Black Vinegar Doesn't Just Season a Dish–It Transforms It
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/black-vinegar/amp
Many vinegars are used to cut through fat, to add sharp counterbalance to oil in a dressing, or to amp up the sour notes in a complex sauce. But black vinegar is far more than just a blade of acid. With hints of licorice and malt held together by a distinct, umami earthiness that permeates the whole condiment, it’s transformative, providing both acidity and complexity to round out a dish.
“Black vinegar is more aromatic. White vinegar is just sour,” says chef Theresa Lin..........
In northern China, spoonfuls of black vinegar are draped over thick, belt-like noodles with a touch of soy sauce, served with slices of meat, onions, or wood ear mushrooms. In southern China, it’s added to a slow-braise of pork ribs and sugar to create a sweet and sour appetizer. In Japan, it’s used to coat glossy cubes of chicken in a sizzling claypot. In Taiwan, a drop or two of Taiwanese black vinegar (pictured above) is used to flavor thick squid soup.
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China is the birthplace of cereal-based black vinegar, and the process eventually spread all across Asia and took on a life of its own.
Generally speaking, there are four major regional types in China:
the northern Chinese province of Shanxi is known for vinegar made with sorghum, wheat, and barley.
The city of Zhenjiang in southern China makes theirs, more commonly referred to as Chinkiang vinegar, with sticky rice.
Sichuan has a black vinegar made with wheat bran and seasoned with a pungent medley of Chinese medicine spices.
And finally, the province of Fujian in eastern China makes a glutinous rice vinegar infused with a special fungus that gives the final product more of a dark red hue than black.
