Shanxi Mature Vinegar

Shanxi Mature Vinegar ( zh, 山西老陈醋) is a type of Chinese vinegar. It is special product of Shanxi Province, a product of China's National Geographical Indication.

Product Features

Shanxi Mature Vinegar is made from high-quality sorghum, barley, peas and other grains through steaming, fermenting, smoking, pouring and drying. It is one of the four famous vinegars in China. It has a history of more than 3,000 years and is known as "the best in the world". The reputation of "vinegar" is famous in the world for its five characteristics: color, aroma, alcohol, concentration and sourness.The color of Shanxi Mature Vinegar is sauce red, and it tastes soft, sour, fragrant, sweet and fresh. Shanxi mature vinegar is rich in amino acids, organic acids, sugars, vitamins and salts. The health-care vinegar based on mature vine

Aging with new vinegar instead of fermented grains: Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar and Sichuan Baoning bran vinegar are all aged with fermented grains instead of new vinegar, and the aging period is 20–30 days and about one year respectively;

Only Shanxi old vinegar is aged with new vinegar instead of fermented grains, and the aging period is generally 9–12 months, and some of them can last for several years.

The total acid content of Shanxi mature vinegar is 9 ~ 11 degrees, and its specific gravity, concentration, viscosity, soluble solids, non-volatile acid, total sugar, reducing sugar, total ester, amino acid nitrogen and other quality indicators can rank first in China's vinegar.

Due to the conversion of ester and acid, the condensation of alcohol and aldehyde, and the increase of the proportion of non-volatile acid in the aging process, the aged vinegar is delicate and soft in acidity.

Function

As early as the Han Dynasty, Hua Tuo had used vinegar to treat abdominal pain caused by roundworms; in ancient Rome, folks used vinegar to treat wounds; Use vinegar to sanitize. In Shanxi, there is a folk proverb that "you don't need to go to the drugstore if you have two liang of vinegar at home".

1. Vinegar can whet the appetite, promote the secretion of saliva and gastric juice, help digestion and absorption, make the appetite strong, digest food and accumulate;

2. Vinegar has good antibacterial and bactericidal effects, and can effectively prevent intestinal diseases, influenza and respiratory diseases;

3. Vinegar can soften blood vessels and lower cholesterol. It is a good prescription for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular patients such as hypertension;

4. Vinegar can protect the skin and hair very well. There are records in ancient Chinese medicine that vinegar was used as medicine, and it is believed that it has the effects of hair growth, beauty, blood pressure reduction and weight loss;

5. Vinegar can eliminate fatigue, promote sleep, and relieve symptoms of motion sickness and seasickness;

6. Vinegar can also reduce the alcohol concentration in the gastrointestinal tract and blood, sobering up;

7. Vinegar also softens chicken bones and shark fins and promotes calcium absorption.

In addition, vinegar can also dissipate blood stasis, stop bleeding, detoxify, and kill insects. Control postpartum halo, eczema, jaundice, yellow sweat, vomiting blood, epistaxis, blood in the stool, genital itching, carbuncle sores. Detoxification of fish, meat and vegetables.

In daily life, vinegar is widely used and can be eaten by the general population. People with dampness in the spleen and stomach and the beginning of exogenous diseases should not take it; people with gastric ulcer and hyperacidity should not eat vinegar.

History

Vinegar was called acyl in ancient times, also known as vinegar. There is a record in "Zhou Li" that "the palms of the people and the palms are the same", which shows that vinegar has been brewed in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Jinyang (now Taiyuan) is the birthplace of Chinese vinegar.

According to history, there was a vinegar workshop in Jinyang in the eighth century BC.There are many records about vinegar in ancient books such as "Bencao Gangmu", and there are many allusions about vinegar circulating among the people.

After the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to the progress and development of microbes and koji making technology, until the Ming Dynasty, there were Daqu, Xiaoqu and Hongqu. Shanxi vinegar uses red heart as the koji for vinegar production. Beneficial microbial populations as one.

* 1368: Meiheju founded the "fumigation method", and "white vinegar" became "black vinegar".
* 1644：Shanxi vinegar (smoked vinegar, fruit vinegar, rice vinegar, etc.) became famous with the rapid development of Shanxi merchants. "Meiheju" founded the technology of "fishing for ice in winter and drying in summer". As "fishing for ice in winter and drying in summer" takes years to accumulate, Shanxi vinegar is called "Shanxi mature vinegar" because its Fang Chen time is longer and its quality is better. The history of Shanxi vinegar has gradually evolved into the development history of Shanxi mature vinegar.
* 1956：The government of Qingxu County, Shanxi Province joined forces with 21 vinegar-making workshops such as Meiheju to set up a public-private Qingxu Qu vinegar factory in Shanxi.
* 1959: In the book "Shanxi Qingxu Mature Vinegar" published by Young Industry Publishing House in 1959, it was said: "Mature Vinegar, a nationally famous Shanxi specialty, is said to have been brewed here in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period."
* 2011: Shanxi Mature Vinegar Group became the only national condiment industry and the only "national intangible cultural heritage productive protection demonstration base" in Shanxi Province.
* 2021: The Regulations on the Protection of Shanxi Mature Vinegar was adopted at the 31st meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th People's Congress of Shanxi Province, and will come into force on January 1, 2022.

