Rice vinegar is a vinegar made from rice wine in East Asia (China, Japan and Korea), as well as in Vietnam in Southeast Asia. It is used as a seasoning, dressing, and dipping in many dishes, including sushi, jiaozi, and banchans. Some of its variants are also a drink by themselves.
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Chinese rice vinegars are stronger than Japanese ones,and range in color from clear to various shades of red,brown and black and are therefore known as rice wine vinegars. [1] Chinese vinegar are less acidic than their distilled Western counterparts which,for that reason,are not appropriate substitutes for rice vinegars. The majority of the Asian rice vinegars are also milder and sweeter than those typically used in the Western world,with black vinegars as a notable exception.
White rice vinegar is a colorless to pale yellow liquid,more acidic than other Chinese vinegars,but still less acidic and milder in flavor than Western ones. [2]
Black vinegar is very popular in southern China. Chinkiang vinegar,which originated in the city of Zhenjiang (Chinese :镇江香醋; pinyin :Zhènjiāng xiāngcù) in the eastern coastal province of Jiangsu,is considered a great one. [3] Baoning vinegar (保寧醋or 保宁醋) from Sichuan is another famous example. Typically,black rice vinegar is made with black glutinous rice (also called "sweet rice"),although millet or sorghum may be used instead. It is dark in color,and has a deep,almost smoky flavor. In addition to Zhenjiang,it is also produced in Hong Kong. This is different from the black vinegar popular in north China,which is made from sorghum,peas,barley,bran,and chaff and is most associated with Shanxi province.
Red rice vinegar has a distinctive red color from red yeast rice (红曲米),which is cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus . This vinegar has a distinctive flavor of its own due to the red mold.
In Chinese cookbooks,½tablespoon of Western distilled white vinegar is stated to be equivalent in strength to 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar,and recipes which call for 4 teaspoons of red rice vinegar could be substituted with only 3 teaspoons of white vinegar. [4]
Japanese rice vinegar (米酢 komezu,"rice vinegar" or simply 酢 su,"vinegar") is very mild and mellow compared to conventional western vinegars,with only approximately 5% acetic acid content,and ranges in color from colorless to pale yellow. It is made from either rice or sake lees. These are more specifically called yonezu (米酢よねず) and kasuzu (粕酢かすず),respectively. These vinegars are used in making sunomono (酢の物,"vinegar dishes"),some tsukemono (漬物,"pickles"), nimono (煮物,"simmered dishes"),as well as in marinades to mitigate the stronger odors of certain fishes and meats.
Seasoned rice vinegar (合わせ酢 awasezu) is made by adding sake,salt and sugar. Additionally,mirin is also sometimes used (but only rarely). Although it can be made at home,prepared awasezu can also be readily bought at supermarkets. Seasoned rice vinegar is added to cooked rice to be used in making sushi. It is also used in salad dressing varieties popular in the west,such as ginger or sesame dressing.
Traditionally,Edomae-style sushi used to be seasoned with a type of red rice vinegar known as akazu (赤酢). This is made using sake lees which would be stored in wooden boxes and aged for up to 20 years. After aging,the now black sake lees are mixed with water to form a mash known as Moromi (もろみ/醪). This mash is constantly turned and compressed before undergoing acetic acid fermentation. [5]
A somewhat lighter form of black vinegar called kurozu (黒酢),made from rice,is produced in Japan. It is considered as a healthy drink;its manufacturers claim that it contains high concentrations of amino acids. Recent scientific research on kurozu has revealed its anti-cancer properties in vivo on rats [6] [7] and in vitro on human cancer cells. [8]
In Korean cuisine,ssal-sikcho (쌀식초;"rice vinegar") made with either white or brown rice. Glutinous rice may also be used. Rice is mixed with nuruk (fermentation starter). [9] Alternatively,rice wine lees can be used to make rice vinegar,in which case the final product is often called makgeolli-sikcho (rice wine vinegar). Two rice vinegar varieties,each from North Gyeongsang Province and South Chungcheong Province,are included in the Ark of Taste catalogue of heritage foods. [10] [11]
Rice vinegar is called dấm gạo or giấm gạo in Vietnamese. One variation of Vietnamese rice vinegar is the spicy and sour giấm bỗng made from nếp cái hoa vàng rice. The most notable place of origin of this kind of vinegar is Vân village,Vân Hà commune,Việt Yên district,Bắc Giang province. Giấm bỗng is an ingredient of vịt om giấm bổng, bún riêu ,and bún ốc .
Another rice vinegar is the lightly sour hèm,used in ốc bươu hấp hèm and gàhấp hèm which is a specialty of Hóc Môn district,Ho Chi Minh City. The mẻ rice vinegar,which is strongly sour,is used in trâu luộc mẻ—-a speciality of Cần Thơ city.
Sushi is a Japanese dish of prepared vinegared rice,usually with some sugar and salt,plus a variety of ingredients,such as vegetables,and any meat,but most commonly seafood. Styles of sushi and its presentation vary widely,but the one key ingredient is "sushi rice",also referred to as shari (しゃり),or sumeshi (酢飯).
