山西老陈醋，千年工艺永世传承

Voice over:

山西老陈醋，千年工艺永世传承

Shanxi mature vinegar, thousands of years old . this technology transmit from old generations to the future.

醋 ，是许多人餐桌上必备的调味料。

Vinegar, is very popular on the dining table in Shanxi.

尤其以爱吃醋闻名的山西人,

The Shanxi are well known for love  jealous.

只要发现家中醋坛子见了底一定要赶紧出门打醋去。

Just found home vinegar jars  saw have bottomed out, than sure to get out buy vinegar.

拎着自家的容器,

Carrying their own container,

一罐一罐地装。

can buy  it in at the store.

据说山西人，一年可以吃掉15万顿的醋。

It is said that Shanxi, 150,000 ton a year can eat vinegar.

山西的陈年老醋，远近驰名，

Shanxi mature vinegar，was well-known far and wide.

连外地人都不远千里慕名而来。

Even every day all over the outsiders are thousands of miles come here buy vinegar.

说到醋，山西人总有说不完的话题可聊。

Speaking of vinegar, Shanxi there is always lots of topics to chat.

在他们眼里，能酿出一味好醋，可是件大事。

In their eyes, can brew a good vinegar, It is a big deal.

酿酒和酿醋，虽然说步骤很像。

Make wine and make vinegar, although steps like.

但老陈醋的酿造过程，可比酿酒要来得复杂多了。

But Vinegar brewing process, to be more complex than wine and more.

人们总说“自古酿醋在山西”。

People always say, "Since ancient times, make vinegar in Shanxi."

其实从选用的粮食开始，就有所讲究。

In fact, from the selection of food began, it is very particular about.

是按照国学理论，

In accordance with the theory of Chinese Classics,

从五行五色五味所组成的醋是非常科学有营养。

five elements ,five colored ,five flavors from vinegar formed is very nutritious science.

从五种谷物中提取精华。

From the five kinds of grain extract the essence.

有豌豆，高粱，大麦，麸皮，谷糠。

There are peas, sorghum, barley, wheat bran, bran.

恰恰正好对应我们的心脏，肝脏，肾脏，肺部和胃。

Just exactly correspond to our heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and stomach.

老祖宗的智慧，将这五种谷物参杂在一起并加以发酵。

The wisdom of our ancestors, these five kinds of grain to be mixed together and fermenting.

在今天已被医学界证实，是对人体健康不可或缺的营养成分。

The medical profession has been confirmed today,is the human health indispensable nutrients.

老师傅和醋匠，依循古法手工酿造的工艺。

Old master and vinegar, follow the ancient hand-brewing process.

不同于机器批量制作。

Different from the machine batch production of vinegar.

其中更是大有学问，他的工艺比较特殊。

Which is very demanding, its craft is rather special.

蒸，酵，熏，淋，陈，五步工艺，

Steaming, fermentation, smoked, filtering, Aging, five-step process,

最核心的简单讲就是固态发酵酿成的醋。

simply, it is the core of the solid-state fermentation led to the vinegar.

在固态发酵完成以后，有一个环节叫熏。

After the solid-state fermentation is completed, there is a link called smoked.

就是说把醋胚放在缸里头，缸下面生上火。

That embryo vinegar on the tank head, the jars under the fire.

进行五天到六天的熏制。

Five-day to six-day smoking process.

熏制简单的讲，看到了颜色的变化。

Smoked Simply speaking, saw a change in color.

但实际上增质增香的过程就完成了。

But in fact the process is to improve the quality and flavor of vinegar is completed.

这项老工艺从明初沿袭至今，

The traditional craft heritage from the early Ming Dynasty to the present day,

每一滴醋都经过至少82道工序。

every drop of vinegar have been at least 82 procedures before they can be made complete.

还要顺应时节，利用四季自然条件。

But also conform to the season, take advantage of seasonal natural conditions.

来进行浓缩和杀菌。

To concentrate and sterilization.

要酿出一瓶好醋，时间要长达数年。

To spawn a bottle of good vinegar, time should be as long as several years.

冬捞冰，夏伏晒，这个特点。

Winter need to remove vinegar ice, summer storms need the sun, such a feature.

温度可以说是酿醋成败的关键。

Temperature can be said that the key to the success of vinegar.

而山西的地理位置和山西本身的气候特点，正是它得天独厚的优势。

While the geographical location of Shanxi and Shaanxi own climate characteristics， its unique advantage.

在机械化的现代，山西人仍坚持传统工艺。

In modern mechanized, Shanxi still adhere to the traditional process.

