Text Editor丨Qingtian Imperial History.
Foreword – In fact, some foods are not affected by their shelf life and can even become more valuable over time during storage. They are some inconspicuous items in life, but they are gradually eliminated in people's lives.
Especially these kinds of items, some of them must be collected at home, and their value is constantly improving. Check to see if you have it at home, and be sure to keep it.
Honey"—
In 1913, American archaeologists found a jar of honey in the ancient tombs of the pyramids in Egypt, and found that this jar of honey had lasted for more than 3,300 years but had not deteriorated at all, and even could be eaten today. This discovery confirms that honey has a strong antibacterial ability and can be said to be the only food in the world that does not spoil.
Some people believe that honey is stored like wine for as long as possible, and this is theoretically true if it is mature honey. Theoretically, honey is a complex sugar solution with a high concentration, on the one hand, this solution has a very strong permeability, which is far beyond the range of most bacteria tolerated, and will dehydrate the bacteria and die; On the other hand, the organic acids and active enzymes contained in honey have bactericidal and antibacterial effects.
But nowadays, there are many honeys that not only cannot be stored forever, but even for three or five years, because there are too many fakes on the market. Most of the finished honey sold on the market today has been artificially concentrated, and the moisture content is too high, and even a large amount of sucrose and other chemical additives are added for sweetness.
This is not the case with natural native honey, and the reason why these good honeys do not deteriorate after a long time is that it has a low water content, which makes it more difficult for bacteria to survive. But honey is a kind of food after all, and there are very few high-quality honeys that can be found for collection, and the storage conditions are relatively harsh, and it is difficult for ordinary people who do not know how to make a fortune from it.
Tangerine peel - As the saying goes, "one or two tangerine peels and one or two gold, a hundred years of tangerine peel are like **." Many people will store some tangerine peel at home, and some fathers will even save a large amount of tangerine peel for their daughters when they grow up as the most substantial dowry. It may not be understood in some places, but the value of tangerine peel may be much greater than you think.
Especially in Guangdong, tangerine peel, ginger and grass are known as the three treasures of Guangdong, and Xinhui tangerine peel has the reputation of "thousand-year-old ginseng, hundred-year-old tangerine peel". In the hit drama "Hurricane", Gao Qiqiang has always liked to use old tangerine peel to soak in water and drink, and bluntly said that "tangerine peel is a good thing and good for the body". Why does a small piece of tangerine peel have such a great charm?
In terms of medicinal use, tangerine peel has the effects of regulating qi, strengthening the stomach, drying dampness and expelling phlegm; When eating, Cantonese cuisine is good at using tangerine peel for Cantonese seasoning, tochen stew, sugar water, etc., which can effectively remove the fishy and freshness and add flavor. In the "Compendium of Materia Medica", the role of tangerine peel is also recorded, and with the increase of years, the more tangerine peel can exert its unique aroma and medicinal effect.
The difference between different years of tangerine peel can be seen, three years of tangerine peel has a clear fragrance, five years of tangerine peel begins to produce an aged fragrance, long aftertaste, ten years of tangerine peel begins to appear old medicine smell, twenty years will produce bone fragrance, the best tangerine peel will be accompanied by camphor fragrance. Not only that, the older the tangerine peel, when it is soaked in water, it tastes different levels of taste, which is refreshing.
High-quality tangerine peel has high medicinal value, which has been verified by the long-term clinical experience of traditional Chinese medicine in the past dynasties, and the better the quality, the more prominent the medicinal value of tangerine peel. However, because the storage of tangerine peel is more troublesome, it also has a high collection value, and it was once regarded as an investment project.
Old Vinegar —
As a kind of food that carries profound Chinese cultural heritage, vinegar has become a good thing that has a unique flavor and nourishes the body after fermentation and brewing over time. After several months and years, the vinegar will produce different qualities and flavors after processing, forming a unique culture in our country, and Shanxi, as one of the famous representatives of old vinegar, has been integrated into the lives of ordinary people, but the old vinegar brewed by hand will become more and more valuable.
In Italy, there is an extremely expensive Basamic vinegar, which has been fermented for at least 12 or even 25 years, and the longer it is, the stronger it is, and the better it tastes. In China, as the first country to invent vinegar, there are also high-quality vinegars, the longer the aging time, the purer the taste, the higher the value.
Aged vinegar contains a variety of vitamins, and there is a folk proverb that "if you have two taels of vinegar at home, you don't need to go to the pharmacy". The greatest value of aged vinegar stored for a longer period of time is not only taste and quality, but also time value, time cannot be turned back, and aged vinegar that has been fermented for many years cannot be replicated.
Ham — Have you ever eaten a ham worth 30,000 yuan? There is a kind of 5J ham in Spain that has reached tens of thousands of yuan, which is not only eaten and cut, but also certified by professional certifiers on the spot, and its production method has very strict thresholds and technical standards. In addition to strict standards for pig breeds and environments, the length of time is also a major feature.
Ham that has been fermented for about two years will not be so stiff and will generally be used for steaming, stir-frying and stewing, but ham for more than three years is relatively more suitable for raw eating. Over time, the moisture on the ham is gradually lost and the fat is spoiled. In China, domestic Jinhua ham will generally be on the market after fermentation for more than one year, and Xuanwei ham will go through three years of fermentation, and the longer it is stored, the stronger the taste, and it can actually be eaten raw.
The making of ham is an art of time, and with proper handling, the longer it is stored, the more valuable it becomes.
Sauce flavor liquor"—
As a very popular liquor in recent years, with its unique flavor and mellow taste, the longer the storage time of soy sauce liquor, the better. However, not every kind of soy sauce wine can be stored for more than a long time, and it still has a certain threshold, that is, a high-concentration liquor with a degree of 53 degrees.
The longer some wines are stored, some of the evil flavors contained in them will evaporate over time, and the wine will ferment more and more full, with a rich aroma and a moderate taste. According to the provisions of the national "General Principles for the Labeling of Prepackaged Food", the wine is stored for 10 years, and the next 20 years are the first drinking period, and the longer the time, the more mellow.
Coupled with the method of brewing Daqu Kunsha used, the taste, aroma, harmony and body are the best, and it is the most suitable for collection. However, the environment of the collection is also very particular, and it is necessary to prevent problems such as running wine and cross-flavoring, which will greatly reduce the collection value of soy sauce wine.
In 2011, at an auction, a bottle of 1956 clay vase Moutai was auctioned for 1.84 million yuan. The most expensive bottle of liquor in history is the old liquor of Laimao in 1935, which sold for a sky-high price of 10.7 million yuan. Among the most valuable liquors in China, the collection value of sauce-flavored liquor is the most valuable.