The seven necessities of daily life are firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea. With its unique aroma and health benefits, vinegar has become an indispensable part of people's daily lives.
Appropriate consumption of vinegar can stimulate the appetite and promote the secretion of saliva and gastric juices. Eating a little vinegar daily can also help promote digestion and absorption. Ancient medicine believed that vinegar had various effects, such as stimulating the appetite, aiding digestion, detoxifying, and dispelling stasis. Therefore, vinegar can be used not only as a food but also as a medicine.
Good vinegar is transparent, clear, of appropriate concentration, sour with a hint of sweetness, aromatic, and free from impurities or signs of spoilage, making it an excellent seasoning. However, during the hot summer season, special attention must be paid. If vinegar is stored for too long, it may become cloudy or grow mold. Cloudiness in vinegar indicates that it was contaminated during production or that the storage time and conditions were poor, causing two different microorganisms, vinegar eels and vinegar mites, to grow in the unclean environment. These microorganisms can consume acetic acid bacteria, causing the vinegar to lose its original aroma and effectiveness, and its quality declines. Consuming cloudy vinegar can affect human health; in severe cases, it can lead to food poisoning, and such vinegar should not be eaten.
To prevent vinegar from becoming cloudy, purchase vinegar in small bottles from reputable manufacturers, seal the cap tightly after each use, and store it in a cool, dark place to shorten its storage time.
Not just vinegar, but also soy sauce, cooking oil, and other products are best purchased in small bottles. After use, be sure to tighten the cap and store them away from the stove. The best storage location is a cool, dry, and ventilated place.