Vinegar is a natural product widely used in the home, and especially in the kitchen. Discovering its qualities and its surprising culinary properties will help you get to know it better according to the different types of vinegar.
The use of vinegar is quite remote to the point that it takes us on a long journey through history, placing us in the times of Mesopotamia from the year 5000 BC where it began to be used. Later history places data on vinegar among the Sumerians, Babylonians, and also in Egypt and Rome.
During the middle Ages, vinegar was made in the French city of Orleans, where it was only made by vinegar makers. Vinegar began to be commercialized industrially from the middle of the 19th century.
Currently, vinegar is obtained or made from the juice or fermented juice of fruits, cereals, honey, wine, cider or beer.
Vinegar is also known as sour wine, and it is the result of two fermentations. That of sugar that becomes alcohol and alcohol later becomes acetic acid, this transformation is due to a bacteria called acetobacter, which is found in the environment.
Vinegar was used for both therapeutic and culinary purposes and today as well.
The most important properties of vinegar
The properties that vinegar contains are antioxidant and antibacterial.
In addition to being used in the kitchen to prepare or accompany different recipes, it is also used for other purposes such as cleaning the home due to its disinfectant and degreasing properties, to remove limescale, for personal hygiene, to relieve minor annoyances, in beauty to calm, cleanse the skin as well as to give shine to the hair.
The vinegars that we normally get industrially on the market are usually vinegars obtained from red or white wine or cider.
The uses of vinegar in the kitchen
Culinary vinegar is used as a condiment, to dress, and to provide flavor and aroma as well as to preserve food since it prevents the proliferation of microorganisms, preventing food from being contaminated or spoiled.
Below we describe some types of vinegars that are marketed from wine and cider.
The wine vinegar or grape juice obtained from the fermentation of grape and wine and is the most used in European cuisine. It is used to accompany red meat dishes, prepare vinaigrettes, season different dishes, and dress salads…
In the particular case of white wine vinegar, it is used to make different sauces, pickles, and vegetable or fruit salads.
What is known as white vinegar is a type of vinegar that is obtained from the alcohol produced by both corn and beets. This vinegar is colorless and is used as a preservative in the preparation of preserves for both home and industrial use.
White vinegar is also used in the home as a disinfectant, degreaser, to remove stains, to eliminate odors.
The vinegar apple cider it is probably one of the best known and most used vinegars. Delicate and smooth flavor that is extracted from the pulp of the apple or can also be obtained from its juice. It can also be obtained from cider or fermented apple must.
The apple cider vinegar is widely used in cooking, for seasoning salads, recipes of meat, fish and sauces.
Another of the most popular vinegars is balsamic Modena vinegar. It is of Italian origin, with a very intense aroma, which has a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), which guarantees its origin, it is an expensive vinegar.
There is a standard type balsamic vinegar of Modena that is also protected with the protected geographical indication (IPG), this vinegar differs from the first in that it is not so refined and less concentrated and sometimes caramel is added to achieve both the sweet taste like very dark color. It is obtained with wine must and not with wine.
On the other hand, in our country there is a tremendously popular and well-known Sherry vinegar. It is a vinegar also protected with a designation of origin (PDO), this vinegar comes from Cádiz where the vines are grown.
As we have said previously, vinegar can also be obtained from cereals such as rice vinegar, it is a vinegar with a mild flavor, slightly sweet, and it is very popular in Asian cuisine.
This vinegar is made with rice and other cereals such as millet and wheat are added.
Vinegar can also be flavored by adding any aromatic herb such as basil, rosemary, thyme, also with fruits.
Flavored vinegars are a good resource for dressing or seasoning salads, or our favorite dishes.
