- Chinese: 山西老陈醋/山西老陳醋
- English: Shanxi Vintage Vinegar
In China, it is known that Shanxi people love vinegar. They add it in everything: soup, noodles, salads, meat. You name it, they add it.
That’s also because they probably have the best vinegar in China, and certainly one with the longest history in the world.
In the “Annals of Zhou” (周礼) it was recorded that the people of Jinyang 晋阳 started brewing vinegar, that was around 8th century BC.
And the current location of Jinyang, is precisely the city of Taiyuan 太原, in Shanxi 山西.
While archaeological finds trace the origins of vinegar-making to Shanxi, the current breweries date back only 500 years. It was the 10 counties surrounding the River Fen 汾河 in central Shanxi that have continuously produced the famous Shanxi Vintage Vinegar, right until today.
Shanxi Vintage Vinegar is bold, aromatic, full of body like a mature red wine. It goes really well with noodles and dumplings. If you don’t have any appetite, just smelling the Shanxi Vintage Vinegar will make you feel hungry. Just like wine, the more older the vinegar, the fuller the taste!
Need a recipe to try out your Shanxi Vintage Vinegar? Try me:
Taiyuan-style Yangzage 山西太原羊杂割: A Mongolian dish fit for an Empress