Sake,saké,or saki,also referred to as Japanese rice wine,is an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Despite the name Japanese rice wine,sake,and indeed any East Asian rice wine,is produced by a brewing process more akin to that of beer,where starch is converted into sugars that ferment into alcohol,whereas in wine,alcohol is produced by fermenting sugar that is naturally present in fruit,typically grapes.
Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually,the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation,converting simple sugars to ethanol using yeast and ethanol to acetic acid using acetic acid bacteria. Many types of vinegar are made,depending on source materials. The product is now mainly used in the culinary arts as a flavorful,acidic cooking ingredient or in pickling. Various types are used as condiments or garnishes,including balsamic vinegar and malt vinegar.
Mirin is a type of rice wine and a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. It is similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content. The sugar content is a complex carbohydrate that forms naturally during the fermentation process;no sugars are added. The alcohol content is further lowered when the liquid is heated.
Zhenjiang,alternately romanized as Chinkiang,is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province,China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River near its intersection with the Grand Canal. It is opposite Yangzhou and between Nanjing and Changzhou. Zhenjiang was formerly the provincial capital of Jiangsu and remains as an important transportation hub. As of the 2020 census,its total population was 3,210,418 inhabitants whom 1,266,790 lived in the built-up area made of the 3 urban districts. The town is best known both in China and abroad for Chinkiang vinegar,a fragrant black vinegar that is a staple of Chinese cooking.
Makgeolli,sometimes anglicized to makkoli,is a Korean alcoholic drink. It is a milky,off-white,and lightly sparkling rice wine that has a slight viscosity,and tastes slightly sweet,tangy,bitter,and astringent. Chalky sediment gives it a cloudy appearance. As a low proof drink of six to nine percent alcohol by volume,it is often considered a "communal beverage" rather than hard liquor.
The history of sushi began with paddy fields,where fish was fermented with vinegar,salt and rice,after which the rice was discarded. The earliest form of the dish,today referred to as narezushi,was created in Japan around the Yayoi period. In the Muromachi period (1336–1573),people began to eat the rice as well as the fish. During the Edo period (1603–1867),vinegar rather than fermented rice began to be used. The dish has become a form of food strongly associated with Japanese culture.
Fermented tofu is a Chinese condiment consisting of a form of processed,preserved tofu used in East Asian cuisine. The ingredients typically are soybeans,salt,rice wine and sesame oil or vinegar. In mainland China the product is often freshly distributed. In overseas Chinese communities living in Southeast Asia,commercially packaged versions are often sold in jars containing blocks 2- to 4-cm square by 1 to 2 cm thick soaked in brine with select flavorings.
Cheongju,sometimes romanized as Chungju,is a clear,refined rice wine of Korean origin.
Shanxi cuisine,or Jin cuisine,is derived from the native cooking styles of Shanxi Province in China. It is famous for noodles,fried flatbread and sour tastes. The cuisine is also famed for using its locally produced vinegar,just like in Huaiyang cuisine,but the flavour is totally different.
Black vinegar is dark-colored vinegar traditionally used in Chinese and other East Asian cuisine.
Mijiu,also spelt michiu,is a Chinese rice wine made from glutinous rice. It is generally clear in appearance with balanced sweetness and acidity,similar to its Japanese counterpart sake and Korean counterpart cheongju. The alcohol content ranges between 15% and 20%. Rice wine was made around or before 1000 BC in ancient China,and then the practice spread to Japan and other East Asian countries. Since then,it has played an important role in Chinese life. In most Chinese supermarkets there are various kinds of rice wines. It is a traditional beverage to the Chinese and some of the families still follow the custom of making rice wine by themselves. The rice wine is made using glutinous rice,Chinese yeast and water. It is also served as an aperitif and is believed to be beneficial in improving metabolism and skin.
Zhenjiang or Chinkiang vinegar is a rice-based black vinegar widely used in Chinese cuisine. It takes its name from the city of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province.
Guaiwei,literally "exotic taste" or "strange taste",is a seasoning mixture in Sichuan cuisine of China. Although it is popular in the Sichuan province,it is seldom used outside the region's cuisine,unlike yuxiang,another seasoning mixture of the region. The guaiwei seasoning exists in several forms but can be viewed as the combination of yuxiang and mala seasoning with a high proportion of sesame and sour ingredients.
Huangjiu is a type of Chinese rice wine most popular in the Jiangnan area. Huangjiu is brewed by mixing steamed grains including rice,glutinous rice or millet with qū as starter culture,followed by saccharification and fermentation at around 13–18 °C (55–64 °F) for fortnights. Its alcohol content is typically 8% to 20%.
This glossary of sake terms lists some of terms and definitions involved in making sake,and some terms which also apply to other beverages such as beer. Sake,also referred to as a Japanese rice wine,is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Unlike wine,in which alcohol is produced by fermenting sugar that is naturally present in fruit,sake is produced by a brewing process more akin to that of beer,where starch is converted into sugars which ferment into alcohol.
Shanxi mature vinegar is a type of Chinese vinegar. It is a product of Shanxi Province.
