Vinegar, the ancient Chinese character for "Qiang", also known as "acyl". There is a record of "acyl copolymer" in Li Zhou, which proves that China vinegar existed in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Jinyang (now Taiyuan) is one of the cradles of my vinegar. Historically, there was a vinegar workshop in Jinyang in the 8th century BC, which spread all over urban and rural areas in the Spring and Autumn Period. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Book of Qi Yaomin recorded 22 methods of making vinegar, such as big vinegar and glutinous rice. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, Daqu, Xiaoqu and Hongqu appeared in Ming Dynasty due to the progress and development of microorganism and koji-making technology. In Shanxi vinegar, Red Heart Daqu, as a kind of high-quality vinegar Daqu, integrates beneficial microbial populations such as Daqu, Xiaoqu and Monascus. The most famous vinegar merchant, the first thing to promote is the Chinese time-honored brand-Yiyuanqing. It is said that Zhu Jihuan, the grandson of Ming Taizu, was named the king of Ninghua and Yiyuanqing in history. In the first year of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty (1644), Gengyang (now Qingxu) Meiheju, a Chinese time-honored brand, changed the smoked vinegar of sorghum Daqu into aged vinegar, which highlighted the new vinegar aging technology of "fishing ice in summer", formed the unique taste of this brand vinegar, and named the product "aged vinegar", which gained great fame and was called "aged vinegar" by later generations. As early as 1930s, the late famous microbiologist Fang summarized and affirmed the technology of Shanxi mature vinegar in Meiheju, pointing out that "the fermentation temperature of Qingyuan vinegar is above 40℃, and its butyric acid bacteria and lactic acid bacteria will play a role, and the unique fragrance of Shanxi vinegar can also prove the role of bacteria other than acetic acid bacteria." Mr. Chen Yaosheng, a famous late microbiologist, clearly pointed out in many works that Qing Xu's Meiheju has experienced ups and downs for more than 300 years, and this precious national heritage was inherited and carried forward by Shanxi Mature Vinegar Group.

The history and origin of vinegar

The history of human consumption of vinegar is very long, some people think it is about 10 thousand years. Vinegar has a written history of at least 3000 years, and it is the oldest condiment like salt. Therefore, like tea culture and wine culture, vinegar is also a kind of culture.

Thousands of years ago, China was able to master the technology of brewing vinegar from grains. In the book "Zhou Li" written by Duke Zhou in 1058, there was a record about brewing, and a special workshop in fermented vinegar appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Qi Yao Min Zuo Shu Qiang Law and Qiang Xian Vinegar. In ancient China, vinegar was called vinegar, acid anhydride, bitter wine or acyl, and the process of brewing vinegar was recorded in detail in Qi Yaomin's Book. After textual research on Taiyuan, historian Hao Shuhou believed that in 479 BC, when Jinyang City was founded, there were vinegar makers. Foreigners call Shanxi people "old xi 'er", which is the homonym of ancient vinegar. Taking ancient vinegar as a synonym for Shanxi people can also reflect the early time and large number of people brewing vinegar in history. So it can be said that Shanxi is the birthplace of vinegar, and the brewing of vinegar has a history of at least 2480 years.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and Zhou Dynasty, vinegar workshops in Jinyang area have spread all over urban and rural areas, among which Gengyang (now Qingxu) vinegar is the most. In the first year of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty (1644), Gengyang "Meiheju" Vinegar Workshop combined with the characteristics of vinegar brewing technology at that time and created its own unique production technology. Because the whole production process takes a long time, and the vinegar produced is as mellow as aged wine, people named the vinegar produced by Meiheju as aged vinegar, and Meiheju has also developed into a prominent big firm. Until the 1930s, Mr. Feng, the originator of microorganisms in China, wrote a book after a field trip to Qingxu on a donkey, calling mature vinegar the best vinegar in China.

