Zhangde Aged Vinegar

Zhangde Aged Vinegar

　　Zhangde Aged Vinegar is a traditional specialty of Anyang City, Henan Province, with a history of over 300 years. It is named after Anyang’s ancient title, Zhangde.

　　 Zhangde Aged Vinegar was first created during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty. It is characterized by its delicious taste, mellow and smooth texture, deep purplish-red color, and rich vinegar aroma, making it an excellent seasoning for cooking and cold dishes. It is brewed using high-quality sorghum, along with rice, bran, sugar blocks, and koji, following a solid-state fermentation process. Due to its superior quality, before 1949, it enjoyed great renown in southern Hebei, northern Henan, southeastern Shanxi, and western Shandong, where it was known as "Zhangde Prefecture Aged Vinegar" or simply "Prefecture Vinegar." After 1956, the technical expertise from various private sauce and pickled vegetable workshops in Anyang City was consolidated at the Anyang Brewing Factory. By further exploring traditional techniques and continuously adopting new brewing methods, the factory not only preserved the traditional flavor of Zhangde Aged Vinegar but also improved its product quality. Since 1978, annual production has increased year by year. In 1982, the output reached 30,000 kilograms, and by 1984, it had grown to 150,000 kilograms, yet demand still outstripped supply. Since 1981, it has won the Commercial Ministry’s Excellent Product Award four times in a row.