Kurozu

Vinaigre noir japonais (kurozu)

What it is

Unpolished rice, koji and water go into one earthenware jar standing in an open field, and all three stages — saccharification, alcohol, then acetic acid — run in that single vessel over one to three years. The jars have stood in rows at Fukuyama in Kagoshima since about 1800, worked without lids, pumps or any transfer between tanks.

In the kitchen

It is rounder and far less aggressive than rice vinegar, so use it undiluted where you would otherwise cut a vinegar with water. A spoonful stirred into a pork stir-fry at the end reads as depth rather than as acidity.

Goes with

Honey Ginger Soy sauce Pork Cucumber Toasted sesame oil Rice Hon-mirin

Same species

Akazu Arborio rice Rice paper (bánh tráng) Basmati rice Black glutinous rice Black rice

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