Laba garlic tradition spurs demand for vinegar

People have already been standing in line for two hours to buy vinegar in China's Shanxi province.

Wednesday marks the traditional Laba Festival in China. Laba means the eighth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. It has been celebrated for 1,500 years. One of the festival's traditions is to pickle garlic in vinegar. North China's Shanxi province is famous for for its extra-aged vinegar.

Ninghuafu Yiyuanqing is the most famous vinegar store in Shanxi province. It's been producing extra aged vinegar here for more than six hundred years. And as the Laba festival approaches, the store has served thousands of customers and sold even more vinegar.

At 9:30 in the morning, and people have already been standing in line for two hours to buy vinegar. Since the start of the twelfth lunar month, thousands of customers have come to do the same every day. And more than 10,000 liters of vinegar can sometimes be sold in a single day.

The garlic is soaked in vinegar on Laba day. So that by the Lunar New Year, about twenty days later, the garlic will be just right to eat.

"Vinegar quality is key to tasty Laba garlic. You should use high quality vinegar and garlic with purple skin." Lian Jia, deputy manager of Shanxi Donghu Vinegar Co., Ltd, said.

While those unfamiliar with the Laba tradition may think green garlic is a sign of rotten food, experts say the combination of Laba garlic and vinegar is not just delicious, but also quite nutritious. With anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities, it can reduce the greasiness of food while adding a unique flavor.