Admin: [CFWK] Enrich from verified facts (original English)

2026-09-23T08:26:03Z

[CFWK] Enrich from verified facts (original English)

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:26, 23 September 2026
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	{{#seo:		{{#seo:
	\|title=Suanmeitang (酸梅汤) - Chinese Food Wiki		\|title=Suanmeitang (酸梅汤) - Chinese Food Wiki
	\|keywords=Suanmeitang,酸梅汤,Chinese Drink,sour plum		\|keywords=Suanmeitang,酸梅汤,Chinese Drink,sour plum,wumei,Beijing
	\|description=Suanmeitang is a ~~traditional~~ Chinese sweet-sour smoked~~-plum drink popular in~~ summer ~~and listed on Chinese Drink~~.		\|description=Suanmeitang is a Chinese sweet-sour drink simmered from smoked dark plums (wumei), rock sugar, and aromatics, a classic summer cooler.
	}}		}}

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	\| course = Drink		\| course = Drink
	\| country = China		\| country = China
	\| region = China (nationwide; ~~northern & street stalls~~)		\| region = China (nationwide; strong Beijing association)
	\| other = Sweet-sour drink from smoked plums; listed on Chinese Drink hub		\| other = Sweet-sour drink from smoked plums; listed on Chinese Drink hub
	}}		}}

	'''Suanmeitang''' (Simplified Chinese: 酸梅汤; Traditional Chinese: 酸梅湯; Pinyin: ''Suānméi tāng'') is a traditional Chinese sweet-sour beverage made by simmering smoked dark plums (wumei) with rock sugar and aromatics such as osmanthus ~~or hawthorn~~. It ~~is named~~ on the [[Chinese Drink]] hub as a classic soft drink, especially ~~in summer~~.<ref name="wp">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suanmeitang English Wikipedia]</ref>		'''Suanmeitang''' (Simplified Chinese: 酸梅汤; Traditional Chinese: 酸梅湯; Pinyin: ''Suānméi tāng'') is a traditional Chinese sweet-sour beverage made by simmering smoked dark plums (乌梅, ''wumei'') with rock sugar and aromatics such as hawthorn, dried tangerine peel, or osmanthus. It appears on the [[Chinese Drink]] hub as a classic soft drink, especially for hot weather.<ref name="wp">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suanmeitang English Wikipedia: Suanmeitang]</ref><ref name="bj">[https://english.visitbeijing.com.cn/article/47OO6NsndoP VisitBeijing English: Suan Mei Tang as a Beijing summer beverage]</ref>

	== Characteristics ==		== Characteristics ==

	~~Deep~~ brown-red ~~color; taste balances~~ sour plum with sugar. ~~Served~~ chilled as street or ~~restaurant drink~~; ~~also bottled commercially~~.		The finished drink is usually deep brown-red to amber, tasting sharp-sour from the smoked plum with a rounded sweetness from rock sugar. Good cups smell lightly of dried fruit and, when osmanthus is used, a soft floral finish. It is typically served well chilled; older Beijing street service relied on ice or ice-cellar cold water rather than modern refrigeration alone.<ref name="bjgov">[https://www.beijing.gov.cn/renwen/pjsx/201907/t20190712_1874847.html Beijing municipal culture page: suanmeitang from medicinal plum drinks to popular beverage]</ref>

			Suanmeitang is '''not''' fresh green-plum juice. The core fruit is processed ''wumei'' (smoked or dark preserved mume), which gives a different aroma from fresh prune or plum nectar. Bottled supermarket versions are widespread; stall- or kitchen-simmered pots still define the “old Beijing” image.

	== Ingredients (overview) ==		== Ingredients (overview) ==

	Smoked plums (乌梅), rock sugar, water, optional hawthorn, dried tangerine peel, osmanthus. ~~Not the same as fresh plum juice~~.		Smoked dark plums (乌梅), rock sugar or crystal sugar, water; optional hawthorn, licorice root, dried tangerine peel, osmanthus, or rose. Proportions shift by weather and shop—hotter days often run more sour in traditional Beijing practice.<ref name="bj" /> Overview only—not a recipe or medical formula.

