Just as fresh produce we consume each day, those impressive collections liquor on shelf, and their respective constituents, all originate from various parts of the world. Basically any sweetish foodstuff can be left to ferment air-tight, those including excess grains (many of the grass family), fruits and so forth, while some time in history these crops traveled far aloft across oceans reaching exotic civilizations. How many of these, or the resultant liquor, are you familiar with?
Maize (corn)
While “corn” can refer to any edible grains, “maize” perhaps the better name for the plant native to South Mexico, domesticated over 10,000 years from now and since providing staple diet for inhabitants such as the Mayans and Aztecs. The plant made its way to Europe around the late 15th Century during cross-Atlantic excursions. Currently extensively cultivated worldwide, the crop is planted for human and livestock consumption, producing various foodstuffs such as syrup and starch, ethanol, and liquors such as bourbon, and chicha, a native grain-derived beverage.
Sorghum
Being quite a hardy grass species tolerating adverse temperature ranges, droughts and even toxic soils, the crop originated from East Africa. Earlier stages of growth, or when stressed, the plant may contain substantial amount of toxic cyanides. While often planted for livestock feed throughout its distribution across Africa-Eurasia and Australia, Chinese and Taiwanese folks had long mastered techniques in producing magical Kaoliang spirits.
Grapes
On lengthy lianas dangles plump grapes, berries red and green so tempting, eaten fresh, or crushed, juices fermenting into wines. The plant native to the Mediterranean and East Europe had been cultivated not later than some 8,000 years from now, and wines produced had been enjoyed and treasured by a good chronicle of glorious civilizations, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans included. Grapes made their way to the New World (outside Eurasia) following routes of European colonists not later than the 17th Century.
Sweet Potato
Belonging to the morning-glory family bearing attractive flowers, sweet potatoes, with flesh in varying colours — white, yellow-orange and purple, originated in tropical Americas. Through intercontinental navigation, the crop made its way to Europe by the late 15th Century, and reached South China a century later during the Ming Dynasty. Further transported through East Asia, sweet potatoes served as main ingredients (aside from rice) of liquor such as Shōchū in Japan.
Foxtail millet
Among one of the “Five Grains” introduced by Shennong in ancient Chinese legends, this crop native to North China had provided staple diet for inhabitants since around 7,000 years ago, which prevalence believed to exceed that of rice in prehistoric times. Often sweet, the brewed liquor had long been favoured in East Asia, and in Taiwan, the oldest traditional wine among aborigines.
Rice
As wind-pollinated annual plants, edible rice mainly comes from two species: Asian rice (including strains of varying shapes, such as those from South and East Asia), originated from South China around the Pearl River drainages, and African rice at Central West Africa, the latter of a much hardier plant and grains rather brittle, of a “nutty” flavour. Cultivated for over 13,500 years from now around China, and now a most-consumed foodstuff in most parts of Asia, Asian rice made its way into various liquor, such as Sake in Japan, Sonti in India, and various styles of Chinese wines.
Potato
Perhaps among the most legendary: potatoes, from a modest tuberous crop of starchy roots originated from Peru and Bolivia, South America, was introduced to Europe by Spanish fleets in late 16th Century, and for two following centuries feeding a quarter of population in Europe, partially contributing to population boom at a 19th Century Europe. Aside from various potato recipes, and as thickeners in gravies, potatoes are vital in producing distilled liquors such as vodkas, poitín and akvavit.
Sugarcane
Sugarcane did provide a way cheaper alternative for the quest of sweetness for medieval Europeans (before which, bee-honey), at the expanses of livelihoods of countless labour, largely Africans, at plantations throughout tropical shores of the Atlantic. The crop originated in South Asia, so sweet and juicy, are processed into products such as rock candy, syrup, ethanol, and sweet liquor such as rum, cachaça in Brazil, and Basi in the Philippines.
Barley and wheat
Resembling in appearances but the duo are different crops. Barley are largely planted for livestock fodder have much higher fibre contents, harvest ripped in warmer seasons of colours light yellowish, have stronger favours, hence the vital ingredient in all beers. Alternatively wheat thrives in cooler temperatures, harvested golden-yellow at the start of winter, displays weaker tastes, and flour of which is used to produce all sorts of foods, bread and bakery, noodles and breakfast cereal alike, and also beers and spirits. Both, however, are native to Central Asia around the Fertile Crescent (now the Middle East), and domesticated since some 10,000 years ago.
Ume
Please see “A thing or two on DIY umeshu” in this issue, on details of this charismatic fruit and the umeshu.
Apple
Perhaps “as American as apple pie”, yet apples owed their ancient origins from Central Asia around present day Turkey, and long cultivated throughout Eurasia for millennia, eventually made their way to the North America by European colonists by the 17th Century. The sweet fleshly fruit of the rose family (Rosaceae), now over 7,500 cultivars, produces well-loved ciders.
Hops
Technically not a key, indispensible ingredient, wind-pollinated flowers of hops, native to Europe, western Asia and North America, provide beers with its diagnostic mildly bitter taste. Portions of the crop were initially added to grain fermentations to create foam, as well as preserving agents for longer viability.
