Shanxi Aged Vinegar Brewing Technique

Shanxi's vinegar-brewing history reaches back to the Xia–Shang period with recorded evidence spanning more than three thousand years; Qingxu County is the core production area, famed for vinegar nationally since the Ming dynasty, its climate and water conditions uniquely suited to producing fine aged vinegar.

The brewing process involves more than ten stages including steaming grain, fermenting, smoking the mash, filtering, and aging; the smoking of the mash and the distinctive summer-drying and winter-ladling aging process are unique, producing a deep-brown vinegar with a mellow, lingering acidic aroma after months to years of maturation.

Inscribed in 2014 on the fourth national ICH list, Shanxi aged vinegar is ranked first among China's four famous vinegars, carrying the millennium-old Shanxi culinary tradition of seasoning with vinegar and representing an important example of traditional Chinese fermented food craft.

The core production area is Qingxu County, Taiyuan; the Donghu Vinegar Culture Park in Taiyuan is a dedicated experience base showcasing the aged-vinegar brewing process.