A Bite of Burger, A Sip of Vinegar: How China's Sourness Capital Came to Be

On China's flavor map, if one were to choose a taste for Shanxi, it would undoubtedly be sour.

I ate this shaomai just to drink the vinegar.

Shanxi people are widely known for their love of vinegar, expertise in consuming it, and skill in brewing it. Forty years ago, a survey was conducted by relevant authorities to measure the "annual vinegar consumption per capita" among residents of five North Chinese cities: Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Beijing, Hohhot, and Taiyuan. The results showed that Tianjin residents consumed 5 jin of vinegar per year, while those in Shijiazhuang and Beijing averaged around 8 jin. Influenced by their Shanxi neighbors, Hohhot residents drank 10 jin annually, and, unsurprisingly, Taiyuan residents topped the list at 18 jin per year.

By 2011, another estimate revealed that Shanxi's per capita vinegar consumption still exceeded 10 jin annually. This shows that even as living standards improved and food choices expanded, Shanxi people remained deeply devoted to vinegar.

Ever tried mooncakes filled with aged vinegar?

In the spice-loving regions of Sichuan, Chongqing, Hunan, and Hubei, there might still be individuals who can't handle chili, but in Shanxi, almost no one escapes the taste of vinegar. Dumplings and buns are dipped in vinegar, noodles rely on vinegar for flavor, and dishes like vinegar-braised cabbage, vinegar-fried shredded potatoes, and vinegar-marinated wood ear mushrooms hinge on sourness as their soul. Aged vinegar yuanxiao, aged vinegar ice cream, and aged vinegar fried dough sticks have all stunned netizens nationwide as "vinegar-based innovations." Remember the Shanxi grandpa who dipped his burger in aged vinegar at Dicos a couple of years ago?

Even those who don’t usually dip their food in vinegar can’t avoid its presence at a Shanxi dining table—

Ever heard of "wok-edge vinegar"? Before a dish is served, a splash of aged vinegar is poured along the sizzling edge of the wok. With a hiss, half evaporates into the air as tangy aroma, while the other half settles into the dish as rich sourness.

Wok-edge vinegar is a crucial step in cooking guo you rou (fried pork slices).

Fig.1/You Zi You Wei, Fig.2/Kang Hui

The tangy vinegar is a product of Shanxi’s rugged landscapes and long history, and it forms the foundational flavor in the culinary philosophy of Shanxi people.

Just how much vinegar can Shanxi people consume?

Many remember the writer Wang Zengqi’s exclamation in his essay "Five Flavors," where he opened with an observation about Shanxi people’s vinegar habits:

Several Shanxi natives visited a Beijing restaurant and, before ordering, each drank three spoonfuls of vinegar, leaving "neighboring diners wide-eyed." Wang also noted the striking sight of Taiyuan grocery stores displaying signs before the Spring Festival: "Aged vinegar supply, one jin per household."

Any container imaginable has been used to hold vinegar.

Wang Zengqi, a gourmet who had tasted flavors from all over China, was astonished by Shanxi people’s vinegar obsession. Had he stayed longer, he’d have realized that vinegar at every meal—even as a pre-meal ritual—was simply the norm. Nationwide vinegar production reaches nearly 5 million tons annually, with Shanxi alone contributing 1 million tons, accounting for one-fifth of the total. The countless ways Shanxi people consume vinegar could make outsiders’ teeth ache just from reading about them.

Take the small dish of vinegar served at the table. Whether plates should hold food is a long-debated topic between northern and southern China, but in Shanxi, the answer is simple: that flat-bottomed dish is meant for vinegar!

Before the meal arrives, a shallow dish of vinegar is poured. A dab on the chopsticks, a taste on the tongue—only when the familiar sourness is confirmed does the meal feel right. At a banquet, no matter the dish, it can get a roll in the vinegar plate. Especially near the end, when the beloved carbs arrive: a crispy pancake is laid in the vinegar dish, soaked until half-black, then eaten, the sourness blending with wheat fragrance for a brain-tingling bite. Appetizers whet the palate, carbs seal the feast, and vinegar ties it all together—only then is a Shanxi banquet complete.

Shanxi people eat noodles with a philosophy: drown the carbs in vinegar.

As for daily meals, vinegar is simply a way of life in Shanxi:

When eating steamed buns, first take a small bite to create an opening, then pour vinegar through it. Watch as the aged vinegar slowly soaks into the filling until the bottom of the bun also darkens, stopping just before it starts to leak. This makes the bun flavorful. The same method applies to boiled eggs: bite open the egg white, pour vinegar into the yolk until its light yellow turns darker. Does the yolk easily stick in your throat? Not in Shanxi.

As for dumplings, vinegar is indispensable. Many Shanxi households skip the small vinegar dish and use a deep bowl instead, allowing half a dumpling to soak in the vinegar. For those who love sour flavors, they take a bite of the dumpling, dip it back into the vinegar bowl, letting the filling absorb more vinegar for an even tastier second bite. This method isn’t so much eating vinegar as it is using dumplings to "scoop" vinegar. Often, before finishing a plate of dumplings, half a bowl of vinegar is already gone.

Note the correct way to eat stuffed pancakes and dumplings.

Some elderly in Shanxi are so fond of vinegar that they even add it to millet porridge. A splash of dark aged vinegar spreads through the golden porridge, blending the mellow rice aroma with the sourness—something the elderly find soothing. Some go further, dipping sweet treats like glutinous rice cakes or zongzi in vinegar, a sight that would make even ordinary Shanxi locals pucker.

Eating vinegar isn’t enough—Shanxi people also love to smell it.

During the transitions between spring-summer and summer-autumn, when infectious diseases are common, "boiling vinegar" was once a routine in Shanxi’s streets, hospitals, and schools. A small electric pot would simmer dark aged vinegar, releasing a pungent sour steam. Shanxi people believe the acetic acid in the air can disinfect and ward off illnesses. Even today, many Shanxi children recall the distant SARS year of 2003 with this lingering vinegar aroma in their memories.

In short, across the land of Shanxi, vinegar habits vary by person, and consumption methods are free-spirited, but this sourness is omnipresent.

In Shanxi, vinegar isn’t just for dipping.

In Shanxi, vinegar isn’t just a condiment—it’s also a key ingredient.

Years ago, news about "aged vinegar fried dough sticks" went viral. A restaurant in Taiyuan innovatively added aged vinegar and eggs to the dough, resulting in crispy, sour sticks sold for one yuan each, drawing long queues and selling about 400 daily.

The famous "aged vinegar peanuts" feature deep-fried peanuts half-soaked in vinegar, paired with shredded scallions, cilantro, dried tofu cubes, and onion slices—a perfect mix of crunch and tang.

The essence of aged vinegar peanuts lies, of course, in the "aged vinegar"!

The vinegar here isn’t pure but a sweet-sour blend with salt and sugar, common in Shanxi cold dishes. Beyond peanuts, it pairs with tofu strips, jelly sheets, celery, or marinated beef—aged vinegar sets the stage, salt and sugar play supporting roles, and various ingredients shine, refreshing the palate.

Pork skin jelly? Dip it in vinegar, and you’ll finish a big bowl.

As mentioned earlier, "wok-edge vinegar" is one of Shanxi’s most common cooking techniques. Adding vinegar’s soulful aroma to dishes just before serving infuses flavor without visible traces. The iconic Shanxi dish "guo you rou" (stir-fried pork) relies on this method, adding a subtle sour aftertaste to the tender meat.

The sauce for vinegar fish, of course, must include aged vinegar.

Take Shanxi’s beloved noodles—whether knife-shaved, pulled, or hand-rolled—the hint of vinegar in the bowl is the perfect finish to the carbs. Even the most common tomato-egg noodle topping isn’t complete without aged vinegar.

If someone asks, "Since tomatoes are already sour, why add vinegar?" a Shanxi local will lift their head from their noodle bowl and explain that not all sourness is the same.

Shanxi’s diverse carbs and vinegar are a golden pair.

The dry, cold winters and dry summers of the Loess Plateau yield high-quality grains, giving Shanxi vinegar its layered flavors. Processes like steaming, fermenting, vat-turning, and sun-drying make vinegar a vessel of time. Not molding in summer, not freezing in winter, and lasting long—these are the highest praises for premium aged vinegar.

Half transforms into the delicate fragrance of Fenjiu liquor, half becomes the mellow richness of aged vinegar.

The pervasive aroma of vinegar across the land of Shanxi is first linked to the abundant coarse grains produced here, which are excellent raw materials for vinegar brewing.

