VINEGAR - ACIDIC AND FLAVORFUL

Vinegar is produced by fermentation of ethanol contained in the basic ingredients, be it red wine, white wine, rice wine, or apple cider. Vinegar is an important and classic ingredient in many cuisines, but the varieties of vinegars used are many - balsamic, fruit, wine, chinese black, rice wine, and many others are available for testing and culinary adventures. Traditionally, in the western world, vinegar is used for making vinaigrettes and for seasoning soups or sauces, and a similar use for it can be found in other cuisines. The widespread use of vinegar is not surprising since it has been produced at least since the biblical times, and it can be used not only for cooking but also for e.g. removing rust from metals, or as a herbicide in organic farms. You may have also used it for cleaning your coffee maker or removing calcium deposits from surfaces, and it works because if the acidic acetate contained within vinegar. Actually, you can do the same chemical job with plain acetic acid, just dilute it in water if necessary, to protect your surfaces from too much acid damage.

Vinegars contain a few percent acetic acid, usually around 5%, that appears in the liquid as a result of alcohol fermentation. This is what happens when wine gets sour after being opened for too long, and while we would certainly not drink such a wine (vin aigre) we can certainly modify the fermentation process and prolong it to get even more fascinating flavor molecules in it. That's how vinegar is made, and the more aged vinegars have more complex taste, and naturally are more expensive. However, buying such a high quality vinegar pays off, since you can use it for a long time, and the taste is simply much much better than a plain young bottle. If you don't believe me, buy one young and one aged vinegar and just smell the difference - it's amazing what money can buy!

For dietary purposes, vinegar or apple cider vinegar diets have been proposed to combat obesity. The logic behind the idea is that vinegar makes one feel full quite fast, and thus dampens the appetite. Therefore, having a little vinegar in the food will make you feel more satiated. However, this effect needs to be repeated over and over to have an impact on a person's weight, and a lot of people just don't like the idea to drink vinegar every day with every meal.

So what else can vinegar be used for? In the kitchen, it is good for vinaigrettes, pickling, sauces, and soups. It can be added to mayonnaise and mustard, and of course in chutneys and marinades. In common cooking, so to speak, vinegar can be used to make the dish more acidic, and it also adds its own flavor to the dish. Therefore, it is necessary to match the type of vinegar with the type of food you make. Also, some interesting flavor combinations are available with vinegar, e.g. try to mix strawberries with little balsamic vinegar - really nice!