The three main types of rice vinegar (mi cù, 米醋) used in Chinese cooking are white rice vinegar, black rice vinegar (or Chinkiang Vinegar), and red rice vinegar.
In this article, we focus on Chinese black vinegar, also known as black rice vinegar, dark vinegar, Chinkiang vinegar, or Zhenjiang vinegar.
(For more info on the other two types, check out their individual articles: White Rice Vinegar & Red Rice Vinegar.)
What Is Chinese Black Vinegar?
Chinese black vinegar (zhènjiāng xiāngcù, 镇江香醋) is made from fermented black sticky rice or regular glutinous rice. It can also be made using rice in combination with sorghum and/or wheat.
Originating in the city of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province, it is quite literally black in color and has a full bodied, malty, complex taste. It is mildly acidic, less so than a regular distilled white vinegar, with a faintly sweet flavor.
How Is It Used?
Chinese black vinegar is widely used in Chinese cooking for all types of cold appetizers, braised meats and fish, noodles and as a dipping condiment for dumplings.
It can be used to add acidity and sweetness to braised dishes like Chinese Braised Fish, where it cooks down to sweet black gold. It can also be used in dressings for cold appetizers and salads, such as our Wood Ear Salad, Tofu Salad, or Suan Ni Bai Rou (Sliced Pork Belly with Garlic Dressing).
It is also used as a classic dipping sauce for soup dumplings along with julienned ginger. It can add acidity to stir-fries as well, such as this Chinese Cabbage Stir-fry with Pork Belly.
When we’re too lazy to make a full on dipping sauce for dumplings, we drizzle black vinegar over dumplings as well. Some of us could even drink this stuff––lookin’ at you, Sarah!
Buying & Storing
Look for bottles with yellow labels marked Chinkiang Vinegar or Zhenjiang Vinegar at your local Chinese grocery store.
You may also be able to purchase it online, though it will be significantly more expensive (about double, or in some cases, triple the price). Store in a cool, dry place, like your pantry.
Substitutions for Black Vinegar
If you can’t find black vinegar, you can substitute white rice vinegar/rice wine vinegar, which is usually more readily available, even in regular supermarkets.
In a real pinch, you can substitute a bit of balsamic vinegar, though be careful because some balsamic vinegars can be very syrupy and sweet.
Our Favorite Dishes That Use This Ingredient:
- Shanghai Soup Dumplings
- Stir-fried Cabbage with Glass Noodles
- Suan Ni Bai Rou (Sliced Pork Belly with Garlic Dressing)
- Chinese Tofu Salad
- Wood Ear Mushroom Salad
- Chinese Cabbage Stir-fry
- Chinese Pickled Cucumbers
- Tiger Skin Peppers
If you have further questions about Chinese black vinegar, let us know in the comments––we try to answer every single one.
Hello,
Does Chinese black vinegar contain lead?
Thank you
I don’t think so, Nori, though we do agree it’s important to keep up to date on food safety issues!
Would any of these vinegars have gluten in them for some reason? I have an intolerance and sometimes its hard to read labels in other languages.
Hi Amelia, yes, black vinegar does sometimes contain wheat bran for the fermentation process.
If you are celiac the Koon Chun black vinegar should be ok, but the chinkiang vinegar is not
I moved house a short while ago and my Chinese black vinegar didn’t make the trip.
I successfully imitated it with Sarson’s Malt vinegar and a bit of soy sauce to get the correct flavor notes.
Interesting sub, thanks for sharing Adam!
Hi! What is the difference between black vinegar and Shanxi vinegar? Can you substitute them for each other?
What is the equivalent acidity between Chinese Black vinegar and distilled white vinegar?
Hi David, Chinese black vinegar is about 5.5% acidity, while most distilled white vinegars are 5% acidity, so they are pretty comparable.
Hello,
My bottle of black vinegar says “Diluted Black Vinegar” (Contains 2% acetic acid). Is this acceptable for pickles and such?
Honestly, I’m not sure! I know regular black vinegar is at around 5% acidity, so a diluted version will affect the taste of some recipes, particularly when it comes to pickling (where the acid is very important!)
To be shelf stable, pickles need to contain >5% acidity. 2% is too low to preserve them. If you are just making a quick pickle that you will use up right away, you might be fine but I also don’t think they’d taste very “pickly” at 2%.
Hi,
Does black vinegar have alcohol in it?
Hi Maham, like any vinegar, it has been fermented and may have had some alcohol content during fermentation, but the finished product should not have any alcohol or at best, very small trace amounts. The manufacturer does not list alcohol content on the bottle.
Hi i hve a bottle and its written vinegar its black in colour can it be black vinegar
Does it say Chinkiang vinegar or Zhejiang vinegar on the bottle? If so, yes.
hi! i have a bottle of dark vinegar and the label says “shanghai rice vinegar” would this be similar in use and taste to the one listed here? thank you
Hi Min, Shanghai rice vinegar is a bit lighter than Chinese black vinegar, but it can stand in as a substitute for most applications!