Sake. Baijiu. Shochu. Makgeolli. All these Asian alcoholic drinks have one thing in common: they’re made using a “starter culture” that converts starch in grains – rice, sorghum, barley – into fermentable sugars that can be brewed or distilled.

In Japan, this starter culture is called koji, a form of aspergillus mould that is also used to make soy sauce and miso. In China, it’s called qū (pronounced “choo”), and is more of a mixed-culture starter, containing both saccharifying moulds and fermentation yeasts. Not only are koji and qū essential in the production process, they also contribute umami-rich flavours quite unlike those found in Western malt-based beer or whisky.