In Taiyuan city, the steamed iron retort built by Jiaqing on July 22nd is still preserved. Legend has it that "One Yuan Qing" is an old brand, which was established in the Ming Dynasty. It is a workshop in Wang Fu where Zhu Jihuan, the grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, the great ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, specializes in brewing, grinding flour and making vinegar. The vinegar brewed by one yuan Qing has exquisite ingredients, fine preparation, sweet and sour taste and will not deteriorate for a long time. King Ninghua was not only eaten by the local government, but also regarded it as a treasure and has been enshrined in the palace. In the period of the Republic of China, Yiyuanqing's vinegar was still a good gift from dignitaries to relatives and friends. The so-called "official vinegar" was commonly known as "Ninghuafu" vinegar. Until the eve of liberation, its products were still favored by elites and celebrities, such as Yan Xishan's "Eight Gao Qian" and famous Shanxi Opera artists.

Shanxi vinegar has a long history and Shanxi people are famous for being jealous. "Shangshu" recorded such a story: Wu Ding made a speech in order to hire a man named Fu Shuo as his prime minister: "If you are a wine cellar, you will only be a tiller; To make a soup, it will only be salted plum. " The plum mentioned here is sour plum, which was used as vinegar at that time. Yin Wuding's words mean: How outstanding your talent is-if you are brewing liqueur, you are the key starter and cultivator; If you are cooking soup, you are the essential salt and vinegar. It can be seen that as early as BC12nd century, Shanxi people not only had the habit of being jealous, but also regarded vinegar as a symbol of praising people's superb character and outstanding talent.

Etymology records: "vinegar, formerly known as' vinegar', is an acidic condiment." Vinegar is "a bitter wine, which is called acyl in the week and vinegar in the middle" (textual research on the original text). An official in the Zhou Dynasty was an "acyl man", and an acyl man was also a vinegar. "Acne man" is an official in charge of vinegar making. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, vinegar was still an expensive condiment, and it was not widely produced until the Han Dynasty. There are also records of vinegar making in Biography of Historical Records by Sima Qian and Moon Order for Four People by Cui Shi. Therefore, the historian Professor Hao Shuhou concluded that there were vinegar makers at least before 497 BC, that is, before the establishment of Jinyang Ancient City.

Shanxi vinegar is brewed properly, which is not only varied, but also exquisite in quality, and has become an indispensable condiment in Shanxi people's lives. It is divided into aged vinegar, aged vinegar, common vinegar, double vinegar, special vinegar, famous special vinegar, flavor vinegar and so on. From the production process, there are smoked vinegar, yellow vinegar, reflux vinegar, sealed vinegar, pouring vinegar and so on. The main raw materials used are sorghum vinegar, corn vinegar, millet vinegar, persimmon vinegar, fruit vinegar and sweet potato vinegar. According to the types of koji used, there are Daqu vinegar, fast koji vinegar and natural fermented vinegar. It's really dazzling and has its own characteristics.

Why does vinegar play an important role in Shanxi people's life? Residents in Jinzhong (including Taiyuan) are used to eating pasta and seasoning it with vinegar, which is refreshing and delicious, promoting appetite and helping digestion. According to literature and clinical experience, vinegar also has high value in medicine. There is such a record in ancient medical books: "Acetic acid is warm, appetizing and nourishing the liver, strengthening tendons and warming bones, sobering up and promoting digestion, lowering qi to ward off evil spirits, and relieving fish and crab scales to induce various poisons." Those that are old and fragrant are good. " In the fourth year of Qing Dynasty, Shi Jing's imperial doctors concentrated on famous doctors all over the country, and made "Dingkundan" to treat blood stasis of harem concubines. More than 20 kinds of medicinal materials have been used, many of which have to be processed with aged vinegar before they can be used. In addition, people practice many wonderful uses of vinegar in their daily lives.

Shanxi vinegar industry has a long history and profound cultural heritage, and has become a unique industrial tourism project in Shanxi. Shanxi Mature Vinegar Group Company completely changed the production environment of the vinegar industry in the past, and established a "vinegar therapy park", which has received nearly 65,438+10,000 tourists from home and abroad for sightseeing and leisure.