Vinegar

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Vinegar (from Old French vinaigre, meaning "sour wine") is a sour-tasting liquid made from the oxidation of ethanol in wine, cider, beer, fermented fruit juice, or nearly any other liquid containing alcohol. It can also be made by certain bacteria operating on sugar-water solutions directly, without intermediary conversion to ethanol (see acetic acid). Commercially available vinegar usually has a pH of about 2.4.

Contents 1 Production 2 Culinary uses 3 Types of vinegar 3.1 White 3.2 Malt 3.3 Wine 3.4 Apple cider 3.5 Fruit vinegar 3.6 Balsamic 3.7 Rice 3.8 Coconut 3.9 Cane 3.10 Raisin 3.11 Beer 3.12 Honey 3.13 Chinese black 3.14 Flavored vinegars 4 Non-culinary uses 4.1 Cleaning 4.2 Medicine 4.3 Miscellaneous 5 See also 6 External links

Production

Vinegar production may be started by the addition of mother of vinegar to wine or cider. Vinegar is a dilute form of acetic acid, ranging typically from three to five percent by volume for table vinegar and higher concentrations for pickling. Natural vinegars also contain smaller amounts of tartaric acid, citric acid, and other acids. It has been used since ancient times, and is an important element in Western and European, Asian, and other traditional cuisines of the world. The oxidation is carried out by acetic acid bacteria, as was shown in 1864 by Louis Pasteur. Modern systems work with vinegar bacteria at the liquid and bringing the air into the vinegar with a venturi pump system or with a turbine. These systems have a production time between 38 hours and three days to get the ready vinegar.

Culinary uses

Vinegar is commonly used in food preparations, particularly in pickling processes, vinaigrettes, and other salad dressings. It is an ingredient in sauces such as mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise. It is also often used as a condiment.

Types of vinegar

White

So-called "white vinegar" (actually clear) can be made by oxidating a distilled alcohol. Alternatively, it may be nothing more than a solution of acetic acid in water. It is used for culinary as well as cleaning purposes.

Malt

Malt vinegar is made by malting barley, causing the starch in the grain to turn to maltose. An ale is then brewed from the maltose and allowed to turn into vinegar, which is then aged. A cheaper alternative, called 'non-brewed condiment', is a solution of 4-8% acetic acid colored with caramel.

The British, Americans and Canadians commonly use malt vinegar on fish and chips.

Wine

Wine vinegar is made from red or white wine, and is the most commonly used vinegar in mediterranean contries, Germany and other contries. As with wine, there is a considerable range in quality. Better quality wine vinegars are matured in wood for up to two years and exhibit a complex, mellow flavor. Champagne vinegar is made from champagne, and Sherry vinegar, produced in Spain, is made from Sherry. These last two are correspondingly expensive.

Apple cider

Image:Applecidervinegar01.JPG Apple cider vinegar, sometimes known simply as cider vinegar, is made from cider or apple must, and is often sold unfiltered, with a brownish-yellow color. It is currently very popular, partly due to its alleged beneficial health and beauty properties (see below). Some countries, like Canada, prohibit the selling of vinegar over a certain percentage acidity.

In terms of cooking, cider vinegar is not good for delicate sauces, but is excellent for use in chutneys and marinades. It can be used to pickle foods, but will darken light fruits and vegetables.

Fruit vinegar

Fruit vinegars are made from fruit wines without any additional flavouring. Common flavors of fruit vinegar include black currant, raspberry, and quince. Typically, the flavors of the original fruits remain tasteable in the final vinegar.

Most such vinegars are produced in Europe, where there is a growing market for high price vinegars made solely from specific fruits (as opposed to non-fruit vinegars which are infused with fruits or fruit flavors. Vinegars that are not actually made from fruit, but which are flavored with fruit or fruit flavors, are not true vinegars, but are instead classified as flavored vinegars.

Balsamic

Balsamic vinegar is an aromatic, aged type of vinegar manufactured in Modena, Italy. Its flavor is rich, sweet, and complex, with the finest grades being the end product of years of aging in a successive number of casks made of various types of wood (including chestnut, cherry, and juniper). Originally an artisanal product available only to the Italian upper classes, balsamic vinegar became widely known and available around the world in the late 20th century. Now it is very common.

Rice

The Japanese prefer a more delicate rice vinegar and use it for much the same purposes as Europeans, as well as for sushi rice, in which it is an essential ingredient. Rice vinegar is available in white, red and black variants, the last of which is most popular in China. Black rice vinegar may be used as a substitute for balsamic vinegar, though its dark color and the fact that it is aged may be the only similarity between the two products. Some types of rice vinegar are sweetened or otherwise seasoned.

Coconut

Coconut vinegar, made from the sap, or "toddy," of the coconut palm, is used extensively in Southeast Asian cuisine (particularly in the Philippines, a major producer of the product), as well as in some cuisines of India. A cloudy white liquid, it has a particularly sharp, acidic taste with a slightly yeasty note.

Cane

Cane vinegar, made from sugar cane juice, is most popular in the Philippines (where it is called sukang iloko), although it is also produced in France and the United States. It ranges from dark yellow to golden brown in color and has a mellow flavor, similar in some respects to rice vinegar, though with a somewhat "fresher" taste. Contrary to expectation, it is not sweeter than other vinegars, containing no residual sugar.

Raisin

Vinegar made from raisins is used in cuisines of the Middle East, and is produced in Turkey. It is cloudy and medium brown in color, with a mild flavor.

Beer

Vinegar made from beer is produced in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. Although its flavor depends on the particular type of beer from which it is made, it is often described as having a malty taste. That produced in Bavaria is a light golden color, with a very sharp and not overly complex flavor.

