Black vinegar

Black vinegar is an inky-black vinegar aged for a rich, mellow, malty, woody, and smoky flavor. It was first popularized in East Asia, particularly southern China, where in the city of Zhenjiang, it became known as Chinkiang vinegar. It is made from rice (usually glutinous), or sorghum, or in some combination of those, perhaps including wheat and millet.

A very different black vinegar is made on the central plains of China and is most associated with Shanxi province. Called specifically Mature Vinegar (simplified Chinese: 老陈醋; traditional Chinese: 老陳醋; pinyin: laochencu), it is made from sorghum, peas, barley, bran and chaff and has a much stronger smoky flavor than rice vinegar. It is popular in the north of China as a dipping sauce, most famously for dumplings, though Shanxi people may dip all kinds of foods in it.

Uses

Some promote black vinegar for its medicinal properties, as a tonic which may lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. In Japan, kurozu is a somewhat lighter form of black vinegar, made just from rice. It has been marketed as a healthful drink; research on kurozu has suggested it has anticancer properties in vivo on rats and in vitro on human cancer cells.

Black vinegar has been used as a full-flavored but less expensive alternative to traditional balsamic vinegar.