酿醋保留古味， 慢工出细活，

Vinegar reservations ancient flavor, slow work yields fine products,

用精雕细琢的工艺和绵，酸，甜，香的口感。

With superb technology and cotton, sour, sweet, fragrant taste.

征服了广大市场和广大民众的味蕾。

Conquered the majority of the market and the general public taste buds.

擅长酿醋又爱吃醋的山西人，可以说是无醋不欢。

Shanxi good vinegar and shanxi love jealous, in the shanxi vinegar is said not a flavor.

坚守信念把醋文化传承下去。

Keep the faith vinegar cultural heritage continue.

Giants of Vinegar History: Dessaux Fils of Orléans

The history of vinegar in France, Orléans in particular, has played a large role in the history of vinegar. The artisan vinegar makers of Orléans waxed large in the ancién regime but later began to fade as both free market liberalization and industrialization took their toll. However, amongst these would emerge several companies that not only survived the changing times but thrived in them. Chief amongst these concerns was the family run company Dessaux Fils.

Dessaux Fils dates from the first days of France after the Revolution’s edicts removed the privileges of the old corporations. Once accomplished, vinaigriers (vinegar makers) were no longer limited to approved masters and their apprentices. In this environment, many vinaigreries (vinegar breweries) disappeared but new ones took their place. One such firm, Greffier-Hazon was founded in 1789. The firm was prosperous and located in the center of town near the sugar refineries. 

Sometime in the early 19th century a young Charles-Prosper-Alexandre Dessaux went to work for the vinegar maker. Dessaux worked for Greffier-Hazon for some years, but left start his own firm in 1824 when he was thirty four years old. While independence was surely a motive, the full motives are unclear and though this date corresponded with the invention of the new quick process, it is unlikely he had heard of it that early.

This would obviously have seemed a threat to his old employer, however, instead of competing, the two firms joined together. Charles-Prosper’s son Charles-Laurent Dessaux wed the daughter of the owner of Greffier-Hazon, Marie-Therese Aimee Greffier-Vandais. Both children were in their teens at the time. The combined company, Vinaigrerie Dessaux-Greffier, did well and became a major force in the city. Unfortunately, the next generation was not as inspired as Charles-Prosper likely hoped.

After his retirement, Charles-Prosper’s two sons, Charles and Jules took over the business. They renamed it Vinaigrerie Dessaux Fils (Brothers Dessaux). The two got along quite poorly, especially regarding political issues. Jules was a staunch republican while Charles-Laurent was a bonapartist and enthusiastic supporter of Napoleon III. The friction between the two led Jules to leave and start a rival firm in 1851. After his departure, Charles-Laurent nearly ruined the business caring to spend money more than to make it.

After sixteen years of mismanagement, with the firm at the brink, Charles-Laurent brought his first son Paul into the business. Unfortunately Paul passed prematurely and the business passed to his younger brother Ludovic. A common aphorism is that talent skips a generation and this was true in the case of Ludovic. Taking the reigns at only twenty-four years of age, his passion and understanding of the business as well as his astute observation of the trends in the market would not only save Dessaux Fils, as the business became known, but would help it become the dominant vinegar firm in France and one of the largest and most respected in the world.

A short history of vinegar in pre-modern Korea

Korea has an old vinegar culture dating back over a thousand years. While Korean vinegar history has been less thoroughly documented, especially in English, there are many references to recipes and processes for manufacturing of vinegar as well as culinary and medicinal uses.

The Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), was the period of the flowering of the Korean culture and the establishment of many of Korea’s modern traditions. Korea, like Japan, was heavily influenced by China and scholarly works were written in Classical Chinese throughout East Asia similar to how Latin was used in Europe from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment.

Joseon Dynasty cookbooks and medicinal treatises are replete with references to vinegar with many special varieties. Among the first of these, written in 1459, was SanGaYoRok (山家要錄). A thorough manual on agriculture, agricultural processing, and cooking SanGaYoRok describes 14 different types of vinegar from the traditional rice and barley to more exotic ones such as using iris flowers.

Further writings such as SooEunJabBang ((需雲雜方) in 1504, ChalYoSeo(閨是議方) in 1670 and ChiSengYoRam (山林經濟) in 1715 further describe vinegar making including plum vinegar, jujube vinegar, and vinegars with names such as “Three Yellows” and “Thousand Miles”. Medical uses for vinegar were often suggested as in the DongEuiBoGam (東醫寶鑑)) of 1613. DongEuiBoGam recommended the topical use of vinegar against abscesses and insect bites and the oral use of vinegar to help cure dizziness and neutralize toxins in ingested foods. 