	== History and culture ==		== History and culture ==

	~~Longstanding folk cooling drink referenced on [[~~Chinese ~~Drink]]~~; ~~northern~~ tea-house and ~~street~~-~~stall staple that~~ later ~~became an~~ industrial ~~bottled flavor~~.		Chinese materia medica long recorded ''wumei'' and plum decoctions. A soft historical line treats early medicinal plum soaks (including notes associated with the Six Dynasties physician Tao Hongjing) as antecedents of later sweetened plum drinks; those medical notes are '''background lore''', not a continuous branded recipe from antiquity to the street cup.<ref name="bjgov" />

			As a popular summer soft drink, suanmeitang is strongly linked to Qing-period Beijing and Tianjin street and tea-house life. Period miscellanies such as ''Qingbai leichao'' and the early-twentieth-century ''Yanjing suishi ji'' describe iced plum drinks sold in the capital; essayists later praised dense, ice-cold shop cups. Famous Liulichang and other old Beijing confectionery-tea shops (for example Xinyuanzhai in cultural writing) are remembered as landmarks of osmanthus plum drink—named here as cultural memory, not as advertising.<ref name="bjgov" /><ref name="bj" />

			Today the drink is nationwide: home pots, restaurant pitchers, and industrial bottles. It is often ordered with fatty meals such as hot pot or roast meats because the sour-sweet profile cuts richness—a dining habit, not a health claim.

	== Serving and variations ==		== Serving and variations ==

	Cold glass or bottle. See [[Chinese Drink]].		Cold glass, bowl, or bottle. Osmanthus-forward Beijing style, heavier hawthorn versions, and lightly spiced commercial concentrates all circulate. See [[Chinese Drink]], [[Hong Kong Milk Tea]], and [[Yuenyeung]] for other soft-drink categories on this wiki.

	== See also ==		== See also ==

	* [[Chinese Drink]]		* [[Chinese Drink]]
	* [[Hong Kong Milk Tea]]		* [[Hong Kong Milk Tea]]
	* [[Yuenyeung]]		* [[Yuenyeung]]
			* [[Soy Milk]]
	* [[Tea]]		* [[Tea]]
			* [[Beijing Food]]
	* [[List of dishes (A-Z)]]		* [[List of dishes (A-Z)]]

	== References ==		== References ==
	{{~~Reflist~~}}		{{reflist}}

Admin: [CFWK] create Suanmeitang (Round12 P5 dish)

2026-09-22T11:24:38Z

[CFWK] create Suanmeitang (Round12 P5 dish)

New page

{{#seo:
|title=Suanmeitang (酸梅汤) - Chinese Food Wiki
|keywords=Suanmeitang,酸梅汤,Chinese Drink,sour plum
|description=Suanmeitang is a traditional Chinese sweet-sour smoked-plum drink popular in summer and listed on Chinese Drink.
}}

{{Infobox chinese food
| image = Suanmeitang.jpg
| caption = Suanmeitang
| alternate_name = Sour plum drink; suan mei tang; Chinese smoked plum beverage
| pinyin = Suānméi tāng
| type = Sweet-sour drink
| course = Drink
| country = China
| region = China (nationwide; northern & street stalls)
| other = Sweet-sour drink from smoked plums; listed on Chinese Drink hub
}}

'''Suanmeitang''' (Simplified Chinese: 酸梅汤; Traditional Chinese: 酸梅湯; Pinyin: ''Suānméi tāng'') is a traditional Chinese sweet-sour beverage made by simmering smoked dark plums (wumei) with rock sugar and aromatics such as osmanthus or hawthorn. It is named on the [[Chinese Drink]] hub as a classic soft drink, especially in summer.<ref name="wp">[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suanmeitang English Wikipedia]</ref>

== Characteristics ==

Deep brown-red color; taste balances sour plum with sugar. Served chilled as street or restaurant drink; also bottled commercially.

== Ingredients (overview) ==

Smoked plums (乌梅), rock sugar, water, optional hawthorn, dried tangerine peel, osmanthus. Not the same as fresh plum juice.

== History and culture ==

Longstanding folk cooling drink referenced on [[Chinese Drink]]; northern tea-house and street-stall staple that later became an industrial bottled flavor.

== Serving and variations ==

Cold glass or bottle. See [[Chinese Drink]].

== See also ==

* [[Chinese Drink]]
* [[Hong Kong Milk Tea]]
* [[Yuenyeung]]
* [[Tea]]
* [[List of dishes (A-Z)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

Suanmeitang - Revision history

Admin: [CFWK] Enrich from verified facts (original English)

Admin: [CFWK] create Suanmeitang (Round12 P5 dish)