Vinegar, "how to get a sour word", how did the ancient vinegar culture evolve?

In the Yuan drama Liu Hangshou, "rice, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar tea" is listed as "seven things to open the door" and has become an indispensable part of people's daily life. Vinegar has a long history and plays an important role in people's lives, from ancient ant eaters to grain vinegar, from sacrificial supplies to table necessities, from seasoning to disease prevention.

In the long-term development, vinegar has surpassed the concept of condiment and become a unique culture, which exerts a subtle influence on people's lives. The evolution of vinegar culture is a strong proof of this.

First, the origin and evolution of vinegar 1. The name of vinegar

In ancient times, the word "vinegar" had two pronunciations: one came from Shuo Wen Jie Zi: "vinegar is taken care of by the guest." This pronunciation is zuà, which means the guest toasts to thank the host, and the word "is interchangeable"; The second is the meaning of "acid solution" now, which is pronounced as cù. It was not until the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period that people mixed the two words vinegar and gave the word "vinegar" the meaning of "acid".

2. The origin of vinegar

There is a record of "five in one hand" in the Book of Rites. Acne man is the official in charge of fermented vinegar, and "Five Qi" refers to the five fermentation stages in the process of brewing. This shows that in the Zhou Dynasty at the latest, people had mastered the technology of fermented vinegar, which was probably inspired by the brewing process. In addition, the high status of acyl people shows that vinegar plays an important role in the daily life of emperors.

3. A brief history of vinegar

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the book "Four People Meeting" recorded that "vinegar can be made on April 4th, and vinegar can also be made on May 5th". The "vinegar" here is vinegar, indicating that there was a fixed time to brew vinegar at that time. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there was social unrest and food shortage, and food was the main raw material of fermented vinegar. Therefore, vinegar is regarded as a luxury. When officials entertain each other, vinegar is often regarded as an important criterion for judging the grade of banquets. By the Tang Dynasty, vinegar had become a necessity in people's diet. In the Southern Song Dynasty, vinegar even became the main seasoning. The famous dish "West Lake Vinegar Fish" in Hangzhou is an example. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, because of different raw materials and different fermentation environments, the varieties and flavors of vinegar increased, forming a unique local vinegar.

4. Four Famous Vinegars

In the long-term development process, Shanxi mature vinegar, Sichuan Baoning vinegar, Zhenjiang balsamic vinegar and Fujian rice vinegar have become the "four famous vinegars" renowned at home and abroad. In the Qing Dynasty, Shanxi Renwang founded the "Meiheju" Vinegar Workshop and made the brand "Shanxi Mature Vinegar", and Shanxi Mature Vinegar became the first vinegar. Baoning vinegar is a specialty of Sichuan, with a history of 1000 years. In the brewing process of Baoning vinegar, a variety of Chinese herbal medicines were added to form a unique medicinal vinegar. Zhenjiang balsamic vinegar takes glutinous rice as raw material, and its unique advantage is "sour but not astringent, fragrant and slightly sweet", which is matched with light and fresh dishes in the south.

In the process of brewing Fujian rice vinegar, people will add red yeast to make it mellow and delicious. At that time, every household had its own vinegar urn, which could be passed down from generation to generation and become a symbol of good luck.

Second, the extended culture of vinegar 1, jealousy

In real life, people often use "jealousy" to describe all kinds of behaviors expressed by inner jealousy. This usage can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. According to the Tang Dynasty history book "Yushitai Ji", Emperor Taizong once gave several beautiful women to Gui Ren as a favor, but he was afraid of his wife's jealousy and dared not accept them. So the emperor gave his wife a pot of poisoned wine and declared jealousy in seven cases, but he thought she was Gui Ren's married wife and fell in love with Gui Ren, so he gave her two choices: agree with Gui Ren to accept the reward, or drink and die. Who knows that his wife is strong-willed, but she gulps down the "poisonous wine". But the emperor made people put vinegar in the pot, just to laugh at it, not to kill people.

Later, the word "lion roar" deepened the connection between jealousy and jealousy. In the Ming Dynasty, the book Zi Tao You Xuan Bian recorded: "There was a live sheep, four ounces of sugar, two bottles of goat's milk and two bottles of vinegar in the second solar eclipse in Zhengde and Lion Room", which shows that lions really have the habit of being jealous. And "lion roar" is often used to describe jealous wives and shrews, so the relationship between jealous people and jealous people is further deepened.

But for the first time, "jealousy" and "jealousy" are used together in A Dream of Red Mansions. In episode 31, Aroma said, "Sister, it's our fault you went out for a walk." Qingwen heard her say "we", naturally referring to xiren and Baoyu, and she was jealous again. In addition, vinegar is a kind of sour condiment, which can be extended to sour taste, so a word with sour word: sad and sour nose ... In short, vinegar has a great influence on language.

2. Literati and vinegar

People often buy a bottle of vinegar because half a bottle will spill. Later, people used "half-bottle vinegar" to describe people who have little knowledge about something but like to show off. As the folk proverb says, "A bottle is dissatisfied, but half a bottle shakes." There is a saying in the Yuan Dynasty drama The Story on the Sima Xiangru Bridge: "Nowadays, the ordinary people in that street read a few books and chew a few words, so people call him half a bottle of vinegar."