The most extensive writing known on vinegar in the Joseon Dynasty was the agricultural manual ImWonSipYukJi (林園十六志) in 1827 by Seo Yugu. Containing over 42 different vinegar recipes including those of rice, barley, jujube, peach, honey, and tangerine. Variations of many of these vinegars still exist in Korea as well as other popular vinegars such as those made from persimmons.

Main source for additional reading (in Korean):

Lim, Eun-Ji, and Gyung-Hee Cha. “Study on manufacturing of vinegar through literatures of the Joseon dynasty.” Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture 25.6 (2010): 680-707. (Direct link from Google Scholar)

A History of Vinegar in Ancient China

The character for vinegar, 醋 or cù (pronounced ‘sooh’), is ubiquitous connoting both the condiment as well as a metaphor for a bitter life condition.

Chinese civilization first arose primarily along the Yellow River in what is now north central China. Like elsewhere, the development of agriculture and fermented beverages went hand in hand and as central governments arose, luxury food products proliferated to meet the demands of royal and aristocratic consumption.

The Zhou Dynasty, lasting from 1046 to 256 B.C., was one of the most dynamic, and violent, periods in Chinese history. Though Zhou is referred to as a dynasty, like the Shang Dynasty before it, it differs from many succeeding dynasties such as Qin, Han, and Ming in that there was not yet a unified China. Therefore the dynasty term does not connote a centralized government or ruling family over the entire country but rather a historical period.

While writing had been formalized in the previous Shang Dynasty, literary culture took hold and fully developed under Zhou. Many of the great thinkers in Chinese history such as Confucius, Mencius, Sun Tzu, and Lao Tzu lived during this era. It was a period of unprecedented development in culture, trade, and technology. It was also a time of great warfare and from the eighth century B.C. until its end in 256 B.C. China went from about 100 warring principalities to one centralized state under the first emperor Qin Shi Huang.

A CLASSIC CHINESE PAINTING, ‘THE VINEGAR TASTERS’, DEPICTING CONFUCIUS, BUDDHA, AND LAO TZU TASTING VINEGAR AND SHOWING DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS REFLECTING THEIR PHILOSOPHIES ON LIFE.

A legend in Shanxi province, one of the most famous provinces for producing vinegar, states that a female deity, sometimes named Lin Ziyuan, who was a member of an ancient ethnic group that lived along the Fen River, first invented vinegar and taught it to the rest of humanity.

Regardless, large scale vinegar manufacturing seems to have already begun by 479 B.C. where in the city of Jinyang (modern day Taiyuan) there were reportedly already many vinegar manufacturers in the city according to the Chinese historian Hao Shuhou.

In the Spring and Autumn period from 770 B.C. to 476 B.C., the book The Rites of Zhou (Zhou Li 周礼) was written and described theories behind government, bureaucracy, and organization at all levels of the state. Besides military and political appointees, it gives a vital clue about the importance of vinegar. Vinegar had apparently grown to become more than just a casually made condiment as evidenced by the fact that the royal courts of many Chinese states had a special position for a person whose sole responsibility was the brewing of vinegar for royal consumption. This person was described in the section of the book on the ‘Offices of Heaven” and is known as the ‘Xi Ren‘ (醯人) or ‘Vinegar Maker’ based on the ancient Chinese character for vinegar 醯 (Xi).

                                         VINEGAR BREWING IN ANCIENT CHINA


Similar to in the West, the recognition of the medicinal benefits of vinegar was long known. In 1973, a medical text dating back to the Qin / Han Dynasties in the 3rd century B.C. was discovered by Chinese archaeologists. 

Many of the ingredients are herbal ingredients that are still mainstays of Chinese medicine, but many treatments often include vinegar as the main or accompanying ingredient. Later, during the tumultuous, yet romanticized, Three Kingdoms Period (220 – 280 A.D.) following the collapse of the Han Dynasty, the famous doctor Hua Tuoceng used a mixture of garlic and vinegar to treat roundworm. Further Chinese medical texts such as the Recipes Worth a Thousand Gold (Qian Jin Fang 千金方) also extolled the benefits of vinegar for health and treatment.

The twenty-four most common types of vinegar as well as their basic manufacturing processes were later outlined in the ancient Chinese agricultural treatise, Essential Techniques for the Welfare of the People (Qimin Yaoshu; 齐民要术) written in the sixth century A.D. during the Eastern Wei Dynasty,. Similar to the earlier de Res Rustica by the Roman Columella, Qimin Yaoshu describes some agricultural processes and recipes in detail though it is much more comprehensive on the process side. Some vinegars had interesting titles such as “Spiritual Vinegar” or “Vinegar of the Thousand Year Bitterness”. The book gives instructions on both ingredients as well as the preparation, brewing, and aging processes. Qimin Yaoshu may also be the first book to guess at the biological origin of vinegar production due to its description of the mother of vinegar and admonitions against disturbing the mother since that will disrupt vinegar production. It helped set the stage for large scale vinegar production in the later Tang Dynasty where vinegar became more commonplace and available amongst the general populace.

