Ge Lao Vinegar [Shanxi Xiangyuan Specialty]

What is Ge Lao vinegar? Authentic Shanxi Xiangyuan specialty: Ge Lao vinegar

Content summary:Do you want to know what Ge Lao vinegar is? This article is a detailed introduction to the special product of Xiangyuan, Shanxi Province - Ge Lao Vinegar. It was compiled and edited by the editorial team of China Specialty Network after reviewing and collecting relevant information on Ge Lao Vinegar. The full text takes about 9 minutes to read, mainly including the basic introduction of Ge Lao Vinegar and its nutritional value? How did the history of Ge Lao vinegar come about? The production method of Ge Lao vinegar, etc

Introduction to Ge Lao Vinegar

Vinegar is a fermented sour liquid seasoning, mostly made from sorghum, rice, corn, wheat, sugar, and alcoholic beverages. Vinegar, which can be naturally produced, was consumed by ancient humans around the world from a very early age

Method of making Ge Lao vinegar

Preparation ratio of raw materials:

100 pounds of sorghum, 40 pounds of daqu, 40 pounds of bran, 50 pounds of bran, 9-10 pounds of salt, 1.5 liang of Sichuan pepper (Sichuan pepper, anise, small anise, ginger, cinnamon, etc.), 80-100 pounds of vinegar residue, 260-280 pounds of water

Seriously execute the ten processes

1. Crushing raw materials: both sorghum and daqu should be crushed, with daqu powder turning into curved surfaces and sorghum powder turning into coarse powder, preferably with less flour

2. Moisturizing lees: First, spread 25-30% of the bran and 80-100% of the new vinegar lees flat on the drying ground. Sprinkle the sorghum powder on top and add 100% water. Stir evenly, then pile it up. In winter, it can be thicker appropriately and mixed with warm water. After 12-14 hours, the material should be moistened thoroughly, but be careful not to make it heat up

3. Steaming ingredients: First, lay the cage cloth, sprinkle a thin layer of bran, then stir the moistened seasonings evenly without lumps, put them into the steamer and sprinkle layer by layer with air to avoid compaction. After the air is full, steam for two to two and a half hours and remove from the steamer. Gaoliang needs to be steamed until fully cooked, without any internal growth<4. Steaming and cooling: After steaming the sorghum grits, they should be immediately removed from the steamer to disperse the gas layer inside the clinker. Then, 160 to 180 pounds of slurry water should be added to allow the raw materials to absorb a large amount of slurry water, promoting and improving the oxidation of alcohol in the first fermentation

5. Cooling and adding yeast: Add yeast to the clinker, spread it on the drying field, and flip it over at any time to accelerate cooling and reduce the chance of bacterial infection

6. Mixing Daqu: When the clinker is cooled to 18-22 degrees Celsius in summer and 22-24 degrees Celsius in winter, start mixing Daqu. Pull the curved surface as evenly as possible on top, add a part of bran and mix well. Put it into an alcohol fermentation tank (jar), step on it slightly with your feet, cover it tightly with plastic cloth, and perform solid-state fermentation to saccharify and convert it into alcohol. The process lasts 7-8 days in summer and 9-10 days in winter. Require the fermentation room temperature to be 10-20 degrees Celsius, alcohol to be 5-7 degrees Celsius, and acidity to be below 1 degree Celsius

7. Acetic acid fermentation process: To produce vinegar, first make vinegar after drinking alcohol. The first step is saccharification and fermentation to produce alcohol, and the second step is alcohol fermentation to produce acetic acid. After alcohol fermentation, the mixture of bran and wheat bran is mixed to form vinegar, which is then placed in a small tank. Generally, the fermented vinegar requires an alcohol content of about 6 degrees and an acidity of less than 1 degree. When transferring to acetic acid fermentation and mixing bran, avoid high temperature time to prevent excessive alcohol production due to high temperature, which may affect vinegar production. When mixing bran, it is required to be uniform and strictly control the moisture content in acetic acid. The alcohol content should be between 38-42 degrees. If the alcohol content is too high or too low, it is not conducive to the growth and reproduction of acetic acid bacteria. The yield rate reaches 500-550%

8. Vinegar base: Take 40% of the vinegar base and pour it into a curing tank with a ceramic cover. Flip it over in order once a day and cure it for 4-5 days. The color should be black, red, and shiny. Pay attention to the heating time, 2-3 times a day. To master the fire, the time for adding fire should be fixed. The function of smoking is to increase the color and aroma of vinegar. This process is unique to the Yiyuanqing vinegar production site

9. Vinegar soaking: The vinegar base made from all raw materials, namely 60% non smoked yellow base and 40% smoked black base, is poured into the black and yellow soaking pools respectively. The yellow base is soaked in the previous day's top vinegar for 12-16 hours. The next day, open the nozzle of the yellow vinegar pool and pour the poured yellow vinegar into the vinegar pot. Boil and sterilize it, then put it into the smoking pool and soak for 4-6 hours. Mix the black vinegar and yellow vinegar to obtain the finished product. The requirement for pouring vinegar is to achieve one soaking, two boiling, and three pouring

10. Finished product identification: Finished products that have been identified and do not meet national standards are not allowed to be stored. The identification of finished products generally adopts three methods: sensory, visual, and laboratory testing. Sensation is the sour aroma of raw vinegar, with or without any impurities; Observation is to check whether the color is transparent and whether there is any turbidity phenomenon; Laboratory testing is the use of instruments to measure acidity and concentration. Generally, the acidity of special vinegar is above 5 degrees, and its color is dark, transparent, and shiny