Ants as “vinegar” As early as ancient times, people have been catching sour ants as acetic acid to eat, and this phenomenon is called “chewing ants and sour”. It is said that the acidic ants can not only be eaten but also be used to cure miasma and tapeworm. Later on, it is also possible to take acetic acid directly from plants or collect extra wild fruits for fermentation, so as to take acid and eat it to relieve the lightness of mouth. Black tower brewing “vinegar” Legend has it that in the ancient Zhongxing country (now Yuncheng County, Shanxi Province), a man named Du Kang invented wine, and his son, Black tower, learned brewing techniques from him. Once Hei Ta overfermented the wine, and when he opened the vat on the 21st day at You time, he found that the wine had become sour, but the aroma was strong, and the sweetness in the sourness was quite delicious. “Vinegar”. Although this is just a legend, it shows that China is the first country in the world to make vinegar from grain. It is also said in Shanxi folk that there is no vinegar but no taste. History of vinegar making in China The history of vinegar making in China is about 3000 years, and it is recorded in “The Rites of Zhou” written by the Duke of Zhou in 1058 B.C. In the Zhou Dynasty, there was an official of the court to manage vinegar administration – “acyl man”. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, vinegar was regarded as a luxury item, and vinegar seasoning became a standard for banquets. In Tang and Song dynasties, the vinegar making industry developed greatly and vinegar entered the people’s house. The vinegar production area in China is widely distributed, and the vinegar brewing process varies from one place to another, so there are many varieties of vinegar in China with different flavors. Among them, Shanxi old vinegar, Zhenjiang balsamic vinegar, Sichuan bran vinegar and Fujian Yongchun old vinegar are the most famous, and they were known as the four famous vinegars in China as early as the Ming and Qing dynasties. However, vinegar is not only found in China, but also eaten in all countries in the world. There are malt vinegar in England, apple vinegar in America, sherry vinegar in Spain, white wine vinegar in Germany and so on. According to the theory of Chinese medicine, vinegar is sour, sweet, flat and belongs to liver and stomach. Li Shizhen said in “Compendium of Materia Medica” that vinegar can cure all sores and lumps, pain in heart and abdomen, phlegm, water and blood disease and all kinds of insects and poisonous gas. In Sun Simiao’s “Thousand Gold Essentials” of the Tang Dynasty, it is also written that vinegar soaked soybeans can treat yin deficiency and yang hyperactivity, false wind disturbance, dizziness and headache, and false fever. The specific practice is to take 250 grams of fresh soybeans, about 1 liter of high-quality rice vinegar, wash the soybeans into a large wide-mouth bottle (the amount of soybeans should not exceed half of the capacity of the bottle), pour vinegar into the bottle to submerge the soybeans (soybeans swell up after adding vinegar to submerge the soybeans), after 15 days, eat vinegar soaked soybeans 5 ~ 10 per day, also has the effect of lowering lipids, antioxidant, prevention of cardiovascular disease and treatment of hypertension. Vinegar can lower blood pressure, but don’t be greedy. Modern research shows that vinegar has the effect of lowering blood pressure in rats with primary hypertension, and the main component that plays the role of lowering blood pressure is acetic acid. But keep in mind that vinegar is not medicine, it can only be considered as health food for auxiliary treatment, and cannot replace regular medicine. Vinegar has many benefits 1.Vinegar can prevent and relieve fatigue 2.Vinegar often has the effect of lowering blood pressure and preventing arteriosclerosis 3.Vinegar has the effect of sterilization and antibacterial to pathogenic bacteria 4.Vinegar is also beneficial to human beauty. However, people with excessive acidity or stomach ulcer, gout patients and those who are taking some western medicine such as sodium bicarbonate, aluminum oxide and gastric relief should not eat vinegar or too much. How to choose “vinegar” 1. The color and physical appearance of vinegar should be seen. The brewing vinegar is amber or reddish brown in color, and it is good if it has luster, and the quality of the product is better if it has clarified body, proper concentration and no suspended matter and precipitation. 2.It is to smell the aroma and taste. Good vinegar should have the unique ester aroma of vinegar, soft acidity, long aftertaste, not astringent and no off-flavor. After knowing these, we understand that we should eat aged vinegar or smoked vinegar brewed by grain, and not eat vinegar made by exchange as much as possible. Because the vinegar made with glacial acetic acid and water, glacial acetic acid is a chemical substance extracted from petroleum, which has no nutritional health effect on human body.