Chinese black vinegar is a staple in Chinese home kitchens, and a must have if you are going to cook authentic Chinese dishes. If we could only have a couple of seasonings in our pantry, this would be one of them!
In addition to soy sauce, dried red chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, and garlic, Chinese black vinegar is a must-have in the kitchen. Here we break down what it is, how it’s made, and where to buy it.
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What is Chinese Black Vinegar?
Chinese “black” vinegar, or dark vinegar, is a generic term that is used to refer to several types of Chinese vinegar, which as you may have guessed, are black in color. Chinese black vinegars use a combination of grains in production. The three black varieties discussed in this article are part of China’s Four Famous Vinegars. The fourth famous vinegar in China is called Yongchun Red Vinegar.
History of Vinegar Making in China
China was the first recorded country to begin making vinegar from grains. Vinegar’s origin in China was first officially recorded in the 8th century BC and the first professional vinegar workshop appeared during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476 BC). Vinegar makers for the imperial court during the Zhou Dynasty were called zuo ren (酢人).
The origin story of grain vinegar states that a man named Heita, who was the son of Du Kang (wine inventor from the Xia Dynasty 2070 – 1600 BC), invented vinegar made from grain. The story says that Heita did not want to waste the leftover “wine lees” so he stored them in a jar and later open them finding a pleasant aroma and taste. It was kept as a seasoning and later given the name vinegar.
How Chinese Black Vinegar is Made
Chinese black vinegars are made using semi-solid or solid mix-culture fermentation techniques, rather than submerged pure-culture fermentation techniques used in European countries. According to Dr. Zhen-Ming Lu from Jiangnan University, during solid mix-culture fermentation techniques, the ingredients are not fully submerged in water during most of the fermentation cycle. By comparison to Chinese grain vinegar production, no saccharification step exists in the production of many sugar-rich fruit vinegars, such as balsamic vinegar.
Chinese black vinegar production has three steps: starch saccharification (converting grains to sugar/glucose), alcohol fermentation, and oxidation of alcohol to acetic acid (vinegar).
During this process, grain starches are converted to glucose/sugar using jiuqu, which is a fermentation starter. This mixture is then fermented into an alcohol mash. The alcohol mash is mixed with wheat bran, rice hull, and vinegar starter (called pei) in clay pots, and microbes synthesize an abundant quantity of acids. This process takes about 20 days. The vinegar is then allowed to age anywhere from 3 months to 10 years depending on the type of vinegar.
You can read more about this in The Eternal Condiment, by Reginald Smith.
Types of Chinese Black Vinegar
There are several types of Chinese black vinegar, although Zhenjiang, Shanxi, and Baoning vinegars are arguably the most famous and widely used.
Zhenjiang Vinegar / Chinkiang Vinegar (镇江香醋)
Zhenjiang vinegar was formerly romanized as Chinkiang vinegar and some bottles sold in the U.S. still bear this name. When people in the U.S. think of Chinese Black vinegar, this is usually what they are referring to since it’s by far the most prominent. It is also sometimes called black rice vinegar or Chinese dark vinegar.
One of the most well know producers is Hengshun, which was established in 1840. This brand has won many awards over the years for its vinegar. According to The Mala Market, Hengshun’s vinegar undergoes a 50-day 40-step process before being aged in clay pots. Their mass-produced version is aged for 6 months, although they also have premium 3-year and 6-year aged varieties. Longer-aged varieties are darker, more complex, and more full-bodied.
The primary ingredient in this type of vinegar is sticky rice, but other ingredients include wheat bran, salt, and sugar. This vinegar possesses a special aroma, is pleasantly sour, and has a hint of sweetness not found in other vinegars. It appears dark and full-bodied.
Baoning Vinegar (保宁醋)
Baoning vinegar is Sichuan’s famous vinegar and is a must for cooking Sichuan dishes – although you can substitute Zhenjiang or Shanxi vinegar if that’s what you have. Baoning vinegar is from the Sichuan city of Langzhong and dates back to 936 AD. According to The Mala Market (exclusive importer of Baoning vinegar), it won a gold metal at the San Francisco World’s Fair!
It's red-brown in color, medium-bodied, and is more savory than sweet. It's made with rice, bran, wheat, corn, sorghum, and buckwheat. One of the unique aspects of Baoning vinegar is that its fermentation starter uses a combination of Chinese medicinal herbs and spices to give it a unique flavor profile. It’s aged for up to 10 years – kind of like fine wine!
Shanxi Vinegar (山西老陈醋)
Shanxi vinegar has a history of more than 3,000 years and Shanxi Province is one of the most famous vinegar producers in China.
One unique aspect of Shanxi vinegar is that it doesn’t use rice. Instead, the primary ingredients are sorghum, wheat, barley, and peas. These ingredients give Shanxi vinegar deeper and more complex sour notes than Zhenjiang vinegar.
Typically, Shanxi vinegar is aged at a minimum of 1 year, but 3-year varieties are common and longer-aged premium varieties are available.
This short video from Hi China provides an intriguing glimpse into the Shanxi vinegar-making process! It’s a time-consuming and complex process that has been handed down for thousands of years!
How it tastes
Baoning vinegar is medium-bodied, bright, and a bit savory. Zhenjiang vinegar is full-bodied, and ever so slightly sweet. Shanxi vinegar has deeper (almost malty) and more complex sour notes than Zhenjiang and Baoning vinegar. It’s very difficult to accurately describe the smells and flavor profiles though because everyone experiences them a bit differently. We recommend you buy all three and try them side by side! Just remember, you are tasting something that has been perfected over thousands of years!
Where to buy it
You can buy all three on Amazon, but the price is considerably marked up compared to buying in a local Asian market. For instance, a bottle of mass-produced Zhenjiang vinegar on Amazon costs around $12, but at a local market it may only cost $3. If you are going to buy online, we suggest you buy a premium version from The Mala Market.
In Chinese markets in the San Francisco Bay area, mass short-aged Zhenjiang and 3-year-aged Shanxi vinegars are readily available, but we’ve never seen Baoning vinegar. When living near Mobile, AL, our only source of Chinese groceries was a Vietnamese market (they were a lifesaver!). They regularly stocked short-aged Zhenjiang vinegar so this was all we used for many years.
Substitutes
There is no substitute for Chinese black vinegar! Some inexperienced websites on the internet say you can substitute balsamic, but this could not be further from the truth. Balsamic is made from grapes and is considerably sweeter and has an entirely different flavor profile. If you want to cook authentic Chinese dishes, please do yourself a favor and find a local Asian market or purchase online. You will thank us later!
Additional types of vinegar
China has a vast territory, abundant resources, and different climates between its south and north, which invariably means different areas created diverse vinegar-making methods with local features. Additional kinds of vinegar include Yongchun red vinegar (the fourth famous vinegar in China), Jiangzhe rose vinegar, Kazuo aged vinegar, Beijing vinegar, Shanghai rice vinegar, and Dandong white vinegar, among many other regional specialties.
Recipes
Recipes from Mala eats
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