There are various theories about the origin of Doburoku: a theory that it was brought from China with the direct transmission of the rice-producing culture from the Yangtze River/the Yellow River region (around 3,000 B.C.), a theory of spontaneous generation by natural fermentation and other theories.
どぶろくの起源についても諸説あり、中国の長江/黄河流域の稲作文化の直接伝播（紀元前3千年紀ごろ）に伴って伝わったという説や自然発酵による独自の発生説など諸説ある。