After the establishment of the imperial examination system, especially in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, the social outlet of scholars gradually narrowed, and they had no choice but fame and fortune. Therefore, those who succeeded in the imperial examination prospered, while those who failed to enter the imperial examination gradually declined in social status. In addition, most of the literati at that time were conservative and feudal, "even so" all day long. In real life, they always know books but not people, which is as disgusting as vinegar, so people use them.

3. The influence of vinegar on people

In Shanxi, vinegar can best arouse the sense of identity of Shanxi people, because vinegar is the most remarkable symbol that distinguishes Shanxi people from other groups. Here, vinegar has become a symbol of Shanxi, bearing the cohesion of Shanxi people. Because every aspect of Shanxi people's life is inseparable from vinegar, over time, their character has also been influenced by vinegar.

Shanxi's barren land, difficult digestion with pasta as the staple food and high water and alkali content have created a unique environment for the development of vinegar. Although the cost of brewing vinegar is low, it is inseparable from vinegar in daily life. It's like Shanxi people are low-key and frugal. Although Shanxi merchants are good at business and financial management and have great wealth, they are never extravagant and always cautious, so some people describe them as "Jews of the East".

In addition, influenced by the geographical environment, Shanxi is closed and its social interaction is underdeveloped. Shanxi people, like Shanxi vinegar, are relatively closed and conservative, content with the status quo and even passive. Despite the rapid development of society, in the vast rural areas of Shanxi, there are still some farmers who stick to the old customs and are willing to be poor. In addition, when China took off, the development of Shanxi was not satisfactory, which was related to the fear of hands and feet and innovation.

4. Vinegar and politics

In ancient China, cooking was often used as a metaphor to govern the country. In the Confucian concept, although sometimes fighting is inevitable, reconciliation and appeasement should be the norm. As an important condiment, vinegar plays an important role in harmonizing five flavors. It's like a monarch getting along with his subjects. The subjects should put forward correct opinions, correct the mistakes of the monarch in time, realize the harmony between the monarch and the minister, and thus obtain political stability.

In the Zhou Dynasty, Wu Ding praised Fu Shuo's outstanding talents with vinegar, which was the first symbol to praise people's fine character and talents. Confucius also used vinegar to describe people's character: "Who said that micro-life is tall and straight?" Or ask people for help, ask neighbors for help. However, Confucius did not praise this man's noble character, but used his neighbor's vinegar to satirize his hypocrisy.

As the saying goes, "the prime minister can punt in his stomach", and when he is a prime minister, he must have a considerable temperament. So what is the standard? People take vinegar as an example: "You can only be a prime minister if you eat three barrels of vinegar". Whether you can drink a lot of vinegar is a test of one's mind. Of course, it's not really vinegar here, but how much injustice he can bear. Broad-minded, in order to be in a high position and not fall down.

5, vinegar and fertility

Auspicious food is a kind of special food formed by people's psychology of seeking luck, which places people's wishes for good things. The word "sour child, hot woman" is a household name in China. Sour food such as vinegar, as auspicious food, represents a pregnant woman who is pregnant with a boy and carries people's good wishes for more boys at home.

In fact, there is a certain historical origin and scientific basis for linking fertility with vinegar. In ancient production, burning charcoal vinegar in the house can promote blood circulation and relax tendons, sterilize and disinfect, which is beneficial to production. Later, it was found that pregnant women like to eat acid during pregnancy, which is a normal physiological phenomenon, but perhaps because this phenomenon is similar to giving birth to a boy in probability, people associate eating acid with giving birth to a boy, which expresses people's desire to have a boy.

6. Contemporary vinegar culture

In contemporary society, vinegar culture has a new interpretation and new functions. The current vinegar culture includes the innovative spirit of pursuing Excellence, the quality spirit of Excellence, and the collaborative spirit of teamwork. These ancient virtues, which have been passed down for thousands of years, have enhanced the cohesion and sense of belonging of the people, become their spiritual and cultural heritage, and also inspire them to inherit their spirit and make unremitting efforts. In addition, vinegar culture tourism has also become a hot spot. For example, Shanxi Donghu Vinegar Garden is open to the public free of charge, which allows people to get close to the brewing process of traditional mature vinegar, taste the vinegar culture behind mature vinegar, and promote the spread of vinegar culture and the inheritance and development of vinegar brewing technology.

Three. Conclusion In a word, vinegar and the Chinese nation have spanned thousands of years and formed a unique cultural system. The evolution of vinegar culture has also had a far-reaching impact on people's lives. With the development of the times, vinegar culture has gradually attracted people's attention and played a great role in tourism, cultural propaganda and strengthening local cohesion. At the same time, vinegar culture is constantly updated to adapt to modern society. We have reason to believe that vinegar culture will shine in constant exploration and innovation.

References:

1, "Sweet, sour and bitter, with a long aftertaste-on China vinegar culture"

2. The origin of vinegar in China and the evolution of vinegar culture in China.

3. "Quanyuanqu Zaju"

4. Shangshu

5. A Dream of Red Mansions

6. Shuo Wen Jie Zi

7. The Book of Rites

Shanxi people (3) culture (14) Shanxi (7)