China News Service, Beijing, February 8th Recently, Taiwan's "Economic Daily" published a report on Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, introducing the characteristics and history of Shanxi mature vinegar.
Shanxi mature vinegar. Image source: Taiwan's "Economic Daily"
The report pointed out that Shanxi mature vinegar is one of the four famous vinegars in China and is known as "the best vinegar in the world". It is famous both at home and abroad for its "sour taste, mellow taste, soft taste, sweet and sour taste, and long aftertaste". Taiyuan is the birthplace of mature vinegar. Historically, it is said that in the 8th century BC, there were vinegar shops in Jinyang, which spread throughout urban and rural areas during the Spring and Autumn Period. The local mature vinegar became famous far and wide during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and spread all over the country with the footprints of Shanxi merchants.
The craft of Shanxi mature vinegar originates from the vinegar-making process since the Western Zhou Dynasty. According to historical records, in the early Ming Dynasty, the vinegar brewing master of Meiheju, Taiyuan Vinegar Factory, created the aging process of "sun-drying in the summer and ice-cooking in the winter". After more than 600 years of inheritance and development, a set of Shanxi mature vinegar brewing techniques that match modern science and are based on handicrafts has been formed, and has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.
The traditional brewing technique of mature vinegar is divided into five steps: steaming, fermentation, fumigation, leaching and aging. Among them, "smoke" is a unique technique of Shanxi vinegar brewing, which adds color, aroma and fat to the vinegar by fumigating the fermented grains. In addition to the characteristics of ordinary vinegar such as sourness, strong taste, and long flavor, mature vinegar also has the characteristics of fragrance, softness, no sedimentation, no mildew in summer, no freezing in winter, and deep orange color.
In addition to food, Hua Tuo used vinegar to treat abdominal pain caused by roundworms. The "Huangdi Neijing" records that patients with edema who avoid salt can use vinegar instead. According to legend, Wu Zetian was in poor health and did not want to eat, and the imperial doctors were helpless. Later, a Taoist priest offered mature vinegar. Wu Zetian's appetite increased after eating it. From then on, she always put a pot of vinegar in the imperial meal.
Shanxi uniquely enjoys the unique geographical advantage of old vinegar, which cannot be imitated by other places. The raw materials for brewing aged vinegar are all locally produced sorghum, barley, corn and peas. In addition, making vinegar is like wine, and you must have good water to produce good vinegar. The water used for aged vinegar comes from underground, and the water veins originate from Tianlong Mountain. Tianlong Mountain has tall peaks, shady pines and cypresses, and singing streams. It has high forest coverage and good water quality. It is a high-quality water land for making vinegar.
Donghu Vinegar Garden, located in Taiyuan City, gradually evolved from the famous time-honored Meihe Ju Vinegar Factory in Shanxi Province, known as the "No. 1 vinegar brewing factory in China". The exhibition hall and vinegar therapy garden in the park have collected various vinegar-making equipment and vinegar therapy prescriptions since the Western Han Dynasty respectively, showing the development history of Shanxi mature vinegar. Visitors can also participate in part of the aging vinegar production process. (over)