A true building block of many East Asian cuisines, the origins of rice vinegar date somewhere between four and five thousand years ago to ancient China. It’s traditionally made by fermenting rice wine, and over its long and storied history has been used as everything from a flavoring agent, to a preservative, to beverage in its own right. It comes in a variety of colors ranging from red, to white, to brown and black, and is sometimes seasoned with sugar or other flavorings. Trader Joe’s Rice Vinegar is styled after an everyday, unseasoned, white rice vinegar, but it’s certainly not lacking for flavor. Tart, tangy, and just a touch sweet, with a slightly sharp note for cutting through and brightening other flavors, it’s an ideal ingredient for adding to salad dressings, sauces, and marinades of all kinds. A bit of our Rice Vinegar will add an extra dimension of flavor to stir-fries, soups, and even just a freshly cooked pot of plain white rice. When mixed with soy sauce, it makes an excellent condiment for any of our gyoza or soup dumpling options, though we’ll leave the exact ratio to your personal tastes (some prefer equal parts soy sauce to Rice Vinegar, others enjoy two parts Vinegar to one part soy sauce). And when making quick pickles or a last-minute seaweed salad, our Rice Vinegar is nothing short of a must-have.