摘要
人類與禽獸的不同處是，人類會不渴而飲，不飢而食，則人類並不是只為了飢渴而飲食。因此飲酒已成為社交活動不可缺的一環。在有紀錄的歷史以前，人類已懂得造酒。其發現可能偶然來自天然釀成的漿果酒（葡萄酒），啤酒（餿水中麵包發酵者），或米飯酒（餿水中米飯發酵者）。葡萄酒與啤酒發源於西方，米飯酒卻發源於我國。然而中國特有的酒可大分為黃酒與白酒。其他，混成酒則有竹葉青酒，玫瑰露酒，烏豆酒等，藥味酒就有虎骨酒，五加皮酒等。當然，中國也有生產啤酒、葡萄酒、白蘭地等。在製造技術上，東西方的差異是，西方利用麥芽來糖化，東方則以麴（黴菌）做為糖化的工具。同樣是東方，中國即多利用RhizoPus與Mucor屬做為固體麴利用，日本即以Aspergillus屬做為散麴製酒。黃酒包括紹興酒、老酒、女兒紅等，原料為糯米、小麥、各種中藥等。臺灣的紹興酒與大陸者製法大同小異，不過臺灣的黃酒卻以清酒製法來製造，所以與大陸黃酒稍微不同。白酒是蒸餾酒包含高粱酒、茅台酒、汾酒、白乾兒等的總稱，原料都採用高粱等，這是全世界所罕見的固體發酵酒。臺灣所用方法與傳統方法差不多，不過臺灣因氣溫高，所以採用空氣調節機，也利用水泥槽發酵。除了啤酒與葡萄酒，其他大部分發酵酒與蒸餾酒都要長期的儲藏熟成。熟成後的酒，其辣味減低，醇味增加，馥郁可口。熟成的原理可能與水分子聚團的變小，酒精聚團變大有關。酒類除了直接飲用以外，也可以利用於烹飪，例如有名的醉雞、三杯雞、燒酒雞等都不可缺少酒。酒類也具有去腥，軟化蛋白質，增加光澤等功用。飲酒對健康功過參半。適量的飲酒有助健康，但過量就會傷害身體。
關鍵字
無資料並列摘要
The difference between human beings and animals is that the former eat and drinks even when they are not hungry or thirsty. Nowadays drinking wines have long become a very important part of out social activities. Before it was recorded in history, human beings had already known how to brew wine. The brewing technique might be discovered by accident; (For example, ancient cavemen might have found the wine naturally brewed in the caves where monkeys lived.). On the other hand, beer might have been found in the container where breads were discarded. And rice win e might have been found in the bucket where rice was dumped. Grape wines and beers originated in West, whereas rice wines were developed in China. In China, wines can be divided into two categories: one is yellow wine, the other is white wine (spirits). Besides Chinese wines, we now also produce beer, grape wine, and brandy in the western style. As for brewing techniques, the difference between west and east is that malt is used for the saccharifing process in west , while molds such as Rhizopus and Mucor have been used (as solid koji ) in China, and Aspergillus has been used in Japan (as loose koji). Yellow wines includes Shiao-hsing Wine, Lao-chiu, Nie-er-Hong, etc. Glutinous rice, wheat, and some Chinese medicines are used in their manufacturing. The Shiao-hsing Wine made in Taiwan is almost the same as that mad e in Mainland China, both in quality and manufacturing techniques, while the yellow wine made in Taiwan is very special with a processing method that is between Sake and Shiao-Hsing Wine. Spirits or white wines include Kao-liang Wine, Mao-tai Wine, Fen-chiu, Pai-ker etc. Sorghum is used as the main raw material. These are distilled wines, but the only solid fermentation wines in the world. The method adopted in Taiwan is similar to the traditional method used in Mainland China. Because of the warm weather here, air conditioning is used to control the fermentation, and cement tanks are used instead of holes on the ground. In addition to drinking, wines can be used in cooking. Wine has the function of tenderizing meat, removing fishy flavor, and improving the appearence of foods. They are also essential in cooking some famous Chinese dishes, such as Drunken Chicken, Three Cup Broiler, Burning Wine Broiler etc. Yellow wines are suitable for oily Chinese foods, while Sake is more suitable for light Japanese foods, owing to its higher alcohol content, White wines are also excellent in the cold weather. A relatively long aging time is necessary for all kinds of wines except beer and grape wine. After aging, the wines become more mild, rich and delicious. The principle behind aging is that water molecules bind together and become smaller, while alcohol molecules become bigger over time. Moderate amounts of wine are good for health, while excess amounts might be harmful. Wines can make your life more exciting and colorful, if you don't drink to excess.