.79 US gal) of soju (of 20% ABV) and 100–150 grams (3.5–5.3 oz) of sugar is used per 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of plums.^[8] Sugar can be substituted with slightly more honey, and soju of 20% ABV can be substituted by 2 litres (0.44 imp gal; 0.53 US gal) soju (or any other unflavored spirit) of 30% ABV and 1 litre (0.22 imp gal; 0.26 US gal) of water.^[8]

Preparation

Maesil-ju in a glass jug

Plums are washed in cold water and dried on a tray for a day.^[8] Dried plums and soju are added to a sterilized glass or earthenware jug and infused for about 100 days.^[8] The fruits are then removed by sieving, and sugar is added to the plum wine.^[8] The wine can be consumed immediately, but three to six months of maturation will greatly enrich the wine's flavour.^[8]

Commerce

Popular maesil-ju products include Mae hwa soo,^[11] Matchsoon,^[12] and Seoljungmae.^[13]

See also

• Maesil-cha, plum tea
• Maesil-cheong, plum syrup
• Umeshu, Japanese plum liqueur
• Suanmeitang, Chinese plum beverage

References

1. "What Is Maeshil-ju". www.travellingsouthkorea.com. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
2. "maesil-ju" 매실주(梅實酒). Standard Korean Language Dictionary. National Institute of Korean Language. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
3. Nguyen, Stacy (22 December 2010). "10 Asian food makeovers for your holiday party". Northwest Asian Weekly. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
4. Joshi, V. K.; Panesar, P. S.; Rana, V. S.; Kaur, S. (2017). "Science and Technology of Fruit Wines: An Overview". In Kosseva, Maria R.; Joshi, V. K.; Panesar, P. S. (eds.). Science and Technology of Fruit Wine Production. London: Academic Press. p. 49. ISBN 9780128008508.
5. Shaw, Lucy (20 November 2012). "db Eats: Bibigo". The Drinks Business. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
6. "maesil" 매실(梅實). Standard Korean Language Dictionary. National Institute of Korean Language. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
7. "hwangmae" 황매(黃梅). Standard Korean Language Dictionary. National Institute of Korean Language. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
8. 손, 수정 (20 May 2013). "새콤달콤 향긋한 '매실청·매실주' 제대로 알고 담그세요". The Farmers Newspaper (in Korean). ISSN 1227-5778. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
9. "cheongmae" 청매(靑梅). Standard Korean Language Dictionary. National Institute of Korean Language. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
10. 권, 대익 (21 June 2016). "청매실 독성 논란, 진실은?". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 22 March 2017.
11. "MAE HWA SOO" 매화수. HiteJinro. Retrieved 22 March 2017.^{[permanent dead link]}
12. "Matchsoon" 매취순. Bohae. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
13. "Seoljungmae" 설중매. Lotte Chilsung. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2017.