Fugu Fermented Sour Millet 府谷酸饭
Fugu Fermented Sour Millet is featured among the local specialties of Shaanxi.
Fugu Fermented Sour Millet (府谷酸饭) belongs to Fugu’s (府谷) tradition of soured yellow millet. The grain is fermented before cooking, then made into either sour porridge or a drained preparation called suanlaofan (酸捞饭).
How it is made
The ferment begins in a ceramic jar known locally as a suanguanzi (酸罐子). Millet is mixed with cooled boiled water, covered and kept in a warm place, traditionally beside a stove or on a heated kang platform. It is stirred several times a day.
Fugu County Government gives two to three days in summer and five to six in winter, with a pear-like taste marking readiness for cooking. After the soured millet boils, some clear liquid is returned to the jar as suantour (酸头儿), a starter for another batch.
For porridge, the mixture is stirred as it cooks until the grains break down. For the drained form, the grains are lifted out once they split, leaving a sour millet liquid called suanmitang (酸米汤).
How it is eaten
The drained millet is firm and sticky and is eaten with hongyancai (红腌菜), a preserved vegetable accompaniment. Sour millet liquid is also consumed as a local summer drink. Fugu County Government describes the drained preparation as common summer food around the county town and its surrounding area.
Sources & reading
Written from the linked sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer on 2026-09-26. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.