Down to Basics: Vinegar

Can a person have too many vinegars?  No..they cannot.

Vinegar is a staple of any kitchen that calls itself a proper kitchen. Not too shabby for the result of a “whoops” – one good cask of wine gone bad and now it’s a household name (and speaking of names, vin aigre means “sour wine” in French).

It caught on pretty well from the start. The ancients Babylonians used vinegar as both a preservative and a condiment. They started the whole herbed and spiced flavoring craze. Roman troops slurped vinegar as a beverage (hey, it was just old wine). And the Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra herself was familiar with vinegar's use as a solvent (she dissolved pearls in vinegar to win a bet that she could consume a fortune in a single meal). Hippocrates extolled the virtues of vinegar as a medicinal aid and the Greeks used it for pickling veggies (yum) and meats (mmm, not so yum).

As you will note on your grocery isle, there are gazillions of types of vinegar, some infused, others made from various products, but all share a common make-up -- natural sugars that have been fermented to alcohol and then again fermented again to become vinegar.

Here’s some tidbittery about a few basic types that you may, or may not, be familiar with.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is made from apple cider (I know, crazy) or apple must*. Apple cider vinegar is a golden brown in color and has a high acidity which creates a bit of a burning sensation if consumed straight.

*Must is when the whole fruit is fresh pressed and still contains all the parts of the fruit – stems, seeds, core, and the like.

Balsamic Vinegar

Balsamic is an aged vinegar traditionally produced in the Italian provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia. It’s made from the concentrated juice (must) of white Trebbiano grapes. It’s a dark brown in color, highly aromatic and sweetly rich in taste. The finest balsamic vinegars have been aged for years in wooden casks.  A “true” balsamic is aged for 12-25 years.

Fruit Vinegar

Fruit vinegars are made from fruit wines and usually don’t include any additional flavoring because the flavors of the original fruit (like apple, raspberry, or current) remains the final product.

Malt Vinegar

Malt vinegar is produced by malting barley. The grain starch turns to maltose, the maltose is brewed into ale, the ale is left to turn into vinegar, and then the vinegar is aged. It’s usually a light brown in color (and VERY good with fish and chips).

Red or White Wine Vinegar

Wine vinegar is made from red or white wine which is allowed to become vinegar. As with wines in general, there is a wide range of variety depending on what wine is used. The higher quality wine vinegars are made from single grape varieties rather than blends and tend to be aged longer (at least two years).

Rice Vinegar

Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice or rice wine. It’s produced in Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea and comes in three varieties – white, black and red. White rice vinegar is the most similar to Western style vinegars, mildly acidic and clear to pale yellow in color. Black rice vinegar is made with black rice and is smoky in flavor and dark in color. Red rice vinegar gets its color from a red yeast rice.


Flavored vinegars are great for use on salads to add a touch of flavor to your greens.  They are also good for marinades as the acidity of the vinegar helps to breakdown cells and tenderize the meat.

If you get a chance you should check and see if there are any oil and vinegar tasting shops near you.  I found another one in Asheville this past weekend, Olive & Kickin' (http://www.oliveandkickin.com/).  They had some fabulous new flavors I hadn't seen before and I'll be trying one out for the recipe on Sunday.  I bought a sample pack (6 small bottles for $35) which is a great way to try out something before commiting to a whole bottle.