Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
17
Principles and Materials for Vinegar
There is vinegar, and then there is vinegar. Most often, we
buy vinegar as a commodity product without giving much
thought as to quality. The gallon jugs of distilled vinegar in
the supermarket are indistinguishable. There is no point in
making your own vinegar when you can buy it for $1/gallon
in bulk; so this chapter is not about making that kind of
commodity product.
Really good vinegar is a complex taste sensation to be
savored and appreciated. It takes on the character of the malt,
cider, or wine from which it is derived. It can also be
improved by aging as the complex flavor and aroma
compounds meld, recombine, and change. It is truly a
gourmet product, and hand-crafted examples are usually more
than $20/pint.
Vinegar in general is a healthy condiment. Vinegar increases
satiety
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thereby reducing caloric intake, it reduces the
glycemic index of foods with which it is consumed,
57
and
may reduce the risks of certain types of heart disease.
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And
just as wine preserves many of the vitamins and antioxidants
in the original fruit, homemade vinegars made from those
wines will likewise preserve vitamins and antioxidants;
thereby making it even more healthy than the commodity
vinegars used in the studies.
So this chapter is not about duplicating commodity products
that are cheaper to buy than they are to make. Rather, it is