The vinegars described in Qimin Yaoshu are characteristic of Chinese vinegars to this day. Like malt vinegar in the West or rice vinegar in Japan, Chinese vinegars are typically brewed from grain. Unlike malt or rice vinegar though, many Chinese vinegars contain multiple grains which can include rice, barley, wheat bran, oats, and even vegetables such as soybeans. In order to understand the difference in these cereal based Chinese vinegars, it is important to understand the process by which they are made. 

                                                        
                         A FRENCH SKETCH OF A VINEGAR PEDDLER IN 19TH CENTURY BEIJING

Making Chinese Vinegar

Like all vinegars, the basic path to vinegar is the fermentation of an alcoholic substance by vinegar bacteria. However, instead of using waste wine or liquor, Chinese cereal vinegars start with starchy material, change the starch to glucose and other sugars through a process called sacchrification, ferment this sweetened mash to alcohol, and finally convert the alcohol to vinegar.


Sacchrification is again often accomplished with the help of a biological organism. In order to convert starch to sugar, the moistened starch must be exposed to a special kind of protein called an enzyme. Enzymes are amongst the most important of all biological compounds and are most of what an organism’s DNA is coded for. Their function is to act as catalysts in chemical reactions. In short, a catalyst is something that helps speed up a chemical reaction without being consumed itself in the reaction.
The enzymes for sacchrification are called amylases. Amylases are ubiquitous in nature and one specific amylase, alpha amylase, is a main component of your saliva. Amylases break the links in the long chains that make up starches to release sugars like glucose. This is why bread chewed in your mouth eventually gains a sweet taste. Your alpha amylase is converting the bread’s starch to sugar.
Amylases occur both naturally in some grains but can also be introduced by the use of helpful molds. Most of these molds belong to the genus Aspergillus and though they have cousins which cause the unhealthy black mold that can damage houses and contaminate vents, these molds are helpful in that they naturally produce amylases to break down the starch into sugar.
This process, however, is oversimplified in the previous description. Chinese vinegars are unique in that unlike traditional malt vinegars that start from a liquid wort, they rather start from a moist, but not liquid mash. This process is called solid state fermentation and is distinguished by the fact that the ingredients are not fully submerged in water for most of the fermentation cycle.
Starting with the starch ingredients, the ingredients are first mixed according to the, often proprietary, recipe. For example, the typical ingredients in the famous Shanxi Vinegar are sorghum, wheat bran, barley, and pea. They are then crushed to homogenize and ensure the husks release all the starch necessary. This mixture is then usually steamed. The heat of the steam helps activate and accelerate the sacchrification action of the amylases already present in the ingredients.
At this point, a special fermentation starter known as Qu (麹or 曲) (pronounced ‘choo’) is added to the mash. Qu is a large brick-like substance that contains a pre-mixed and prepared cocktail of helpful molds and yeast which will carry out the sacchrification and alcoholic fermentation. It is very similar to  Japanese Koji but it contains both molds and yeast rather than just mold as Koji does.

CHINESE “QU” USED FOR ALCOHOLIC FERMENTATION

The Qu is added, mixed in well, and the mash is placed in an urn kept in a warm place to provide the optimal temperature for the microorganisms. The heated mash then performs simultaneous sacchrification and alcoholic fermentation. The mash is transferred between urns once a day to control the temperature due to the heat released by the fermentation reactions. After about 5 days, all starch has been converted to sugar and sugar to alcohol. It is ready to start acetic acid fermentation.

At this point, a vinegar starter called Pei (醅) (see header image) made of pellets from dehydrated raw vinegar and filled with Acetobacter is added to the alcoholic mash facilitating the conversion to vinegar. The Pei is circulated once a day as acetic acid fermentation progresses which is completed after about two weeks.

To finalize the vinegar, salt is added to halt any further fermentation and the mixture is let sit in the sun for several days. Finally, it is washed three times with water to ‘leach’ out the acetic acid and flavor chemicals giving the final vinegar. Each wash step yields a different level and quality of vinegar and the washes are used accordingly for vinegar or to make more Pei. Finally, the finished vinegar is placed into vats and aged for long periods which can range for 6 months to 6 years for most vinegars.

