10,000 years ago, people were brewing rice beer in China

An international team of archaeologists discovered evidence of rice beer production dating back approximately 10,000 years at the Shangshan archaeological site in Zhejiang Province, China, according to a report by Science. The research, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reveals the earliest known proof of rice alcohol fermentation in East Asia, providing new insights into the origins of alcoholic beverage brewing in the region.

The discovery was made at the Shangshan excavation site in Pujiang County, dating from 10,000 to 9,000 years before present. The findings uncover the cultural and environmental context of rice fermentation practices, highlighting a connection between rice fermentation and the warm, humid climate of the early Holocene.

The study was jointly conducted by researchers from Stanford University, the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGG), and the Zhejiang Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology (ICRA) in China, according to Science. The research team analyzed 12 ceramic shards, studying microfossils of starch grains and phytoliths from the inner surfaces of the fragments. They also examined the distribution of Monascus mold and yeast remains across different types of pottery vessels.

The analysis revealed a significant presence of phytoliths from domesticated rice in the pottery residues. Scientists found various starch grains in the ceramic remains, including rice, millet, acorns, Job's tears, barnyard grass, lilies, and other plant materials, as reported by The Independent. Many of the phytoliths and starch granules showed signs of enzymatic breakdown and gelatinization, characteristic of fermentation processes.

Abundant fungal elements were identified, including the Monascus mold and yeast cells, which are typically used as starters in traditional brewing methods. Some of the yeast cells and fungal elements demonstrated stages of development typical for fermentation, reinforcing the conclusion that the residues were directly associated with fermentation activities. These fungi are closely related to the starters used in traditional brewing methods, such as those employed in producing red yeast rice wine in China.

“This evidence indicates that rice was a staple plant resource for the Shangshan people,” Professor Zhang Jianping from IGG, a co-corresponding author of the study, stated, as reported by Science. The fungal residues were found to be in higher concentrations in globular jars used for preparing alcoholic beverages compared to other pottery vessel types. This distribution suggests that vessel types were closely linked to specific functions, with globular jars purposely produced for alcohol fermentation.

Researchers analyzed sediments from the site as control samples to rule out potential contamination from soil. They found significantly fewer starch and fungal remains in the sediment control samples than in the pottery residues, further supporting the association of the residues with fermentation activities, according to The Independent.

Professor Liu, a co-author of the study, commented on the significance of climate in the development of fermentation technology. “Domesticated rice provided a stable resource for fermentation, while favorable climatic conditions supported the development of qu-based fermentation technology, which relied on the growth of filamentous fungi,” he said, as reported by Science.

The findings shed light on the broader development of early agriculture in Asia, indicating that the Shangshan people employed broad-spectrum subsistence strategies during the early phases of rice domestication. Evidence showed that rice husks and leaves were used in pottery production, demonstrating the integral role of rice in Shangshan culture.

Modern fermentation experiments using rice, Monascus, and yeast validated the findings. These experiments demonstrated morphological consistency with the fungal remains identified on Shangshan pottery, as reported by Science. The evidence of rice alcohol fermentation at Shangshan represents the earliest known occurrence of this technology in East Asia.

Professor Liu further noted the social implications of the findings. “These alcoholic beverages likely played a pivotal role in ceremonial feasting, highlighting their ritual importance as a potential driving force behind the intensified utilization and widespread cultivation of rice in Neolithic China,” he said, according to The Independent.

The study was supported by the Min Kwaan Chinese Archaeology Program at Stanford University and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, as reported by Science.

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq