About Ancient Methods of Making Vinegar

The traditional raw materials for making vinegar in China are mainly glutinous rice and rice (japonica) south of the Yangtze River, and sorghum and millet north of the Yangtze River. Now it is mostly substituted by broken rice, corn, sweet potato, dried sweet potato, potato, dried potato and so on. Raw materials are first steamed, pasted, liquefied and saccharification, so that the starch is converted into sugar, and then yeast to make fermentation to generate ethanol, and then in the role of acetic acid bacteria to make acetic acid fermentation, the oxidation of ethanol to generate acetic acid.

1,Preparation of raw materials: there are various kinds of raw materials that can be used to make vinegar, other vinegars are mostly made of glutinous rice and bran, while aged vinegar is made of sorghum and bran.

2, powder: the two different varieties of sorghum will be put into the special crusher to crush the sorghum grits into four to six petals, the purpose of the crushing is to increase the contact surface of sorghum and the big currant, and to create a good condition for the future process of moistening, gluing, saccharification, alcoholic fermentation, etc. The process of the crushing is to increase the contact surface of sorghum and the big currant, and to create a good condition for the future process of the moist, paste, sugar, alcohol fermentation.

3, Run seepage: crushed sorghum grits flour poured into the prepared wooden trough, add bran, bran and sorghum ratio of 1:1, the sorghum grits flour and bran stirred evenly, stirring as much as possible to make it loose, stirring evenly after adding water, every 100 pounds of sorghum grits flour with 75 pounds of water, while adding water while stirring, so that the sorghum grits flour can be fully subjected to the soaking of the water, stirred evenly in the wooden trough Stand for more than twelve hours, so that the sorghum grits can fully absorb the water soaked and swollen.

4, steaming: The main purpose of steaming is to accelerate saccharification. Steamer on the gas, the soaked sorghum grits and bran shoveled into the steamer, shoveling should be as loose as possible to make it lay flat on the bottom of the pot, so that sorghum grits and microbial contact surface expansion, conducive to the paste uniformity. After loading the raw materials can start steaming, the whole steaming process takes about two hours, sorghum grits noodles steamed to no sandwich, not sticky on it.

5, cooling: the steamed raw materials flat in the cold scattered pool, add 70-80 degrees Celsius of hot water to soak, the amount of water added to the raw materials of 225%. Let the raw materials in the water for twenty minutes, so that the sorghum grits surface can be fully wetted, cooling should pay attention to make the raw material temperature to maintain above 25 degrees Celsius, when the temperature drops to close to 25 degrees Celsius when the cooling is complete.

6, mixing: the raw material of vinegar will produce a lot of beneficial microorganisms in the process of fermentation, in order to make these microorganisms can be fully reproduced, we need to add the big quartz in the raw material after cooking, in order to satisfy the conditions of vinegar fermentation. The key point of this process is that it must be completed before the temperature of sorghum grits surface drops to 25 degrees Celsius. 25 degrees Celsius is the most suitable temperature for fermentation, this temperature can promote complete saccharification, which is helpful to inhibit the miscellaneous bacteria and improve the quality of vinegar. According to the ratio of 100 catties of raw materials to 62.5 catties of ground into powdered dacquoise, mix well. The use of Daqu greatly enriches the "color and aroma" of the old vinegar, and plays an irreplaceable role in producing the unique taste and flavor of the old vinegar.

7, Alcoholic fermentation: Load the raw materials into the alcohol fermentation tank, make the raw materials as loose as possible to lay flat in the tank, because there is also to add the solution of barley and barley quatre, the raw materials can be loaded into the tank only half full, and then pour into the alcohol fermentation tank about 65% of barley and barley quatre's special solution to make the total amount of water added to raw materials for three times. In order to make the tank of raw materials up and down the fermentation can be uniform, we have to let the raw materials and barley solution fully integrated, stirring evenly after the tank can be sealed. The process of sealing the tank shall be a large plastic sheet to cover the entire mouth of the tank with a rope along the mouth of the tank tightly sealed, covered with grass mats in order to prevent the tank temperature is too low, not conducive to the fermentation of alcohol fermentation is characterized by low-temperature fermentation, which is a good vinegar is the key link. This time the temperature is best controlled at 25-30 ℃, not too low, not too high. About fifteen days or so, the temperature of the raw materials in the tank drops and the alcoholic fermentation ends. Sorghum grits by the alcoholic fermentation into vinegar spirits, commonly known as "leaven".

8, acetic acid fermentation: acetic acid fermentation is to increase the acetic acidity of the link. After the alcoholic fermentation of vinegar grains unsealed, we found that the vinegar grains after the water infiltration expansion, the vinegar grains out after a little drying, can be loaded into wicker baskets sent to the acetic acid fermentation workshop acetic acid fermentation, the vinegar grains poured into the acetic acid fermentation tank, this step only needs to be loaded with more than half of the tank can be, it is not appropriate to load full. After loading, we cover the straw mat to start the acetic acid fermentation. Vinification period of the first few days of high-temperature fermentation, accelerated vinification, the second and third days to the upper part of the tank from the bottom up slightly loose vinegar grains, increase the contact with the air. The fourth day up and down evenly turn the vinegar grains and thoroughly stirred, stirring with the palm of the vinegar grains as much as possible friction, in order to accelerate the vinification. Then every day in the early morning and afternoon to be carried out once. After the ninth and tenth days, the role of vinegar is basically complete, when the temperature of the vinegar grains down to room temperature, the vinegar process is complete, the vinegar grains mature.

9, smoked grains: smoked grains is to make the mature vinegar grains smoked on the fire on the stove kang, its function is to make the ester aroma, smoked aroma and aged aroma of the old Chenzhou vinegar can be organically combined together; at the same time, smoked grains is also one of the important reasons to produce the unique color of the old Chenzhou vinegar, after smoked grains of old Chenzhou vinegar does not need to be added with any coloring agent comparing with the other vinegars.

10, dripping vinegar: after the vinegar is vinified in the tank, add water to reduce the alcohol concentration in the vinegar, which is good for the propagation and growth of acetic acid bacteria in the air, and this is the role of dripping vinegar. The white vinegar spirits and black spirits are loaded into the vinegar jar separately, and then the vinegar can start to pour. The water flows into the vinegar drenching tank with white grains, and the white vinegar grains are soaked for twelve hours, and then the plug of the cylinder is opened to drench the vinegar, and then the vinegar drenched out flows into the vinegar drenching tank with black grains to soak for four hours, and the vinegar drenched out at this time becomes a semi-finished product. Repeat the same method of drenching once, i.e., make the vinegar liquid which has become semi-finished product flow into the drenching tank with white spirits again, and soak the white spirits for twelve hours, and then let the drenched vinegar liquid flow into the drenching tank with black spirits to soak for four hours, and then it will be the new vinegar which has not been aged. When drenching vinegar, it usually takes about 300-350 pounds of water for every 100 pounds of raw material.

11, aging: after drenching vinegar we have made finished vinegar, but the old vinegar still need to go through aging as an essential part. The benefit of aging can make the new vinegar go through vinification reaction and produce the aroma of mellow and sour. After the vinegar liquid becomes sour, the vinegar is loaded into the jar altar, at this time, there is a thin film of acetic acid bacteria on the surface of the vinegar, and a pungent sour flavor is issued. The upper layer of vinegar liquid is clear, the lower layer of vinegar liquid shows the original raw material color, slightly turbid. The upper and lower layers are stirred evenly, and the suspended matter is filtered out. The traditional process of aging is called "summer sunshine, winter ice", and the aging period varies from three months, half a year to one year, and the vinegar is therefore divided into aged vinegar and old vinegar. Aged vinegar loses a lot of water due to concentration, and has the character of rich aroma, sour taste, purple-black color, hanging cup and long storage without deterioration. After one year's sunshine evaporation and ice fishing, the concentration of aged vinegar can be more than 3 times, and the concentration of vinegar is greatly improved, which achieves the unique taste of aged vinegar with delicate aroma and soft sourness.