JARS OF AGING SHANXI VINEGAR

FIELD OF AGING VINEGAR VATS IN TAIYUAN, SHANXI PROVINCE

China's four famous vinegar

China has four famous vinegars that are renowned throughout the country and important for their respective regional cuisines. 

                Shanxi Mature Aged Vinegar (山西老陈醋)

Shanxi Mature Aged Vinegar is from the east-central Chinese province of Shanxi. The capital of Shanxi, Taiyuan, is the same city mentioned in part one as having organized vinegar production for almost 2,500 years. Shanxi province was not far from the traditional Chinese capitals of Chang’An and Kaifeng giving it a close proximity to a high demand for quality, expensive vinegar.

Like the other three vinegars besides Zhenjiang Vinegar, Shanxi Vinegar is much less well-known outside of China and is typically not as readily available overseas. However, it is famous within China and is and an indispensable part of the cuisine and history of Shanxi. 

While vinegar has a long history in Shanxi province, the modern variety of the vinegar was developed in 1368 in a brewery called “Mei He Ju” in Qingxu county, Shanxi. The ingredients of Shanxi vinegar can be quite complex and contain sorghum, wheat, barley, bran, and pea. Shanxi vinegar does not use rice. Shanxi vinegar is fermented similar to Zhenjiang vinegar, however, the amount of Qu added can be large and up to almost 1/3 of the total mass. In addition, Shanxi vinegar is aged for at least a year with standard vinegar sold on the shelves being aged for three years. A premium brand aged 5 years is also available.

Zhenjiang Vinegar (镇江香醋)

Zhenjiang, or Chinkiang, Black Vinegar is the most well-known and recognized of the four vinegars globally. Many vinegars available in Chinese restaurants and grocery stores in the West are explicitly Zhenjiang Black Vinegar or a similar tasting imitation. 

Zhenjiang is a city in the eastern province of Jiangsu, nestled next to Shanghai. Zhenjiang Vinegar is reputedly over 1400 years old and has a huge reputation in China and its diaspora. Zhenjiang Vinegar’s primary ingredients are steamed rice along with wheat, barley, and pea. In addition, two types of Qu with different types of mold are used to add flavor and help with sacchrification. Finally, the vinegar’s flavor and color can be adjusted by adding water filtered through rice heated until black in color. The big brands include Hengshun and Gold Plum.

Sichuan Baoning Vinegar (四川保宁醋)

Sichuan is one of China’s westernmost provinces and contains the ancient and famous city of Chengdu. Famed for its agricultural prowess, Sichuan was the breadbasket that saved China’s forces from starvation and collapse during the fight against Japan before and during World War II. 

Chengdu also played an important part in Ancient Chinese history. During the Three Kingdoms Period, one of the Kingdoms was the Kingdom of Shu and was the home of the wise and cunning Liu Bei, one of the protagonists in the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. 

Having such a unique history, it also is known for its unique culinary traditions including spicy food (often known in the West as Szechuan cuisine). Thus it is not surprising it also has its own vinegar, Sichuan Baoning Vinegar. Baoning Vinegar was created around the year 1618 as the Ming Dynasty was falling apart and coming to a close. During this time the innovation of Baoning was made by simplifying the base ingredients—wheat bran is the main cereal though others can be present in fractional quantities—but making the Qu much more complex.

The Qu for Baoning Vinegar contains dozens of types of traditional Chinese herbs which impart special flavor and reputed health properties to the finished vinegar. Like the others, it is also aged though usually for only 3 months to 1 year.

Fujian Yongchun Monascus (Red) Vinegar (永春老醋)

The final of the four, and the least likely to be found outside China, Fujian Yongchun Red Vinegar is named both from the town in the southern coastal Fujian province it is made but also due to its unique red color as opposed to the black color of the other three. The red color comes from red mold in the Qu which comes from the Monascus rather than Aspergillus genus of molds. Distinct from the other three, Yongchun Vinegar is a liquid state fermentation process, similar to those in the West, and also uses rice almost exclusively as its starch.

Once converted to alcohol, the mash is poured first into an urn one-half full of one year old vinegar. One year later, one-half of this urn is poured into another urn one-half full of two year old vinegar. This repeats once more so that the vinegar is aged at least three years by the time it is done. This process of using successive containers of aged vinegar to mature new vinegar is nearly identical to the Solera process for aging Sherry Vinegar in Spain.

Mind Map_Why Shanxi people like to eat vinegar ?

Shanxi mature vinegar_Material

Shanxi mature vinegar is brewed from sorghum as the major material at high temperature. Made from sorghum, barley and peas and fermented for over a year, it is all natural and chemical-free. Shanxi mature vinegar is world famous for its brown-red color, sour taste, fragrance, mellowness, and thickness.


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