Honey

Vinegar made from honey is rare, though commercially available honey vinegars are produced in Italy and France.

Chinese black

Chinese black vinegar is an aged product made from rice, wheat, millet, or sorghum. It has an inky black color and a complex flavor.

Flavored vinegars

Popular fruit-flavored vinegars include those infused with whole raspberries, blueberries, or figs (or else from flavorings derived from these fruits). Some of the more exotic fruit-flavored vinegars include blood orange and pear.

Herb vinegars are flavored with herbs, most commonly Mediterranean herbs such as thyme or oregano. Such vinegars can be prepared at home by adding sprigs of fresh or dried herbs to store-bought vinegar; generally a light-colored, mild tasting vinegar such as that made from white wine is used for this purpose.

An East Asian variety of flavored vinegar known as sweetened vinegar is made from rice wine and herbs including ginger, cloves and other spices. It is an integral ingredient in the traditional Chinese postnatal health and celebratory dish of Pork Knuckles and Ginger Stew [1].

Non-culinary uses

Cleaning

Vinegar can be a potent, inexpensive and environment-friendly cleaning agent. White vinegar is generally recommended when vinegar is being used as a cleaning fluid.

• A few tablespoons of white vinegar mixed with a few teaspoons of common table salt makes an excellent cleanser for cleaning badly-stained stainless cookware. This vinegar and salt mixture can also remove oxidation from copper-clad cookware and make it shine with practically no rubbing required.

• One part white vinegar to four parts water (for a stronger solution, one part white vinegar to one part water works) makes a fine window-washing fluid, substituting for Windex. If windows appear streaky after washing with vinegar, add a half-teaspoon of liquid soap to the mix—this removes the waxy, streak-causing residue left over by commercial window cleaners.

• Drains can be cleaned by using a combination of vinegar and baking soda. Pour one-half cup baking soda down the drain, followed by half a cup of white vinegar. Cover the drain while it works, then rinse with several gallons of water.

• Vinegar also works well as a fabric softener; just add half a cup to the rinse cycle.

• Weak solutions of vinegar or acetic acid in water are used for douches.

• Vinegar can also be used as a solvent for removing the adhesive residue tapes leave on glass and plastic. It works well for quickly removing an adhesive residue that has been left on for about 1-2 weeks. To remove the adhesive resiude using vinegar, you should:

1. Apply the vinegar to a cloth or paper towel.
2. Dab the cloth or paper towel in a little bit of vinegar
3. Scrub at the surface with the damp side of the cloth or paper towel
4. Dry the surface.

Medicine

Vinegar is a folk medicine used in China to prevent the spread of virus such as SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and other pneumonia outbreaks:

"On February 13, 2003 news of a type of atypical pneumonia that appeared in six cities of south China's Guangdong province has been brought under control, with no cases reported since Monday. According to press conferences held by the Guangdong and Guangzhou governments, local governments at various levels have taken emergency measures to control the prices of isatis root, vinegar and other related anti-virus medicines, which saw soaring prices due to their effectiveness in curing this disease" (source unknown).

A recorded use of vinegar as with the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill. As with all nursery rhymes there is truth in the story and this one comes from the village of Kilmersdon in Somerset. The vinegar and brown paper used would have been cider.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is a much more useful astringent than ice and will reduce inflammation, bruising and swelling in approximately a third of the time that ice will take. Application is directly onto the skin with a flannel, and left on for an hour or so.

Vinegar along with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) is used in the livestock industry to kill bacteria and viruses before refrigeration storage. A chemical mixture of peracetic acid is formed when acetic acid is mixed with hydrogen peroxide. It is being used in some Asian countries by aerosol sprays for control of pneumonia. A mixture of five-percent acetic acid and three-percent hydrogen peroxide is commonly used.

Apple cider vinegar in particular is often touted as a medical aid, from cancer prevention to alleviation of joint pain to weight loss. [2] [3] [4] [5] These claims began in Biblical times; in 1958, Dr. D. C. Jarvis made the remedy popular with a book that sold 500,000 copies.

Claims that cider vinegar can be used as a beauty aid also persist, [6] despite the fact that apple cider vinegar can sometimes be very dangerous to the eyes. The acid will burn and the eyes will become red, but there are no damages to the eyes ever described. If the vinegar contains mother of vinegar the slime bacteria of the mother can make an ophthalmitis.

Cider vinegar is also claimed to be a solution to dandruff, in that the acid in the vinegar kills the fungus Malassezia furfur (formerly known as Pityrosporum ovale) and restores the chemical balance of the skin.

Two tablespoons of vinegar before a meal was found to prevent blood sugar spikes in a study by Carol Johnston, a professor of nutrition at Arizona State University [7].

Miscellaneous

When vinegar is added to sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), it produces a very fizzy and volatile mixture of carbonic acid decomposing into carbon dioxide and water. It is exemplified as the typical acid-base reaction in school science experiments. The salt that is formed is sodium acetate.

According to the Prophet Mohammed, vinegar is one of the best condiments (Ref. Sahih Muslim Book 023, Number 5091).

Lord Byron would consume vast quantities of white vinegar to keep his complexion pale.

See also

• Food additive

External links

• The vinegar web site
• The Vinegar Institute
• The Vinegar Book: Great Uses for Vinegar
• Very detailed articles on vinegar
• Acetic Acid
• Acute oral acetic acid poisoning--case report
• About.com: Cleaning with Vinegar
• The Grand Central Station for Vinegar Informationang:Eced

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