Black vinegar is dark-colored vinegar used in Chinese cuisine.

Types

China

One of the most important types of Chinese "black vinegar" is the Shanxi mature vinegar (simplified Chinese: 山西老陈醋; traditional Chinese: 山西老陳醋; pinyin: lǎo chéncù) from the central plains of Northern China, particularly in the Shanxi province (Shanxi mature vinegar).^[1] It is made from sorghum, peas, barley, bran and chaff and has a much stronger smoky flavor than rice-based black vinegar. It is popular in the north of China as a dipping sauce, particularly for dumplings.^{[citation needed]}

Another type of Chinese "black vinegar" is Zhenjiang vinegar (simplified Chinese: 镇江香醋; traditional Chinese: 鎭江香醋; pinyin: zhènjiāng xiāngcù) and similar condiments from southern China.^[2] The condiment is an inky-black rice vinegar aged for a malty, woody, and smoky flavor.^[3][4] It is made from rice (usually glutinous),^[5] or sorghum, or in some combination of those, sometimes including wheat and millet.^[6] Black vinegar was traditionally aged in clay pots.^[7]

In Sichuan black vinegar is made from wheat bran and flavored with traditional medicinal spices. Sichuan's Baoning vinegar (保寧醋 or 保宁醋) is a famous example.

Black vinegar from Fujian is made using glutinous rice and colored red by the infusion of a special fungus.^[7]

Japan

The Japanese kurozu, a somewhat lighter form of black vinegar, is made only from brown rice.

Korea

In Korea black vinegar is also made with brown rice.^[7]

History

Ancient Chinese laborers used wine as a leavening agent to ferment and brew vinegar. East Asian vinegar originated in China, and there are at least three thousand years of documented history of making vinegar. In ancient China, "vinegar" was called "bitter wine," which also indicates that "vinegar" originated from "wine".^[8]

Uses

Black vinegar has been used as a full-flavored but less expensive alternative to traditional balsamic vinegar.^[4][5]