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Sichuan bran vinegar

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People in different areas of Sichuan usually make vinegar with bran. Bran vinegar of Baoning is most famous. Major materials of Baoning bran vinegar include bran, wheat and rice. The starter is made from over seventy kinds of famous and precious Chinese medicines that can benefit the spleen and stomach, such as fructus amomis, bark of eucommia, Philippine violet herb, amomum cardamomum, and fruit of lilac. The process also uses pure, sweet and fragrant spring water which contains multiple mineral components helpful to vinegar making. Baoning bran vinegar has a dark brown color and a strong acidic taste. It is also the only medicated vinegar known as “magic oriental vinegar.” In 1915, Baoning bran vinegar won a gold medal at the first Panama Pacific International Exposition along together with the state liquor Maotai.

The Culture of Vinegar

China was the first country in the world to make vinegar from grain. The written history of vinegar can be traced back to the 8th century BC. During the Spring and Autumn Period, professional vinegar workshop had appeared. The book Qi Min Yao Shu (literally, Important Means of Substance for People’s Welfare of the Northern Wei Dynasty collected altogether 22 vinegar production methods, some of which are still in use. In ancient times, vinegar was also called “bitter wine”, “acid wine”, “rice vinegar”, etc. The old saying “Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea are indispensable in our daily life” indicates that vinegar has played an important role in the life of the Chinese through the ages.

Details

Types of vinegar

Types of vinegar

Materials for making vinegar include rice, wheat, sorghum, millet, bran, saccharine fruits, etc. China produces a great variety of famous vinegar products, such as Shanxi mature vinegar which is...
Shanxi mature vinegar

Shanxi mature vinegar

Shanxi mature vinegar is the most well-known vinegar in north China. Taking high-quality sorghum as the major material, it is produced by stewing, saccharification, alcoholization, high-temperature...
Zhenjiang black rice vinegar

Zhenjiang black rice vinegar

Zhenjiang black rice vinegar takes high-quality glutinous rice as the major material. It is produced with a unique processing technology through three principal processes (wine making, solid...
Jiangzhe rose vinegar

Jiangzhe rose vinegar

Jiangzhe rose vinegar, a unique rice vinegar variety with high-quality rice as material, is noted for its bright and transparent rose color. It has a special full-bodied scent that is appetizing....
Yongchun aged vinegar

Yongchun aged vinegar

Yongchun aged vinegar takes high-quality glutinous rice, red yeast rice and sesame as materials. The materials are added by several times, fermented, and aged for many years (more than three...
Pineapple vinegar

Pineapple vinegar

Pineapple vinegar is a well-known vinegar variety of Taiwan, China. It is made from pineapples produced in Taiwan. Pineapple vinegar has a clear color, and tastes acidic but not in a strong way,...
Vinegar capital of China - Qingxu County, Shanxi Province

Vinegar capital of China - Qingxu County, Shanxi Province

Qingxu County is located in the suburb of Taiyuan, the capital city of Shanxi Province. It is the cradle of and the largest production base of Shanxi mature vinegar. The vinegar-making history of...
Life tips: magical functions of vinegar

Life tips: magical functions of vinegar

Vinegar is not only a seasoning. It can also help you solve various household problems...
"Drinking Vinegar" in Chinese proverb

"Drinking Vinegar" in Chinese proverb

If the third person appears between two lovers or a couple, the one being hurt will “drink vinegar”.