Suanmeitang

Suanmeitang
A bottle of suanmeitang
Traditional Chinese酸梅湯
Simplified Chinese酸梅汤
Literal meaningsour plum drink
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinsuānméitāng
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingsyun1 mui4*2 tong1
Southern Min
Hokkien POJsng-môe-thng

Suanmeitang[1] or sour prune drink[2] is a traditional[3][4] Chinese beverage made from smoked plums,[5] rock sugar, and other ingredients such as sweet osmanthus.[4] Due to the sour plums used in its production, suanmeitang is slightly salty in addition to being sweet and rather sour.

Suanmeitang is commercially available in China and other parts of the world with Chinese communities. It is often drunk chilled during the summertime, as relief from the heat,[6][7] and is one of the most common summer drinks in China.[4][8] In addition to being widely considered an effective drink for cooling off in the heat, it is also popularly believed to have minor health benefits, such as improving digestion and possibly inhibiting the buildup of lactic acid in the body.[4]

  1. ^ Garnaut, Anthony (2006). Mandarin: With 3500-word Two-way Dictionary. Lonely Planet. p. 167. ISBN 9781741042306.
  2. ^ Li-chʻên Tun (1936). Annual Customs and Festivals in Peking as Recorded in the Yen-ching Sui-shih-chi by Tun Li-ch'en. trans. Derk Bodde. Oxford: H. Vetch. p. 58.
  3. ^ Brown Chiang, Lydia (1995). "Peking Cuisine: The Food of Emperors". Travel In Taiwan. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  4. ^ a b c d Li, Rocky (1 July 2008). "Suanmeitang, Cool and Refreshing, Like a Summer Breeze". Beijing This Month. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  5. ^ "Pick up something Chinese". China Daily. 4 June 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  6. ^ Yue, Diana. "This week: Words about plant symbolism" (PDF). Character Builder. The Standard. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  7. ^ Chung-kuo fu li hui (1979). China Reconstructs. University of Michigan. p. 48.
  8. ^ Rushton, Peter Halliday (1994). The Jin Ping Mei and the Non-linear Dimensions of the Traditional Chinese Novel. Mellen University Press. p. 345. ISBN 9780773498310. ...a favorite Chinese hot weather drink, suanmeitang...