Shanxi aged vinegar, Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar, Sichuan Baoning vinegar, and Fujian red yeast vinegar are collectively known as China's four famous vinegars, each using different ingredients. Aromatic vinegar primarily uses glutinous rice, with Sichuan Baoning vinegar and Zhenjiang aromatic vinegar falling into this category. Shanxi aged vinegar, however, relies on locally produced high-quality sorghum.

Steamed sorghum is the main raw material for vinegar brewing.

Today, sorghum is rarely seen on dining tables, but for a long period in history, it was a staple crop for the Chinese people. Archaeological findings suggest it has accompanied our ancestors for at least five thousand years.

Without exaggeration, Shanxi grows the finest sorghum in China. The Taiyuan Basin and Linfen Basin, connected by the Fen River, along with the Xinding Basin in the north and the Changzhi Basin in the southeast, are all ideal regions for sorghum cultivation.

In Shanxi, a land of "mountains and rivers," the Fen River Valley is dotted with premium sorghum-producing areas.

Sorghum thrives in warmth and sunlight, and the basins of the Loess Plateau enjoy mild annual temperature variations and ample sunshine. Statistics once showed that among over thirty provincial capitals, Taiyuan ranks high in annual sunshine duration. Rainfall on the Loess Plateau is typically concentrated in July and August, coinciding with sorghum's peak water needs. In the Taiyuan Basin at the heart of Shanxi, 90% of the rain falls during sorghum's jointing, heading, flowering, and grain-filling stages.

The mild climate, intense sunlight, and well-timed rainy season give Shanxi's specialty sorghum plump, uniform grains with high starch content from abundant sunshine. For instance, the renowned Shangdang sorghum was once listed as a national geographical indication for agricultural products.

Over a thousand years ago, Jia Sixie recorded the "sorghum vinegar method" in *Qi Min Yao Shu*, which persists today, resembling modern aged vinegar brewing techniques. "Shumi" refers to sorghum grains. The *Shanxi General Chronicle* from the Qing Dynasty notes: "Sorghum—the hull-less variety yields hard grains suitable for porridge, while the hulled variety yields soft grains ideal for brewing wine and vinegar."

To this day, even as sorghum fades from the Chinese diet as a staple, it remains a vital ingredient for liquor and vinegar. No wonder it's said that Shanxi's sorghum is half transformed into the delicate fragrance of Fenjiu and half settled into the mellow richness of aged vinegar.

The mighty Yellow River surges eastward, collides with the Lüliang Mountains, then turns south, exiting Hukou and leaping past Longmen. At Fenglingdu, where three provinces meet, it veers eastward, joining the towering Taihang Mountains to outline the contours of a land of "mountains and rivers."

The winding Fen River traverses the land, nourishing the people of Shanxi.

From north to south, transitioning from arid cold to mild warmth, and shaped by centuries of flowing water, the Loess Plateau is crisscrossed with mountains, basins, and rivers. This diverse terrain and microclimate make Shanxi a golden region for various coarse grains, earning its reputation as the "Kingdom of Coarse Grains." These conditions fostered the birth and development of vinegar—barley and peas for crafting red-heart fermentation starters, and bran as a supplementary material to accelerate acetic fermentation, all products of this land.

Vinegar fermentation starters require barley, peas, sorghum, bran, and husks.

Beyond basic ingredients like sorghum, barley, peas, and husks, locally distinctive materials have given rise to different Shanxi vinegar-brewing styles:

Hejin, in southwestern Shanxi near the Yellow River, is famed for persimmon vinegar, where wild persimmons are washed, dried, and fermented in vats, imparting a fruity aroma. Southern Shanxi's millet vinegar uses millet as its base, while Datong's flavored vinegar employs glutinous millet for yeast, each with unique flavors. There are also corn vinegar, wheat vinegar, sugar vinegar, fruit vinegar, sweet potato vinegar, and more.

Yes, persimmons can also be used to brew vinegar.

Why have Shanxi people become known as "vinegar lovers"?

Why do Shanxi people share an inseparable bond with vinegar? In general, the Loess Plateau's hard water and soil, coupled with limited food variety and a lack of fruits and vegetables in daily diets, make vinegar an essential seasoning.

Overlooking this land, it is undoubtedly shaped by the essence of Shanxi's culture. Looking back at its history, behind the faint aroma of vinegar lies a profound historical connection.

