Vinegar was called fermented wine in ancient times, also known as anhydrous wine. "The Rites of the Zhou Dynasty" has a record of "the fermented wine made from the palm of a fermented person". This shows that vinegar was brewed in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Jinyang (today's Taiyuan) is the birthplace of vinegar in my country. Historically, it is said that there were vinegar shops in Jinyang in the eighth century BC. How to make vinegar. At that time, making and eating vinegar had become a major topic in the lives of Shanxi people. There are many records about vinegar in ancient books such as "Compendium of Materia Medica", and there are many allusions about vinegar among the people.

After the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to the progress and development of microorganisms and koji-making technology, by the Ming Dynasty, there were Daqu, Xiaoqu and red yeast. Shanxi vinegar used red heart as the koji for making vinegar. This song is a collection of Daqu, Xiaoqu and red yeast. Xiaoqu, red yeast and other beneficial microbial populations are integrated into one.

The late famous microbiologist Mr. Fang Xinfang summarized and affirmed the process of "Meiheju" Shanxi mature vinegar as early as the 1930s. He published an article in "Yellow Sea" magazine It pointed out: “The fermentation temperature of Qingyuan vinegar is as high as 40°C or above, and its butyric acid bacteria and lactic acid bacteria must take effect. The unique smell of Shanxi vinegar can prove the action of bacteria other than acetic acid bacteria.” It is also said that “There are four famous vinegars in my country, the first Recommend Shanxi mature vinegar." The late famous biologist Mr. Chen Jusheng clearly pointed out in various works: "Shanxi mature vinegar is the most famous vinegar in northern my country." Shanxi mature vinegar is one of the four famous vinegars in China. Its production has a history of more than 3,000 years. There are more than 1,000 large and small vinegar production companies in Shanxi. Shanxi mature vinegar, known as one of the four famous vinegars in China, is famous for its unique flavor of soft, sour, fragrant, sweet and mellow and its long brewing history. It ranks ahead of Zhenjiang vinegar, Baoning vinegar and Fujian red yeast vinegar in China. In the world.

The most popular variety of vinegar among Shanxi people is the local specialty - Shanxi mature vinegar, which is well-known at home and abroad and was created during the Shunzhi period in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Nowadays, when people talk about mature vinegar, they naturally think of Shanxi vinegar. Outsiders jokingly call Shanxi people Laoxi'er. You know, "西" and "醯" are homophonic. Shanxi people love to be jealous, and Shanxi people are synonymous with vinegar. This is also famous throughout the country, but few people know that "醯" is the original name of "vinegar" in ancient China. Regarding Shanxi vinegar and Shanxi people, people from other provinces have made many jokes, probably all related to vinegar.

Perhaps some people have heard of the story recorded in "Shangshu": In order to hire a man named Fu Shuo to be his prime minister, Wu Ding, the emperor of the Yin Dynasty, once said in a speech: "If you make wine and sweet wine, , you are only a bent tiller; if you make a soup, you are only a salted plum." The plums mentioned here are sour plums, which were used as vinegar at that time. This Fu said that at that time he lived in seclusion in a place called "Fu Yan" (also known as "Fu Xian") in Pinglu County, Shanxi. It can be seen that as early as the 12th century BC, Shanxi people were quite famous for eating vinegar. "Historian Professor Hao Shuhou once verified that at least before 497 BC, when "Jinyang City (today's Jinyuan Town, southern suburbs of Taiyuan City) was established, there should have been vinegar makers. "

The book "Shanxi Qingxu Old Mature Vinegar" published by Young Industrial Publishing House in 1959 said: "Old mature vinegar, a nationally famous Shanxi specialty, is said to have been produced during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Brewing has begun here. "Some people say that Jia Sixie, the great agriculturist of the Northern Wei Dynasty, once summarized twenty methods of making vinegar in "Essentials of Qi Min". Among them, the "Method of Brewing Rice" (酢, that is, vinegar) notes: "Get clear in August. Store it in a different urn, close the pot with a mud head, and wait for several years. "Jia Sixie once made an inspection in Shanxi. The method he introduced was basically the process of producing mature vinegar in the Qingxu area. In the first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1368), Meiheju created the "fumigation method", and "white vinegar" became "black vinegar" ".

→In the early years of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1644), Shanxi vinegar (smoked vinegar, fruit vinegar, rice vinegar, etc.) became famous all over the world with the rapid development of Shanxi merchants. "Meiheju" founded "Donglao" The process of "grabbing ice in winter and drying in summer" requires years of accumulation. The longer the aging time of Shanxi vinegar, the better the quality. Therefore, it is called "Shanxi old mature vinegar". The history of Shanxi vinegar It gradually evolved into the development history of Shanxi mature vinegar

→After the Opium War, Kang Guoying was in charge of the brewing process

→After the founding of New China in 1949, the Qingxu County Government of Shanxi Province united in 1956. "Meiheju" and other 21 vinegar-making workshops jointly established the Shanxi public-private partnership Qingxu Qu Vinegar Factory. The brewing process is in charge of Yan Zhi (director of production technology), Zhang Zhengyi (director of vinegar making workshop), and Li Dengmao (old technician) .

→In 1957, the Shanxi public-private Qingxu Qu Vinegar Factory created the "East Lake" brand Shanxi mature vinegar based on the local main water system "East Lake" and became the first registered trademark with independent intellectual property rights in the vinegar industry in Shanxi Province;

→In 1996, Shanxi Old Mature Vinegar Factory was restructured and established Shanxi Old Mature Vinegar Group Co., Ltd. The brewing process was developed by Guo Junlu (Chairman and General Manager), Wang Zhenggang (Deputy General Manager), and Ren Ligen (Chief Brewer). Responsible, its brands include: Meiheju, Donghu, Fuyuanchang, etc.

→In 2008, “Meiheju Old Mature Vinegar Brewing Technique” was recognized as a “National Intangible Cultural Heritage” by the State Council and the Ministry of Culture. Guo Junlu, Chairman of Shanxi Old Mature Vinegar Group, was recognized as a “Meiheju Old Vinegar Brewing Technique”. National inheritor of the "Vinegar Brewing Technique".

→In 2011, Shanxi Lao Mature Vinegar Group became the only "national intangible cultural heritage productive protection demonstration base" in the national condiment industry and Shanxi Province; ●Taiyuan, the first year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1368) The "Meiheju" vinegar workshop in Fuguanyang County (now Xu County in the Qing Dynasty) invented the "fumigation method". After 1377, craftsmen were sent to the vinegar workshop of the Dianshan Institute of the Prince of Jin Dynasty. Later, the vinegar workshop of the Dianshan Institute of the Prince of Jin Dynasty developed into the Ninghua Prince's Vinegar Factory. After liberation, it developed into Yiyuanqing Vinegar Factory and was later restructured into Taiyuan Ninghua Prefecture Yiyuanqing Vinegar Industry Co., Ltd.

●In 1976, some retired technicians from Qingxu Mature Vinegar Factory in Shanxi Province entered many enterprises to support township vinegar factories and made positive contributions to the rise of Qingxu vinegar industry.

Li Dengmao, chief technical engineer of Qingxu Second Vinegar Factory (Shuita Vinegar Industry).

Rong Xueze, manager of Laifu Vinegar Industry.

Wang Yunfa, technical manager of Zilin Vinegar Industry.