this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2025
41 points (100.0% liked)
WomensStuff
626 readers
329 users here now
Women only trans inclusive This is an inclusive community for all things women. Whether you're here for make up tips, feminism or just friendly chit chat, we've got you covered.
Rules…
- Women only… trans women are women, and transphobic or gender critical talk isn’t allowed. Anyone under the trans umbrella (e.g. non-binary, bigender, agender) is free to decide whether a women's community is a good fit for them.
- Don’t be a dick. No personal attacks, no aggression, play nice.
- Don’t hate on groups, hatefilled talk about groups is not allowed. Ever.
- No governmental politics, so no talk of Trump actions etc. We recommend Feminism@beehaw.org for that, but here is an escape from it.
- New accounts or users with few comments may have their posts removed to prevent spam and bad-faith participation.
founded 6 months ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
oooh nice, never heard of that but will definitely try it, thanks!
If you get the stuff that's traditionally made, you get a vinegar made from a sorghum base (like most Chinese liquor is) that uses a very convoluted "koji"-like starter (qu) made of barley, peas and bran. It's about 3000 years old, the technique, and the best stuff comes from Qingxu or Taiyuan. The terroir around these are unmistakable.
Key things that differentiate it from western traditions of vinegar production include:
The aging process involves putting the jars outside into the elements. In the summer the water evaporates away, concentrating the vinegar and flavour elements. In the winter the water freezes at the top and is scooped out, further concentrating the product. After as little as 3 years, but as many as 12, the vinegar is filtered, bottled and sold. The longer the better, generally.
If this were a commercial vinegar it would then be pasteurized to kill any ongoing growth, but the real stuff, again, is not pasteurized (though it is filtered). This means if you get a bottle of the real stuff, you have a living vinegar whose character will change as your store it. The aging doesn't stop when you get the bottle. Store it properly and it will grow ever more complex and flavourful over time. I've tasted some ten year stuff that was later stored in a friend's home for a further five years. It ... yeah. It was not something I'd ever tasted before.
If you decide to try this out, be very careful with your purchase. Make sure you know the provenance of what you're getting back to the individual farm.
tysm! ❤️