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, vinegar transitioned from the tables of the nobility to common households. Especially in central Shanxi, vinegar workshops flourished. As the saying goes, "firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea"—amid this industrial and commercial prosperity, vinegar-making techniques rapidly evolved.

Many Shanxi locals have heard the story of Wang Laifu and "Meiheju": in the early Qing dynasty, Wang Laifu from Jiexiu arrived in what would later be known as the "Vinegar Capital," Qingxu, and founded the "Meiheju" vinegar workshop. Building upon traditional white vinegar, he introduced methods like fumigation and aging, creating the renowned aged vinegar.

In the early Qing dynasty, the vinegar-making process—steaming, fermenting, fumigating, filtering, and aging—gradually became standardized.

Among these innovations was the famous "winter ice extraction, summer sun exposure." As the name suggests, through freezing in winter and intense sun exposure in summer, water gradually evaporates from the vinegar, while flavor compounds concentrate. Though the production cycle lengthens, the meticulous year-long process yields the rich aroma of aged vinegar.

Meanwhile, after the Qing dynasty, the rise of Shanxi merchants and the locals' love for noodles became intertwined with vinegar's evolution.

Following the footsteps of Shanxi merchants, from the southern Lingnan region to the northern Mongolian plateau, the echoes of caravan bells still resonate today. In their portable vinegar gourds, a tangy taste of home traveled far and wide. These merchants introduced locals to aged vinegar techniques, adapting them to local conditions. Thus, Shanxi vinegar gained nationwide fame, marking its golden age. The nickname "vinegar-loving Shanxi folks (醋老醯儿)" also spread across the country.

Along with the Shanxi merchants' journeys, the reputation of "vinegar lovers (老醯儿)" grew louder.

Graphics by F50BB and Sun Lu.

It was also during the Qing dynasty that many alkaline lakes on the Mongolian grasslands were developed, making alkali less scarce. Shanxi people, who love noodles, discovered early that adding alkali to dough made noodles chewier and enhanced the versatility of various flour-based foods.

Keen Shanxi merchants seized this opportunity. In Zhangjiakou, a hub between farming and nomadic regions, merchants traded alkali. For instance, the famous Qixian Qiao family profited from this business. Alkali's spread to North China and Shanxi opened new possibilities for noodle dishes. With "alkali freedom" and "noodle freedom," Shanxi people paired vinegar with meals to balance the astringent taste of alkali-treated noodles.

Alkali expanded the possibilities of Shanxi noodles.

Climate, local produce, dietary habits, and commerce intertwined, turning vinegar-making into a major industry in Shanxi. At its peak, the province had about 1,100 vinegar workshops—averaging ten per county—a testament to its popularity.

For example, Qingxu, southwest of Taiyuan, is the birthplace of aged vinegar and a historic stronghold of Shanxi merchants. Even today, it contributes over 80% of the province's nearly one-million-ton annual vinegar output, rightfully earning its title as China's largest vinegar-producing region.

"Shanxi is famed for vinegar, and its roots lie in Qingxu." Major brands like "Zilin" and "Shuita," familiar to Shanxi children, originated here. In 2006, Qingxu's aged vinegar-making technique—known for "steaming, fermenting, fumigating, filtering, and aging"—was listed among China's first national intangible cultural heritage items.

Qingxu's Vinegar Culture Museum has become a landmark.

A year ago, news of Qingxu High School using water dispensers for vinegar went viral. Students lined up to dispense vinegar onto their buns, noodles, and rice dishes. The school casually responded to the media: "Students can add vinegar themselves after getting their meals—it's convenient."

Truly children of the Vinegar Capital!

Isn’t this just standard practice for Shanxi people?

Shanxi folks are remarkably humble—even their bold, soul-stirring aged vinegar carries a gentle warmth. Two years ago, when Zhenjiang was crowned China's "Vinegar Capital," even the mild-mannered Shanxi people couldn’t help feeling a little "vinegary."

That vinegar nurtured by the Loess Plateau and the surging Fen River carries a flavor so profound and rich that it tethers hearts to this land even from a thousand miles away. Perhaps it needs no one's validation, for it bears an unyielding pride flowing from the winding Yellow River. No matter where the tides of time surge, the gentle stream from the vinegar bottle's spout always carries the taste of home in Shanxi people's memories.

Vat after vat of aged vinegar records the passage of time.

Map Editors | Liu Yunshuo, F50BB, Sun Lu

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