Origin environment

The sunshine on the Shanxi Plateau is strong, and the temperature difference between day and night is large. The content of sugar and other components in the coarse cereals produced is high.

A research institution in Japan once brought back Shanxi mature vinegar for analysis, and proved that the various amino acids in Shanxi mature vinegar are higher than those of other brands of vinegar.

Shanxi old mature vinegar has another factor that cannot be imitated by other regions, which is the coldness of the Shanxi plateau in winter and the fierce sunshine of summer.

Brewing vinegar is like wine, you must get good water to make good vinegar. In the long past, the people of Shanxi depended on the Fen River for drinking and watering. The water used for Shanxi Mature Vinegar comes from the ground, and the water veins originate from Tianlong Mountain. The water quality is good, and it is the high-quality water for brewing Shanxi vinegar.

Production status

In 2006, the output of mature vinegar in Shanxi was 300,000 tons, accounting for one-tenth of the total output of vinegar in China.

In 2011, the output of Shanxi vinegar was about 600,000 tons, accounting for about 18% of the entire vinegar market, while aged vinegar accounted for about 70% of Shanxi vinegar.

In 2012, the actual output of Shanxi mature vinegar was 770,000 tons, the total sales revenue was 2.206 billion yuan, an increase of 9.91% over 2011, and the total profit was 265 million yuan, an increase of 0.76%. The vinegar industry in Shanxi Province opened 218 mature vinegar stores outside the province, an increase of 15.96%.

Awards

* In 1924, at the Panama International Exposition, Qingxu Mature Vinegar won the first prize of high-quality products in one fell swoop.
* In 1993, "Donghu" won the title of the first batch of "China Time-honored Brands" in the country.
* In 2006, the traditional brewing technique of "Shuita" mature vinegar won the title of the first batch of "National Intangible Cultural Heritage".
* In 2006, the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China awarded "East Lake" the certificate and plaque of China Time-honored Brand.
* On January 31, 2012, at the awarding ceremony of the first batch of "National Intangible Cultural Heritage Productive Protection Demonstration Bases" held in Beijing, Meiheju's mature vinegar brewing skills won this honor.
* On December 23, 2019, the 5th China Agricultural Brand Annual Ceremony opened in Chengdu Tongwei International Center. At the meeting, the "Top 100 Iconic Brands of China's Agricultural Products" was officially released, and Shanxi Mature Vinegar and other brands were selected.
* On July 20, 2020, Shanxi Mature Vinegar was included in the first protection list of geographical indications in China and Europe.

Requirements

Producers within the region of origin of Shanxi mature vinegar must apply to the reporting agency established by the local Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision if they use the "Special Mark for Products of the Region of Origin" of Shanxi mature vinegar and pass the preliminary examination, which will be announced by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Only after approval can the "Special Mark for Products of the Region of Origin" of Shanxi Mature Vinegar be used.

Related stories

Bai Letian praises vinegar and leaves poems

According to legend, when Bai Juyi lived in Ludaoli, because his residence was adjacent to the temple, he had close contacts with the monks and gave each other gifts. One day, Elder Shenxiu went to Ludao to drink tea with Le Tian and chat about the miraculous effect of wine. Shenxiu asks Letian for a sentence. Letian uses vinegar to study ink, and writes with a swipe of a pen: Competitive biography in the Palace of Eternal Life. Where there is no agreement, whoever depends on each other will feel more sour than sweet when sick. This Tibetan acrostic poem hides the four characters "the elder has no disease", which means that the elder Shenxiu can live a long and healthy life because he often eats vinegar.

Empress Wu Zetian drank vinegar to cure her illness

According to legend, Wu Zetian once felt unwell and often didn't want to eat. The imperial doctors tried their best, but to no avail, and one imperial doctor was punished for this. Later, a Taoist priest offered mature vinegar, and Wu Zetian's appetite improved after eating it. From then on, Wu Zetian always put a pot of vinegar when eating. This custom spread to the folks, and vinegar can appetize and hangover, and it has been passed down to this day.

References

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category:Vinegar
Shanxi cuisine